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Benny Sudakov

Publications and source records attributed to Benny Sudakov.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Bounds for spherical codes

A set $C$ of unit vectors in $\mathbb{R}^d$ is called an $L$-spherical code if $x \cdot y \in L$ for any distinct $x,y$ in $C$. Spherical codes have been extensively studied since their introduction in the 1970's by Delsarte, Goethals and Seidel. In this note we prove a conjecture of Bukh on the maximum size of spherical codes. In particular, we show that for any set of $k$ fixed angles, one can choose at most $O(d^k)$ lines in $\mathbb{R}^d$ such that any pair of them forms one of these angles.

math.CO↗

Short proofs of some extremal results II

We prove several results from different areas of extremal combinatorics, including complete or partial solutions to a number of open problems. These results, coming mainly from extremal graph theory and Ramsey theory, have been collected together because in each case the relevant proofs are quite short.

math.CO↗

Cycles and matchings in randomly perturbed digraphs and hypergraphs

We give several results showing that different discrete structures typically gain certain spanning substructures (in particular, Hamilton cycles) after a modest random perturbation. First, we prove that adding linearly many random edges to a dense k-uniform hypergraph ensures the (asymptotically almost sure) existence of a perfect matching or a loose Hamilton cycle. The proof involves an interesting application of Szemerédi's Regularity Lemma, which might be independently useful. We next prove that digraphs with certain strong expansion properties are pancyclic, and use this to show that adding a linear number of random edges typically makes a dense digraph pancyclic. Finally, we prove that perturbing a certain (minimum-degree-dependent) number of random edges in a tournament typically ensures the existence of multiple edge-disjoint Hamilton cycles. All our results are tight.

math.CO↗

Domination in 3-tournaments

A 3-tournament is a complete 3-uniform hypergraph where each edge has a special vertex designated as its tail. A vertex set $X$ dominates $T$ if every vertex not in $X$ is contained in an edge whose tail is in $X$. The domination number of $T$ is the minimum size of such an $X$. Generalizing well-known results about usual (graph) tournaments, Gyárfás conjectured that there are 3-tournaments with arbitrarily large domination number, and that this is not the case if any four vertices induce two triples with the same tail. In this short note we solve both problems, proving the first conjecture and refuting the second.

math.CO↗

On the maximum quartet distance between phylogenetic trees

A conjecture of Bandelt and Dress states that the maximum quartet distance between any two phylogenetic trees on $n$ leaves is at most $(\frac 23 +o(1))\binom{n}{4}$. Using the machinery of flag algebras we improve the currently known bounds regarding this conjecture, in particular we show that the maximum is at most $(0.69 +o(1))\binom{n}{4}$. We also give further evidence that the conjecture is true by proving that the maximum distance between caterpillar trees is at most $(\frac 23 +o(1))\binom{n}{4}$.

cs.DM↗

On graphs decomposable into induced matchings of linear sizes

We call a graph $G$ an $(r,t)$-Ruzsa-Szemerédi graph if its edge set can be partitioned into $t$ edge-disjoint induced matchings, each of size $r$. These graphs were introduced in 1978 and has been extensively studied since then. In this paper, we consider the case when $r=cn$. For $c>1/4$, we determine the maximum possible $t$ which is a constant depending only on $c$. On the other hand, when $c=1/4$, there could be as many as $Ω(\log n)$ induced matchings. We prove that this bound is tight up to a constant factor. Finally, when $c$ is fixed strictly between $1/5$ and $1/4$, we give a short proof that the number $t$ of induced matchings is $O(n/\log n)$. We are also able to further improve the upper bound to $o(n/\log n)$ for fixed $c> 1/4-b$ for some positive constant $b$.

