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arXiv · 2605.10897

Chromatic thresholds for pairs of graphs

Jun Gao·Hong Liu·Zhuo Wu·Yisai Xue
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Abstract

The chromatic threshold of a graph $H$ is the minimum-degree density above which every $H$-free graph has bounded chromatic number. We study a two-color Ramsey analogue: for graphs $H_1$ and $H_2$, we ask for the minimum-degree density above which every graph that admits a red-blue edge-coloring with no red copy of $H_1$ and no blue copy of $H_2$ has bounded chromatic number. We give a complete answer when both $H_1$ and $H_2$ are 3-chromatic. The threshold takes exactly one of the five values \[ \frac23,\quad \frac57,\quad \frac34,\quad \frac79,\quad \frac45, \] and we characterize precisely which pairs $(H_1,H_2)$ give each value. The classification is determined by the ordinary chromatic thresholds of $H_1$ and $H_2$ and by their embeddability into a hierarchy of $C_5$-type Ramsey configurations.

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Jun Gao, Hong Liu, Zhuo Wu, Yisai Xue. 2026-05-11. Chromatic thresholds for pairs of graphs. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.10897

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