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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Construction of Graphs with Given Circular Chrotmatic Number or Circular Flow number

Pan, Zhi-Shi 27 June 2003 (has links)
This thesis constructs special graphs with given circular chromatic numbers or circular flow numbers. Suppose $G=(V,E)$ is a graph and $rgeq 2$ is a real number. An $r$-coloring of a graph $G$ is a mapping $f:V ightarrow [0,r)$ such that for any adjacent vertices $x,y$ of $G$, $1leq |f(x)-f(y)|leq r-1$. The circular chromatic number $chi_c(G)$ is the least $r$ for which there exists an $r$-coloring of $G$. The circular chromatic number was introduced by Vince in 1988 in cite{vince}, where the parameter is called the {em star chromatic number} and denoted by $chi^*(G)$. Vince proved that for any rational number $k/dgeq 2$ there is a graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=k/d$. In this thesis, we are interested in the existence of special graphs with given circular chromatic numbers. A graph $H$ is called a minor of a graph $G$ if $H$ can be obtained from $G$ by deleting some vertices and edges, and contracting some edges. A graph $G$ is called $H$-minor free if $H$ is not a minor of G. The well-known Hadwiger's conjecture asserts that for any positive integer $n$, any $K_n$-minor free graph $G$ is $(n-1)$-colorable. If this conjecture is true, then for any $K_n$-minor free graph $G$, we have $chi_c(G)leq n-1$. On the other hand, for any graph $G$ with at least one edge we have $chi_c(G)geq 2$. A natural question is this: Is it true that for any rational number $2leq rleq n-1$, there exist a $K_n$-minor free graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$? For $n=4$, the answer is ``no". It was proved by Hell and Zhu in cite{hz98} that if $G$ is a $K_4$-minor free graph then either $chi_c(G)=3$ or $chi_c(G)leq 8/3$. So none of the rational numbers in the interval $(8/3,3)$ is the circular chromatic number of a $K_4$-minor free graph. For $ngeq 5$, Zhu cite{survey} proved that for any rational number $rin[2,n-2]$, there exists a $K_n$-minor free graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$. The question whether there exists a $K_n$-minor free graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$ for each rational number $rin(n-2,n-1)$ remained open. In this thesis, we answer this question in the affirmative. For each integer $ngeq 5$, for each rational number $rin[n-2,n-1]$, we construct a $K_n$-minor free graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$. This implies that for each $ngeq 5$, for each rational number $rin[2,n-1]$, there exists a $K_n$-minor free graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$. In case $n=5$, the $K_5$-minor free graphs constructed in this thesis are actually planar graphs. So our result implies that for each rational number $rin[2,4]$, there exists a planar graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$. This result was first proved by Moser cite{moser} and Zhu cite{3-4}. To be precise, Moser cite{moser} proved that for each rational number $rin[2,3]$, there exist a planar graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$, and Zhu cite{3-4} proved that for each rational number $rin[3,4]$, there exists a planar graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$. Moser's and Zhu's proofs are quite complicated. Our construction is conceptually simpler. Moreover, for $ngeq 5$, $K_n$-minor free graphs, including the planar graphs are constructed with a unified method. For $K_4$-minor free graphs, although Hell and Zhu cite{hz98} proved that there is no $K_4$-minor free graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)in (8/3,3)$. The question whether there exists a $K_4$-minor free graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$ for each rational number $rin[2,8/3]$ remained open. This thesis solves this problem: For each rational number $rin[2,8/3]$, we shall construct a $K_4$-minor free $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$. This thesis also studies the relation between the circular chromatic number and the girth of $K_4$-minor free graphs. For each integer $n$, the supremum of the circular chromatic number of $K_4$-minor free graphs of odd girth (the length of shortest odd cycle) at least $n$ is determined. It is also proved that the same bound is sharp for $K_4$-minor free graphs of girth $n$. By a classical result of ErdH{o}s, for any positive integers $l$ and $n$, there exists a graph $G$ of girth at least $l$ and of chromatic number $n$. Using probabilistic method, Zhu cite{unique} proved that for each integer $l$ and each rational number $rgeq 2$, there is a graph $G$ of girth at least $l$ such that $chi_c(G)=r$. Construction of such graphs for $rgeq 3$ was given by Nev{s}etv{r}il and Zhu cite{nz}. The question of how to construct large girth graph $G$ with $chi_c(G)=r$ for given $rin(2,3)$ remained open. In this thesis, we present a unified method that constructs, for any $rgeq 2$, a graph $G$ of girth at least $l$ with circular chromatic number $chi_c(G) =r$. Graphs $G$ with $chi_c(G)=chi(G)$ have been studied extensively in the literature. Many families of graphs $G$ are known to satisfy $chi_c(G)=chi(G)$. However it remained as an open question as how to construct arbitrarily large $chi$-critical graphs $G$ of bounded maximum degree with $chi_c(G)=chi(G)$. This thesis presents a construction of such graphs. The circular flow number $Phi_c(G)$ is the dual concept of $chi_c(G)$. Let $G$ be a graph. Replace each edge $e=xy$ by a pair of opposite arcs $a=overrightarrow{xy}$ and $a^{-1}=overrightarrow{yx}$. We obtain a symmetric directed graph. Denote by $A(G)$ the set of all arcs of $G$. A chain is a mapping $f:A(G) ightarrow I!!R$ such that for each arc $a$, $f(a^{-1})=-f(a)$. A flow is a chain such that for each subset $X$ of $V(G)$, $sum_{ain[X,ar{X}]}f(a)=0$, where $[X,ar{X}]$ is the set of all arcs from $X$ to $V-X$. An $r$-flow is a flow such that for any arc $ain A(G)$ , $1leq |f(a)| leq r-1$. The circular flow number of $G$ is $Phi_c(G)=mbox{ inf}{r: G mbox{ admits a } rmbox{-flow}}$. It was conjectured by Tutte that every graph $G$ has $Phi_c(G)leq 5$. By taking the geometrical dual of planar graphs, Moser's and Zhu's results concerning circular chromatic numbers of planar graphs imply that for each rational number $rin[2,4]$, there is a graph $G$ with $Phi_c(G)=r$. The question remained open whether for each $rin(4,5)$, there exists a graph $G$ with $Phi_c(G)=r$. In this thesis, for each rational number $rin [4,5]$, we construct a graph $G$ with $Phi_c(G)=r$.

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