arXiv subjects

Shenwei Huang

Publications and source records attributed to Shenwei Huang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Erd\H{o}s-Hajnal conjecture beyond five-vertex graphs

In 1989, Erd\H{o}s and Hajnal conjectured that for any graph $H$, there is a constant $c=c(H)>0$ such that every $n$-vertex graph $G$ with no induced copies of $H$ contains a clique or an independent set of size at least $n^{c}$. This conjecture, known as the Erd\H{o}s-Hajnal conjecture, is a central open problem in combinatorics and listed as one of the top 10 Erd\H{o}s problems by Bloom on the Erd\H{o}s problem website https://www.erdosproblems.com/. In a recent breakthrough, Nguyen, Scott and Seymour proved that Erd\H{o}s-Hajnal conjecture holds for the case when $H$ is the five-vertex path, which, combined with known results, implies that Erd\H{o}s-Hajnal conjecture holds for every five-vertex graph. In this paper, we extend the iterative sparsification framework recently developed by Nguyen, Scott and Seymour. We introduce a generalized niceness condition relaxing their nice condition, a novel intermediate property concerning combs and a general structural lemma (which may be of independent interest) that is sufficient to deduce the Erd\H{o}s-Hajnal conjecture. This framework simultaneously recovers the recent result on the five-vertex path (PLMS 2026) and the classical result on the bull graph by Chudnovsky and Safra (JCTB 2008) as special cases, thereby unifying these two previously independent strands, and further proves the conjecture for two new cases: the E-graph (which contains the five-vertex path) and the Bird graph (which contains both the five-vertex path and the bull). These are the first two six-vertex graphs whose validity does not follow from the known operations (see Alon-Pach-Solymosi, Combinatorica 2001, and Nguyen-Scott-Seymour, TAMS 2026) that preserve the Erd\H{o}s-Hajnal property.

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arXiv2026

The optimal chromatic bound for even-hole-free graphs without induced seven-vertex paths

The class of even-hole-free graphs has been extensively studied on its own and on its relation to perfect graphs. In this paper, we study the $χ$-boundedness of even-hole-free graphs which itself is an important topic in graph theory. In particular, we prove that every even-hole-free graph $G$ without induced 7-vertex paths satisfies $χ(G)\le \lceil\frac{5}{4}ω(G)\rceil$, where $χ(G)$ and $ω(G)$ denote the chromatic number and clique number of $G$, respectively. This bound is optimal. Our result strictly extends the result of Karthick and Maffary \cite{KM19} on even-hole-free graphs without induced 6-vertex paths, and implies that even-hole-free graphs without induced 7-vertex paths satisfy Reed's Conjecture. Our proof relies on a heavy structural analysis on a maximal substructure called a nice blowup of a five-cycle and can be viewed for graphs in which all holes are of length five (graphs with all holes having the same length gain increasing interest in recent years \cite{COOK202496}). Our result gives a partial answer to a conjecture of Wang and Wu \cite{WW25} on graphs in which all holes are of length 5. One of the key technical ingredients is a technical lemma proved via clique cutset argument combined with the idea of Infinite Descent Method (often used in number theory).

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arXiv2026

Subcubic graphs without eigenvalues in $(-1, 1)$

Guo and Royle recently classified the connected cubic graphs without eigenvalues of their adjacency matrix in the open interval $(-1, 1)$, and raised the question of extending their classification to graphs of maximum degree at most $3$. Together with their cubic classification, our result fully answers this question by characterizing all connected subcubic graphs that are not cubic and have no eigenvalues in $(-1,1)$. We show that exactly two infinite families and seven sporadic examples occur, and that every sporadic graph has at most $18$ vertices. To obtain this complete classification, we build a bridge between spectral graph theory and structural graph theory for graphs whose adjacency matrices, after selected diagonal entries are changed to $-1$, have smallest eigenvalue at least $-2$. This generalizes the classical theorem of Cameron, Goethals, Seidel and Shult for graphs with smallest eigenvalue at least $-2$. As a consequence, we prove that $(-1,1)$ is a maximal spectral gap set for the class of connected subcubic graphs. Guo and Royle, answering a question of Koll\'ar and Sarnak, established this maximality for connected cubic graphs. Our result generalizes their conclusion to the subcubic setting.