math.CO↗

Counting and packing Hamilton cycles in dense graphs and oriented graphs

We present a general method for counting and packing Hamilton cycles in dense graphs and oriented graphs, based on permanent estimates. We utilize this approach to prove several extremal results. In particular, we show that every nearly $cn$-regular oriented graph on $n$ vertices with $c>3/8$ contains $(cn/e)^n(1+o(1))^n$ directed Hamilton cycles. This is an extension of a result of Cuckler, who settled an old conjecture of Thomassen about the number of Hamilton cycles in regular tournaments. We also prove that every graph $G$ on $n$ vertices of minimum degree at least $(1/2+\varepsilon)n$ contains at least $(1-\varepsilon)\textrm{reg}_{even}(G)/2$ edge-disjoint Hamilton cycles, where $\reg(G)$ is the maximum \emph{even} degree of a spanning regular subgraph of $G$. This establishes an approximate version of a conjecture of Kühn, Lapinskas and Osthus.

math.CO↗

Almost-Fisher families

A classic theorem in combinatorial design theory is Fisher's inequality, which states that a family $\mathcal F$ of subsets of $[n]$ with all pairwise intersections of size $λ$ can have at most $n$ non-empty sets. One may weaken the condition by requiring that for every set in $\mathcal F$, all but at most $k$ of its pairwise intersections have size $λ$. We call such families $k$-almost $λ$-Fisher. Vu was the first to study the maximum size of such families, proving that for $k=1$ the largest family has $2n-2$ sets, and characterising when equality is attained. We substantially refine his result, showing how the size of the maximum family depends on $λ$. In particular we prove that for small $λ$ one essentially recovers Fisher's bound. We also solve the next open case of $k=2$ and obtain the first non-trivial upper bound for general $k$.

math.CO↗

A random triadic process

Given a random 3-uniform hypergraph $H=H(n,p)$ on $n$ vertices where each triple independently appears with probability $p$, consider the following graph process. We start with the star $G_0$ on the same vertex set, containing all the edges incident to some vertex $v_0$, and repeatedly add an edge $xy$ if there is a vertex $z$ such that $xz$ and $zy$ are already in the graph and $xzy \in H$. We say that the process propagates if it reaches the complete graph before it terminates. In this paper we prove that the threshold probability for propagation is $p=\frac{1}{2\sqrt{n}}$. We conclude that $p=\frac{1}{2\sqrt{n}}$ is an upper bound for the threshold probability that a random 2-dimensional simplicial complex is simply connected.

math.CO↗

Compatible Hamilton cycles in random graphs

A graph is Hamiltonian if it contains a cycle passing through every vertex. One of the cornerstone results in the theory of random graphs asserts that for edge probability $p \gg \frac{\log n}{n}$, the random graph $G(n,p)$ is asymptotically almost surely Hamiltonian. We obtain the following strengthening of this result. Given a graph $G=(V,E)$, an {\em incompatibility system} $\mathcal{F}$ over $G$ is a family $\mathcal{F}=\{F_v\}_{v\in V}$ where for every $v\in V$, the set $F_v$ is a set of unordered pairs $F_v \subseteq \{\{e,e'\}: e\ne e'\in E, e\cap e'=\{v\}\}$. An incompatibility system is {\em $Δ$-bounded} if for every vertex $v$ and an edge $e$ incident to $v$, there are at most $Δ$ pairs in $F_v$ containing $e$. We say that a cycle $C$ in $G$ is {\em compatible} with $\mathcal{F}$ if every pair of incident edges $e,e'$ of $C$ satisfies $\{e,e'\} \notin F_v$. This notion is partly motivated by a concept of transition systems defined by Kotzig in 1968, and can be used as a quantitative measure of robustness of graph properties. We prove that there is a constant $μ>0$ such that the random graph $G=G(n,p)$ with $p(n) \gg \frac{\log n}{n}$ is asymptotically almost surely such that for any $μnp$-bounded incompatibility system $\mathcal{F}$ over $G$, there is a Hamilton cycle in $G$ compatible with $\mathcal{F}$. We also prove that for larger edge probabilities $p(n)\gg \frac{\log^8n}{n}$, the parameter $μ$ can be taken to be any constant smaller than $1-\frac{1}{\sqrt 2}$. These results imply in particular that typically in $G(n,p)$ for $p \gg \frac{\log n}{n}$, for any edge-coloring in which each color appears at most $μnp$ times at each vertex, there exists a properly colored Hamilton cycle.

