Beyond sum-free sets in the natural numbers

For an interval [1,N]⊆N, sets S⊆[1,N] with the property that |{(x,y)∈S2:x+y∈S}|=0, known as sum-free sets, have attracted considerable attention. In this paper, we generalize this notion by considering r(S)=|{(x,y)∈S2:x+y∈S}|, and analyze its behaviour as S ranges over the subsets of [1,N]. We obtain a comprehensive description of the spectrum of attainable r-values, constructive existence results and structural characterizations for sets attaining extremal and near-extremal values.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Grid classes and the Fibonacci dichotomy for restricted permutations

We introduce and characterise grid classes, which are natural generalisations of other well-studied permutation classes. This characterisation allows us to give a new, short proof of the Fibonacci dichotomy: the number of permutations of length n in a permutation class is either at least as large as the nth Fibonacci number or is eventually polynomial

Characterising bimodal collections of sets in finite groups

A collection of disjoint subsets A = {A 1 ,A 2 ,...,A m } of a finite abelian group is said to have the bimodal property if, for any non-zero group element δ, either δ never occurs as a difference between an element of A i and an element of some other set A j , or else for every element a i in A i there is an element a j ∈ A j for some j 6= i such that a i − a j = δ. This property arises in various familiar situations, such as the cosets of a fixed subgroup or in a group partition, and has applications to the construction of optimal algebraic manipulation detection (AMD) codes. In this paper, we obtain a structural characterisation for bimodal collections of sets

Non-disjoint strong external difference families can have any number of sets

Strong external difference families (SEDFs) are much-studied combinatorial objects motivated by an information security application. A well-known conjecture states that only one abelian SEDF with more than 2 sets exists. We show that if the disjointness condition is replaced by non-disjointness, then abelian SEDFs can be constructed with more than 2 sets (indeed any number of sets). We demonstrate that the non-disjoint analogue has striking differences to, and connections with, the classical SEDF and arises naturally via another coding application

Non-disjoint strong external difference families can have any number of sets

Funding: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant number EP/X021157/1).Strong external difference families (SEDFs) are much-studied combinatorial objects motivated by an information security application. A well-known conjecture states that only one abelian SEDF with more than 2 sets exists. We show that if the disjointness condition is replaced by non-disjointness, then abelian SEDFs can be constructed with more than 2 sets (indeed any number of sets). We demonstrate that the non-disjoint analogue has striking differences to, and connections with, the classical SEDF and arises naturally via another coding application.Peer reviewe