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arXiv2025

Three-coloring triangle-free graphs without long forbidden paths

A graph $G$ is $k$-vertex-critical if $χ(G)=k$, but $χ(G')<k$ for every proper induced subgraph $G'$ of $G$. For a family of graphs $\mathcal{F}$, $G$ is $\mathcal{F}$-free if no graph $F \in \mathcal{F}$ is an induced subgraph of $G$. We show that there are exactly three 4-vertex-critical $\{P_7,C_3\}$-free graphs containing an induced $C_7$, thereby settling the first of the two cases of a conjecture by Goedgebeur and Schaudt [J.~Graph Theory, 87:188--207, 2018]. Moreover, we show that all $\{P_5+P_1,C_3\}$-free graphs are $3$-colorable and by combining our result with known results from the literature, we completely characterize the maximum chromatic number of $\{F,C_3\}$-free graphs if $F$ is a six-vertex induced subgraph of $P_7$. Finally, we construct an infinite family of $4$-vertex-critical $\{4K_2,C_3\}$-free graphs. These graphs are also $\{P_{11},C_3\}$-free and this is the first value of $t$ for which an infinite family of $4$-vertex-critical $\{P_{t},C_3\}$-free graphs is known.

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arXiv2025

3-Coloring $P_t$-Free Graphs With Only One Prescribed Induced Odd Cycle Length

A graph is $P_t$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to a $t$-vertex path. A graph is not bipartite if and only if it contains an induced subgraph isomorphic to a $k$-vertex cycle, where $k$ is odd. We focus on the 3-coloring problem for $P_t$-free graphs that have only one prescribed induced odd cycle length. For any integer $t$ and any odd integer $k$, let $\mathcal{G}_{t,k}$ be the class of graphs that are $P_{t}$-free and all their induced odd cycles must be $C_k$. In this paper, we present a polynomial-time algorithm that solves the 3-coloring problem for any graph in $\mathcal{G}_{10,7}$.

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arXiv2025

($P_2+P_4$, $K_4-e$)-free graphs are nearly $ω$-colorable

For a graph $G$, $χ(G)$ and $ω(G)$ respectively denote the chromatic number and clique number of $G$. In this paper, we show the following results: (i) If $G$ is a ($P_2+P_4$, $K_4-e$)-free graph with $ω(G)\geq 3$, then $χ(G)\leq \max\{6, ω(G)\}$, and the bound is tight for each $ω(G)\notin \{4,5\}$. (ii) If $G$ is a ($P_2+P_4$, $K_4-e$)-free graph with $ω(G)= 4$, then $χ(G)= 4$. These results extend the chromatic bounds known for the class of ($P_2+P_2$, $K_4-e$)-free graphs and for the class of ($P_2+P_3$, $K_4-e$)-free graphs, improve the bound of Chen and Zhang [arXiv:2412.14524 [math.CO], 2024] given for the class of ($P_2+P_4$, $K_4-e$)-free graphs, partially answer a question of Ju and the third author [Theor. Comp. Sci. 993 (2024) Article No.: 114465] on `near optimal colorable graphs', and a question of Schiermeyer (unpublished) on the chromatic bound for ($P_7$, $K_4-e$)-free graphs.

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arXiv2025

There are finitely many $5$-vertex-critical $(P_6,\text{bull})$-free graphs

In this paper, we are interested in $4$-colouring algorithms for graphs that do not contain an induced path on $6$ vertices nor an induced bull, i.e., the graph with vertex set $\{v_1,v_2,v_3,v_4,v_5\}$ and edge set $\{v_1v_2,v_2v_3,v_3v_4,v_2v_5,v_3v_5\}$. Such graphs are referred to as $(P_6,\text{bull})$-free graphs. A graph $G$ is \emph{$k$-vertex-critical} if $χ(G)=k$, and every proper induced subgraph $H$ of $G$ has $χ(H)<k$. In the current paper, we investigate the structure of $5$-vertex-critical $(P_6,\text{bull})$-free graphs and show that there are only finitely many such graphs, thereby answering a question of Maffray and Pastor. A direct corollary of this is that there exists a polynomial-time algorithm to decide if a $(P_6,\text{bull})$-free graph is $4$-colourable such that this algorithm can also provide a certificate that can be verified in polynomial time and serves as a proof of 4-colourability or non-4-colourability.

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arXiv2025

Critical $(P_5,W_4)$-Free Graphs

A graph $G$ is $k$-vertex-critical if $χ(G) = k$ but $χ(G-v)<k$ for all $v \in V(G)$. A graph is $(H_1,H_2)$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H_1$ nor $H_2$. A $W_4$ is the graph consisting of a $C_4$ plus an additional vertex adjacent to all the vertices of the $C_4$. We show that there are finitely many $k$-vertex-critical $(P_5,W_4)$-free graphs for all $k \ge 1$ and we characterize all $5$-vertex-critical $(P_5,W_4)$-free graphs. Our results imply the existence of a polynomial-time certifying algorithm to decide the $k$-colorability of $(P_5,W_4)$-free graphs for each $k \ge 1$ where the certificate is either a $k$-coloring or a $(k+1)$-vertex-critical induced subgraph.

