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The sharp threshold for rainbow stackings of random edge-colourings

Combinatorics 2026-06-30 v1

Abstract

A rainbow stacking of mm independent, uniformly random rr-edge-colourings of KnK_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 rr 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 m(n2)2log(n!)\frac{m\binom{n}{2}}{2\log(n!)}. We determine the constant term in this transition. For every fixed m2m\ge2 and every function ω(n)\omega(n)\to\infty, with high probability there is no rainbow stacking if rm(n2)2log(n!)+2m16ω(n)(logn)2,r\le \frac{m\binom{n}{2}}{2\log(n!)}+\frac{2m-1}{6}-\frac{\omega(n)}{(\log n)^2}, while with high probability there is one if rm(n2)2log(n!)+2m16+ω(n)(logn)2.r\ge \frac{m\binom{n}{2}}{2\log(n!)}+\frac{2m-1}{6}+\frac{\omega(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 m(n2)2log(n!)+2m16\Big\lceil \frac{m\binom{n}{2}}{2\log(n!)}+\frac{2m-1}{6}\Big\rceil for a density-one set of integers nn, resolving a problem of Alon, Defant and Kravitz.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2606.31376,
  title  = {The sharp threshold for rainbow stackings of random edge-colourings},
  author = {Hong Liu and Guorui Ma and Yangrui Xiang and Zhifei Yan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2606.31376},
  year   = {2026}
}

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18 pages