Graph Coloring Questions

Abstract

Graph coloring remains a topic that is not well understood; we do not have a good understanding of what makes some graphs have large chromatic number, and we do not have algorithms that will give reasonable approximations to optimal colorings. This proposal is concerned with exploring the subobjects that graphs with large chromatic number have in common; and with algorithms to find good colorings for graphs that do not contain such subobjects. More precisely, if we fix a number k, and look at graphs with clique number at most k and very large chromatic number, what induced subgraphs must they contain? There is a variety of open questions here, ranging from the lengths of induced cycles that must be present, to the chromatic number of triangle-free induced subgraphs. Can we test inpolynomial time whether these things are present? And if we are given a graph that does not contain such induced subgraphs, so we know its chromatic number is small, can we find a coloring with only a small number of colors?

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Sep 26, 2018
Source ID
N000141712465

Entities

People

  • Paul Seymour

Organizations

  • Office of Naval Research
  • Trustees of Princeton University
  • United States Navy

Tags

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Graph Algorithms and Convex Optimization.