Oriented coloring on recursively defined digraphs

Coloring is one of the most famous problems in graph theory. The coloring problem on undirected graphs has been well studied, whereas there are very few results for coloring problems on directed graphs. An oriented k-coloring of an oriented graph G=(V,A) is a partition of the vertex set V into k independent sets such that all the arcs linking two of these subsets have the same direction. The oriented chromatic number of an oriented graph G is the smallest k such that G allows an oriented k-coloring. Deciding whether an acyclic digraph allows an oriented 4-coloring is NP-hard. It follows, that finding the chromatic number of an oriented graph is an NP-hard problem. This motivates to consider the problem on oriented co-graphs. After giving several characterizations for this graph class, we show a linear time algorithm which computes an optimal oriented coloring for an oriented co-graph. We further prove how the oriented chromatic number can be computed for the disjoint union and order composition from the oriented chromatic number of the involved oriented co-graphs. It turns out that within oriented co-graphs the oriented chromatic number is equal to the length of a longest oriented path plus one. We also show that the graph isomorphism problem on oriented co-graphs can be solved in linear time.Comment: 14 page

A Study of kk-dipath Colourings of Oriented Graphs

We examine $t$-colourings of oriented graphs in which, for a fixed integer $k \geq 1$, vertices joined by a directed path of length at most $k$ must be assigned different colours. A homomorphism model that extends the ideas of Sherk for the case $k=2$ is described. Dichotomy theorems for the complexity of the problem of deciding, for fixed $k$ and $t$, whether there exists such a $t$-colouring are proved.Comment: 14 page

Coloring directed cycles

Sopena in his survey [E. Sopena, The oriented chromatic number of graphs: A short survey, preprint 2013] writes, without any proof, that an oriented cycle $\vec C$ can be colored with three colors if and only if $\lambda(\vec C)=0$, where $\lambda(\vec C)$ is the number of forward arcs minus the number of backward arcs in $\vec C$. This is not true. In this paper we show that $\vec C$ can be colored with three colors if and only if $\lambda(\vec C)=0(\bmod~3)$ or $\vec C$ does not contain three consecutive arcs going in the same direction

L(2,1)-labeling of oriented planar graphs

The L(2, 1)-labeling of a digraph D is a function l from the vertex set of D to the set of all nonnegative integers such that vertical bar l(x) - l(y)vertical bar >= 2 if x and y are at distance 1, and l(x) not equal l(y) if x and y are at distance 2, where the distance from vertex x to vertex y is the length of a shortest dipath from x to y. The minimum over all the L(2, 1)-labelings of D of the maximum used label is denoted (lambda) over right arrow (D). If C is a class of digraphs, the maximum (lambda) over right arrow (D), over all D is an element of C is denoted (lambda) over right arrow (C). In this paper we study the L(2, 1)-labeling problem on oriented planar graphs providing some upper bounds on (lambda) over right arrow. Then we focus on some specific subclasses of oriented planar graphs, improving the previous general bounds. Namely, for oriented prisms we compute the exact value of (lambda) over right arrow, while for oriented Halin graphs and cacti we provide very close upper and lower bounds for (lambda) over right arrow. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

L(2,1)-labeling of oriented planar graphs

The L(2, 1)-labeling of a digraph D is a function l from the vertex set of D to the set of all nonnegative integers such that vertical bar l(x) - l(y)vertical bar >= 2 if x and y are at distance 1, and l(x) not equal l(y) if x and y are at distance 2, where the distance from vertex x to vertex y is the length of a shortest dipath from x to y. The minimum over all the L(2, 1)-labelings of D of the maximum used label is denoted (lambda) over right arrow (D). If C is a class of digraphs, the maximum (lambda) over right arrow (D), over all D is an element of C is denoted (lambda) over right arrow (C). In this paper we study the L(2, 1)-labeling problem on oriented planar graphs providing some upper bounds on (lambda) over right arrow. Then we focus on some specific subclasses of oriented planar graphs, improving the previous general bounds. Namely, for oriented prisms we compute the exact value of (lambda) over right arrow, while for oriented Halin graphs and cacti we provide very close upper and lower bounds for (lambda) over right arrow. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Track Layouts of Graphs

A \emph{$(k,t)$-track layout} of a graph $G$ consists of a (proper) vertex $t$-colouring of $G$, a total order of each vertex colour class, and a (non-proper) edge $k$-colouring such that between each pair of colour classes no two monochromatic edges cross. This structure has recently arisen in the study of three-dimensional graph drawings. This paper presents the beginnings of a theory of track layouts. First we determine the maximum number of edges in a $(k,t)$-track layout, and show how to colour the edges given fixed linear orderings of the vertex colour classes. We then describe methods for the manipulation of track layouts. For example, we show how to decrease the number of edge colours in a track layout at the expense of increasing the number of tracks, and vice versa. We then study the relationship between track layouts and other models of graph layout, namely stack and queue layouts, and geometric thickness. One of our principle results is that the queue-number and track-number of a graph are tied, in the sense that one is bounded by a function of the other. As corollaries we prove that acyclic chromatic number is bounded by both queue-number and stack-number. Finally we consider track layouts of planar graphs. While it is an open problem whether planar graphs have bounded track-number, we prove bounds on the track-number of outerplanar graphs, and give the best known lower bound on the track-number of planar graphs.Comment: The paper is submitted for publication. Preliminary draft appeared as Technical Report TR-2003-07, School of Computer Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canad