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arXiv2024

Some Results on Critical ($P_5,H$)-free Graphs

Given two graphs $H_1$ and $H_2$, a graph is $(H_1,H_2)$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H_1$ nor $H_2$. A graph $G$ is $k$-vertex-critical if every proper induced subgraph of $G$ has chromatic number less than $k$, but $G$ has chromatic number $k$. The study of $k$-vertex-critical graphs for specific graph classes is an important topic in algorithmic graph theory because if the number of such graphs that are in a given hereditary graph class is finite, then there exists a polynomial-time certifying algorithm to decide the $k$-colorability of a graph in the class. In this paper, we show that: (1) for $k \ge 1$, there are finitely many $k$-vertex-critical $(P_5,K_{1,4}+P_1)$-free graphs; (2) for $s \ge 1$, there are finitely many 5-vertex-critical $(P_5,K_{1,s}+P_1)$-free graphs; (3) for $k \ge 1$, there are finitely many $k$-vertex-critical $(P_5,\overline{K_3+2P_1})$-free graphs. Moreover, we characterize all $5$-vertex-critical $(P_5,H)$-free graphs where $H \in \{K_{1,3}+P_1,K_{1,4}+P_1,\overline{K_3+2P_1}\}$ using an exhaustive graph generation algorithm.

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arXiv2023

Critical $(P_5,dart)$-Free Graphs

Given two graphs $H_1$ and $H_2$, a graph is $(H_1,H_2)$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H_1$ nor $H_2$. Let $P_t$ be the path on $t$ vertices. A dart is the graph obtained from a diamond by adding a new vertex and making it adjacent to exactly one vertex with degree 3 in the diamond. In this paper, we show that there are finitely many $k$-vertex-critical $(P_5,dart)$-free graphs for $k \ge 1$ To prove these results, we use induction on $k$ and perform a careful structural analysis via Strong Perfect Graph Theorem combined with the pigeonhole principle based on the properties of vertex-critical graphs. Moreover, for $k \in \{5, 6, 7\}$ we characterize all $k$-vertex-critical $(P_5,dart)$-free graphs using a computer generation algorithm. Our results imply the existence of a polynomial-time certifying algorithm to decide the $k$-colorability of $(P_5,dart)$-free graphs for $k \ge 1$ where the certificate is either a $k$-coloring or a $(k+1)$-vertex-critical induced subgraph.

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arXiv2023

Near Optimal Colourability on Hereditary Graph Families

In this paper, we initiate a systematic study on a new notion called near optimal colourability which is closely related to perfect graphs and the Lov{á}sz theta function. A graph family $\mathcal{G}$ is {\em near optimal colourable} if there is a constant number $c$ such that every graph $G\in\mathcal{G}$ satisfies $χ(G)\leq\max\{c, ω(G)\}$, where $χ(G)$ and $ω(G)$ are the chromatic number and clique number of $G$, respectively. The near optimal colourable graph families together with the Lov{á}sz theta function are useful for the study of the chromatic number problems for hereditary graph families. We investigate the near optimal colourability for ($H_1,H_2$)-free graphs. Our main result is an almost complete characterization for the near optimal colourability for ($H_1,H_2$)-free graphs with two exceptional cases, one of which is the celebrated Gy{á}rf{á}s conjecture. As an application of our results, we show that the chromatic number problem for ($2K_2,P_4\vee K_n$)-free graphs is polynomial time solvable, which solves an open problem in [K.~K.~Dabrowski and D.~Paulusma. On colouring ($2P_2$, $H$)-free and ($P_5$, $H$)-free graphs. Information Processing Letters, 134:35-41, 2018].

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arXiv2023

Complexity of $C_k$-coloring in hereditary classes of graphs

For a graph $F$, a graph $G$ is \emph{$F$-free} if it does not contain an induced subgraph isomorphic to $F$. For two graphs $G$ and $H$, an \emph{$H$-coloring} of $G$ is a mapping $f:V(G)\rightarrow V(H)$ such that for every edge $uv\in E(G)$ it holds that $f(u)f(v)\in E(H)$. We are interested in the complexity of the problem $H$-{\sc Coloring}, which asks for the existence of an $H$-coloring of an input graph $G$. In particular, we consider $H$-{\sc Coloring} of $F$-free graphs, where $F$ is a fixed graph and $H$ is an odd cycle of length at least 5. This problem is closely related to the well known open problem of determining the complexity of 3-{\sc Coloring} of $P_t$-free graphs. We show that for every odd $k \geq 5$ the $C_k$-{\sc Coloring} problem, even in the list variant, can be solved in polynomial time in $P_9$-free graphs. The algorithm extends for the case of list version of $C_k$-{\sc Coloring}, where $k$ is an even number of length at least 10. On the other hand, we prove that if some component of $F$ is not a subgraph of a subdividecd claw, then the following problems are NP-complete in $F$-free graphs: a)extension version of $C_k$-{\sc Coloring} for every odd $k \geq 5$, b) list version of $C_k$-{\sc Coloring} for every even $k \geq 6$.

