The sharp threshold for rainbow stackings of random edge-colourings

Abstract

A rainbow stacking of $m$ independent, uniformly random $r$-edge-colourings of $K_n$ is a tuple of vertex permutations that superimposes the colourings such that no two edges of the same colour overlap. The study of the critical palette size $r$ required for the existence of such stackings was recently initiated by Alon, Defant, and Kravitz [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc., 57, 2025], who bounded the phase transition within a constant-order window around $\frac{m\binom{n}{2}}{2\log(n!)}$. We determine the constant term in this transition. For every fixed $m\ge2$ and every function $ω(n)\to\infty$, with high probability there is no rainbow stacking if $$r\le \frac{m\binom{n}{2}}{2\log(n!)}+\frac{2m-1}{6}-\frac{ω(n)}{(\log n)^2},$$ while with high probability there is one if $$r\ge \frac{m\binom{n}{2}}{2\log(n!)}+\frac{2m-1}{6}+\frac{ω(n)}{(\log n)^2}.$$ Our proof combines a chromatic-polynomial expansion for an auxiliary conflict graph with a refined estimate of the associated weighted permutation sum. Our result yields the exact threshold $\Big\lceil \frac{m\binom{n}{2}}{2\log(n!)}+\frac{2m-1}{6}\Big\rceil$ for a density-one set of integers $n$, resolving a problem of Alon, Defant and Kravitz.