math.CO↗

Some Remarks on Rainbow Connectivity

An edge (vertex) coloured graph is rainbow-connected if there is a rainbow path between any two vertices, i.e. a path all of whose edges (internal vertices) carry distinct colours. Rainbow edge (vertex) connectivity of a graph $G$ is the smallest number of colours needed for a rainbow edge (vertex) colouring of $G$. In this paper we propose a very simple approach to studying rainbow connectivity in graphs. Using this idea, we give a unified proof of several known results, as well as some new ones.

math.CO↗

Recent developments in graph Ramsey theory

Given a graph $H$, the Ramsey number $r(H)$ is the smallest natural number $N$ such that any two-colouring of the edges of $K_N$ contains a monochromatic copy of $H$. The existence of these numbers has been known since 1930 but their quantitative behaviour is still not well understood. Even so, there has been a great deal of recent progress on the study of Ramsey numbers and their variants, spurred on by the many advances across extremal combinatorics. In this survey, we will describe some of this progress.

math.CO↗

Counting and packing Hamilton $\ell$-cycles in dense hypergraphs

We consider problems about packing and counting Hamilton $\ell$-cycles in hypergraphs of large minimum degree. Given a hypergraph $\mathcal H$, for a $d$-subset $A\subseteq V(\mathcal H)$, we denote by $d_{\mathcal H}(A)$ the number of distinct \emph{edges} $f\in E(\mathcal H)$ for which $A\subseteq f$, and set $δ_d(\mathcal H)$ to be the minimum $d_{\mathcal H}(A)$ over all $A\subseteq V(\mathcal H)$ of size $d$. We show that if a $k$-uniform hypergraph on $n$ vertices $\mathcal H$ satisfies $δ_{k-1}(\mathcal H)\geq αn$ for some $α>1/2$, then for every $\ell 1/2$, then $\mathcal H$ contains $f(α)n$ edge-disjoint Hamilton $\ell$-cycles for an explicit function $f(α)>0$. For the case where every $(k-1)$-tuple $X\subset V({\mathcal H})$ satisfies $d_{\mathcal H}(X)\in (α\pm o(1))n$, we show that $\mathcal H$ contains edge-disjoint Haimlton $\ell$-cycles which cover all but $o\left(|E(\mathcal H)|\right)$ edges of $\mathcal H$. As a tool we prove the following result which might be of independent interest: For a bipartite graph $G$ with both parts of size $n$, with minimum degree at least $δn$, where $δ>1/2$, and for $p=ω(\log n/n)$ the following holds. If $G$ contains an $r$-factor for $r=Θ(n)$, then by retaining edges of $G$ with probability $p$ independently at random, w.h.p the resulting graph contains a $(1-o(1))rp$-factor.

math.CO↗

$K_{s,t}$-saturated bipartite graphs

An $n$-by-$n$ bipartite graph is $H$-saturated if the addition of any missing edge between its two parts creates a new copy of $H$. In 1964, Erdős, Hajnal and Moon made a conjecture on the minimum number of edges in a $K_{s,s}$-saturated bipartite graph. This conjecture was proved independently by Wessel and Bollobás in a more general, but ordered, setting: they showed that the minimum number of edges in a $K_{(s,t)}$-saturated bipartite graph is $n^2-(n-s+1)(n-t+1)$, where $K_{(s,t)}$ is the "ordered" complete bipartite graph with $s$ vertices in the first color class and $t$ vertices in the second. However, the very natural question of determining the minimum number of edges in the unordered $K_{s,t}$-saturated case remained unsolved. This problem was considered recently by Moshkovitz and Shapira who also conjectured what its answer should be. In this short paper we give an asymptotically tight bound on the minimum number of edges in a $K_{s,t}$-saturated bipartite graph, which is only smaller by an additive constant than the conjecture of Moshkovitz and Shapira. We also prove their conjecture for $K_{2,3}$-saturation, which was the first open case.

