Minimum Sum Edge Colorings of Multicycles

In the minimum sum edge coloring problem, we aim to assign natural numbers to edges of a graph, so that adjacent edges receive different numbers, and the sum of the numbers assigned to the edges is minimum. The {\em chromatic edge strength} of a graph is the minimum number of colors required in a minimum sum edge coloring of this graph. We study the case of multicycles, defined as cycles with parallel edges, and give a closed-form expression for the chromatic edge strength of a multicycle, thereby extending a theorem due to Berge. It is shown that the minimum sum can be achieved with a number of colors equal to the chromatic index. We also propose simple algorithms for finding a minimum sum edge coloring of a multicycle. Finally, these results are generalized to a large family of minimum cost coloring problems

On the cost chromatic number of outerplanar, planar, and line graphs

We consider vertex colorings of graphs in which each color has an associated cost which is incurred each time the color is assigned to a vertex. The cost of the coloring is the sum of the costs incurred at each vertex. The cost chromatic number of a graph with respect to a cost set is the minimum number of colors necessary to produce a minimum cost coloring of the graph. We show that the cost chromatic number of maximal outerplanar and maximal planar graphs can be arbitrarily large and construct several infinite classes of counterexamples to a conjecture of Harary and Plantholt on the cost chromatic number of line graphs