Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2609.24080

Extremal spectral result of outerplanar graphs without $P_{3\cdot l}$

Fulong Ye·Yuxiang Liu·Ligong Wang
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

A graph $G$ is $F$-free if it does not contain $F$ as a subgraph. Let $\mathrm{spex}(n,F)$ be the maximum spectral radius over all $n$-vertex $F$-free outerplanar graphs. For integers $t\geq1$ and $l\geq2$, let $P_{t\cdot l}$ be the starlike tree with $t$ branches of length $l-1$. For sufficiently large $n$, Yin, Li, and Meng [arXiv:2504.04364v1] characterized the unique extremal graph for $\mathrm{spex}(n,P_{t\cdot l})$ when $t=1$, $t=2$, or $t\geq4$. They left the case $t=3$ open and proposed a natural candidate for the extremal graph. We show that this candidate is not extremal and determine the unique extremal graph for $\mathrm{spex}(n,P_{3\cdot l})$. For every $l\geq3$ and all sufficiently large $n$, this unique extremal graph is $K_1\vee\bigl(2P_{2l-3}\cup qP_{l-2}\cup P_r\bigr),$ where $q$ and $r$ are integers satisfying $n=2(2l-3)+q(l-2)+r+1,$ $q\geq0,$ $0\leq r<l-2.$

Explore related subjects

math.CO

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Fulong Ye, Yuxiang Liu, Ligong Wang. 2026-09-21. Extremal spectral result of outerplanar graphs without $P_{3\cdot l}$. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.24080

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Adjunctions, Box Products, and Forcing Families

Sidorenko's conjecture states that the number of copies of any given bipartite graph in another graph of given density is asymptotically minimized by a random graph. For bipartite graphs containing a cycle, the forcing conjecture further asserts that asymptotic equality characterizes quasi-random graphs. We establish an adjoint identity for a general class of graph-substitution operators and use it to obtain Sidorenko and forcing results for balanced blow-ups, subdivisions, Cartesian products, and strong products.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

On the Cost Number of Graphs with Determining Number Two

A distinguishing vertex coloring of a graph $G$ is a vertex coloring such that only the identity automorphism of $G$ preserves the coloring. A graph is $2$-distinguishable if it admits a distinguishing vertex coloring with two colors, and its cost $ρ(G)$ is the minimum size of a color class in such a coloring. The determining number of a graph $G$, denoted by $Det(G)$, is the minimum size of a subset $S\subseteq V(G)$ such that only the trivial automorphism fixes every element of $S$ pointwise. Boutin (J. Combin. Math. Combin. Comput. 85: 161-171, 2013) asked if $ρ(G)$ and $Det(G)$ can be arbitrarily far apart. While the case for $Det(G) = 1$ is trivial, the answer remained unknown for $Det(G) \ge 2$. In this manuscript, we show that if $Det(G)=2$ then not only is $ρ(G)$ bounded, but in fact $ρ(G) \leq 4$. This is the first resolution of Boutin's question for any nontrivial fixed determining number. Moreover, for every fixed $Det(G)= n$, we construct examples giving a lower bound on any possible upper bound for $ρ(G)$ in terms of $n$.

math.CO↗