math.CO↗

Decomposing random graphs into few cycles and edges

Over 50 years ago, Erdős and Gallai conjectured that the edges of every graph on $n$ vertices can be decomposed into $O(n)$ cycles and edges. Among other results, Conlon, Fox and Sudakov recently proved that this holds for the random graph $G(n,p)$ with probability approaching 1 as $n\rightarrow\infty$. In this paper we show that for most edge probabilities $G(n,p)$ can be decomposed into a union of $\frac{n}{4}+\frac{np}{2}+o(n)$ cycles and edges whp. This result is asymptotically tight.

math.CO↗

Comparable pairs in families of sets

Given a family $\mathcal{F}$ of subsets of $[n]$, we say two sets $A, B \in \mathcal{F}$ are comparable if $A \subset B$ or $B \subset A$. Sperner's celebrated theorem gives the size of the largest family without any comparable pairs. This result was later generalised by Kleitman, who gave the minimum number of comparable pairs appearing in families of a given size. In this paper we study a complementary problem posed by Erdős and Daykin and Frankl in the early '80s. They asked for the maximum number of comparable pairs that can appear in a family of $m$ subsets of $[n]$, a quantity we denote by $c(n,m)$. We first resolve an old conjecture of Alon and Frankl, showing that $c(n,m) = o(m^2)$ when $m = n^{ω(1)} 2^{n/2}$. We also obtain more accurate bounds for $c(n,m)$ for sparse and dense families, characterise the extremal constructions for certain values of $m$, and sharpen some other known results.

math.CO↗

Most Probably Intersecting Hypergraphs

The celebrated Erdős-Ko-Rado theorem shows that for $n \ge 2k$ the largest intersecting $k$-uniform set family on $[n]$ has size $\binom{n-1}{k-1}$. It is natural to ask how far from intersecting larger set families must be. Katona, Katona and Katona introduced the notion of most probably intersecting families, which maximise the probability of random subfamilies being intersecting. We study the most probably intersecting problem for $k$-uniform set families. We provide a rough structural characterisation of the most probably intersecting families and, for families of particular sizes, show that the initial segment of the lexicographic order is optimal.

math.CO↗

Compatible Hamilton cycles in Dirac graphs

A graph is Hamiltonian if it contains a cycle passing through every vertex exactly once. A celebrated theorem of Dirac from 1952 asserts that every graph on $n\ge 3$ vertices with minimum degree at least $n/2$ is Hamiltonian. We refer to such graphs as Dirac graphs. In this paper we obtain the following strengthening of this result. Given a graph $G=(V,E)$, an {\em incompatibility system} $\mathcal{F}$ over $G$ is a family $\mathcal{F}=\{F_v\}_{v\in V}$ such that for every $v\in V$, the set $F_v$ is a set of unordered pairs $F_v \subseteq \{\{e,e'\}: e\ne e'\in E, e\cap e'=\{v\}\}$. An incompatibility system is {\em $Δ$-bounded} if for every vertex $v$ and an edge $e$ incident to $v$, there are at most $Δ$ pairs in $F_v$ containing $e$. We say that a cycle $C$ in $G$ is {\em compatible} with $\mathcal{F}$ if every pair of incident edges $e,e'$ of $C$ satisfies $\{e,e'\} \notin F_v$, where $v=e\cap e'$. This notion is partly motivated by a concept of transition systems defined by Kotzig in 1968, and can be viewed as a quantitative measure of robustness of graph properties. We prove that there is a constant $μ>0$ such that for every $μn$-bounded incompatibility system $\mathcal{F}$ over a Dirac graph $G$, there exists a Hamilton cycle compatible with $\mathcal{F}$. This settles in a very strong form, a conjecture of Häggkvist from 1988.

math.CO↗