English

On Small Folkman Graphs Arrowing $K_2$ or $K_3$

Combinatorics 2026-05-19 v1

Abstract

For a graph GG and integers ai1a_i \geq 1, we say that G(a1,,ak)vG \xrightarrow[]{} (a_1, \ldots, a_k)^v if in any kk-coloring of GG's vertices there exists a monochromatic aia_i-clique for some color i{1,,k}i \in \{1,\ldots,k\}. G(a1,,ak)eG \xrightarrow[]{} (a_1, \ldots, a_k)^e is defined similarly, but for edge colorings. The Folkman number Fv(a1,,ak;H)F_v(a_1, \ldots, a_k; H) is the smallest number of vertices for which an HH-free graph arrowing (a1,,ak)v(a_1, \ldots, a_k)^v exists. Fe(a1,,ak;H)F_e(a_1, \ldots, a_k; H) is defined similarly for edge-arrowing. In this work, we present new bounds for Folkman numbers where ai{2,3}a_i \in \{2,3\} and k4k \leq 4, while avoiding KnK_n, JnJ_n, for n{4,5,6}n \in \{4,5,6\}, where KnK_n is the complete graph on nn vertices and JnJ_n is KnK_n missing an edge. We also present results for C4C_4-free and W5W_5-free graphs, where C4C_4 is the cycle on four vertices and W5W_5 is the wheel graph on five vertices. Notably, we prove the existence of Fe(3,3;W5)F_e(3,3;W_5), leaving only one graph, P2P3\overline{P_2 \cup P_3}, on five vertices for which the existence problem of Fe(3,3;H)F_e(3,3;H) remains open. We provide some theoretical results that should aid in uncovering the existence of Fv(3,3;P2P3)F_v(3,3; \overline{P_2 \cup P_3}). Our new bounds are the result of a variety of methods involving filters, extension, semi-polycirculant graphs, locally linear graphs, and the modification of special graphs. Most of our bounds are from the semi-polycirculant graph generator, showcasing its efficacy for finding witness Folkman graphs.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2605.16542,
  title  = {On Small Folkman Graphs Arrowing $K_2$ or $K_3$},
  author = {Zohair Raza Hassan and Stanisław Radziszowski and Steven Van Overberghe},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.16542},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-22T07:15:38.644Z