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arXiv2023

Vertex-Critical $(P_5, chair)$-Free Graphs

Given two graphs $H_1$ and $H_2$, a graph $G$ is $(H_1,H_2)$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H_1$ or $H_2$. A $P_t$ is the path on $t$ vertices. A chair is a $P_4$ with an additional vertex adjacent to one of the middle vertices of the $P_4$. A graph $G$ is $k$-vertex-critical if $G$ has chromatic number $k$ but every proper induced subgraph of $G$ has chromatic number less than $k$. In this paper, we prove that there are finitely many 5-vertex-critical $(P_5,chair)$-free graphs.

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arXiv2022

The optimal $χ$-bound for $(P_7,C_4,C_5)$-free graphs

In this paper, we give an optimal $χ$-binding function for the class of $(P_7,C_4,C_5)$-free graphs. We show that every $(P_7,C_4,C_5)$-free graph $G$ has $χ(G)\le \lceil \frac{11}{9}ω(G) \rceil$. To prove the result, we use a decomposition theorem obtained in [K. Cameron and S. Huang and I. Penev and V. Sivaraman, The class of $({P}_7,{C}_4,{C}_5)$-free graphs: Decomposition, algorithms, and $χ$-boundedness, Journal of Graph Theory 93, 503--552, 2020] combined with careful inductive arguments and a nontrivial use of the König theorem for bipartite matching.

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arXiv2022

The saturation number of $K_{3,3}$

A graph $G$ is called $F$-saturated if $G$ does not contain $F$ as a subgraph (not necessarily induced) but the addition of any missing edge to $G$ creates a copy of $F$. The saturation number of $F$, denoted by $sat(n,F)$, is the minimum number of edges in an $n$-vertex $F$-saturated graph. Determining the saturation number of complete partite graphs is one of the most important problems in the study of saturation number. The value of $sat(n,K_{2,2})$ was shown to be $\lfloor\frac{3n-5}{2}\rfloor$ by Ollmann, and a shorter proof was later given by Tuza. For $K_{2,3}$, there has been a series of study aiming to determine $sat(n,K_{2,3})$ over the years. This was finally achieved by Chen who confirmed a conjecture of Bohman, Fonoberova, and Pikhurko that $sat(n, K_{2,3})= 2n-3$ for all $n\geq 5$. In this paper, we prove a conjecture of Pikhurko and Schmitt that $sat(n, K_{3,3})=3n-9$ when $n \geq 9$.

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arXiv2022

Critical ($P_5$,bull)-free graphs

Given two graphs $H_1$ and $H_2$, a graph is $(H_1,H_2)$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H_1$ or $H_2$. Let $P_t$ and $C_t$ be the path and the cycle on $t$ vertices, respectively. A bull is the graph obtained from a triangle with two disjoint pendant edges. In this paper, we show that there are finitely many 5-vertex-critical ($P_5$,bull)-free graphs.

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arXiv2022

Coloring ($P_5$, kite)-free graphs

Let $P_n$ and $K_n$ denote the induced path and complete graph on $n$ vertices, respectively. The {\em kite} is the graph obtained from a $P_4$ by adding a vertex and making it adjacent to all vertices in the $P_4$ except one vertex with degree 1. A graph is ($P_5$, kite)-free if it has no induced subgraph isomorphic to a $P_5$ or a kite. For a graph $G$, the chromatic number of $G$ (denoted by $χ(G)$) is the minimum number of colors needed to color the vertices of $G$ such that no two adjacent vertices receive the same color, and the clique number of $G$ is the size of a largest clique in $G$. Here, we are interested in the class of ($P_5$, kite)-free graphs with small clique number. It is known that every ($P_5$,~kite, $K_3$)-free graph $G$ satisfies $χ(G)\leq 3$, every ($P_5$,~kite, $K_4$)-free graph $G$ satisfies $χ(G)\leq 4$, and that every ($P_5$,~kite, $K_5$)-free graph $G$ satisfies $χ(G)\leq 6$. In this paper, we showed the following: $\bullet$ Every ($P_5$, kite, $K_6$)-free graph $G$ satisfies $χ(G)\leq 7$. $\bullet$ Every ($P_5$, kite, $K_7$)-free graph $G$ satisfies $χ(G)\leq 9$. We also give examples to show that the above bounds are tight.

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arXiv2021

Short proofs on $k$-extendible graphs

In this note, we give short inductive proofs of two known results on $k$-extendible graphs based on a property proved in [Qinglin Yu, A note on $n$-extendable graphs. Journal of Graph Theory, 16:349-353, 1992].

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