English

Distinguishing threshold of graphs

Combinatorics 2023-01-02 v4

Abstract

A vertex coloring of a graph GG is called distinguishing if no non-identity automorphisms of GG can preserve it. The distinguishing number of GG, denoted by D(G)D(G), is the minimum number of colors required for such a coloring, and the distinguishing threshold of GG, denoted by θ(G)\theta(G), is the minimum number kk such that every kk-coloring of GG is distinguishing. As an alternative definition, θ(G)\theta(G) is one more than the maximum number of cycles in the cycle decomposition of automorphisms of GG. In this paper, we characterize θ(G)\theta (G) when GG is disconnected. Afterwards, we prove that, although for every positive integer k2k\neq 2 there are infinitely many graphs whose distinguishing thresholds are equal to kk, we have θ(G)=2\theta(G)=2 if and only if V(G)=2\vert V(G)\vert =2. Moreover, we show that if θ(G)=3\theta(G)=3, then either GG is isomorphic to one of the four graphs on~3 vertices or it is of order 2p2p, where p3,5p\neq 3,5 is a prime number. Furthermore, we prove that θ(G)=D(G)\theta(G)=D(G) if and only if GG is asymmetric, KnK_n or Kn\overline{K_n}. Finally, we consider all generalized Johnson graphs, J(n,k,i)J(n,k,i), which are the graphs on all kk-subsets of {1,,n}\{1,\ldots , n\} where two vertices AA and BB are adjacent if AB=ki|A\cap B|=k-i. After studying their automorphism groups and distinguishing numbers, we calculate their distinguishing thresholds as θ(J(n,k,i))=(nk)(n2k1)+1\theta(J(n,k,i))={n\choose k} - {n-2\choose k-1}+1, unless k=n2 k=\frac{n}{2} and i{k2,k}i\in\{ \frac{k}{2} , k\} in which case we have θ(J(n,k,i))=(nk)\theta(J(n,k,i))={n\choose k}.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2107.14767,
  title  = {Distinguishing threshold of graphs},
  author = {Mohammad Hadi Shekarriz and Bahman Ahmadi and Seyed Alireza Talebpour Shirazi Fard and Mohammad Hassan Shirdareh Haghighi},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2107.14767},
  year   = {2023}
}

Comments

20 pages, 7 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-24T04:41:52.377Z