English

Metric general position extensions of classical graph invariants

Combinatorics 2026-01-09 v1

Abstract

We introduce a two-parameter framework that refines several classical graph invariants by imposing higher-order constraints along bounded-length geodesics. For integers k,d1k,d\ge1, a vertex set is called k,dk,d-independent if every shortest path of length at most dd contains fewer than kk vertices of the set, giving rise to corresponding k,dk,d-independence, chromatic, clique, and domination invariants. We develop a general framework for these parameters by associating each graph with a kk-uniform hypergraph that encodes its geodesic structure. We then establish basic bounds and monotonicity properties, and introduce a notion of k,dk,d-perfection extending the classical theory of perfect graphs. Exact formulas are obtained for the k,dk,d-chromatic number of paths and cycles. In particular, all paths are k,dk,d-perfect for all parameters, while cycles admit a complete classification of k,dk,d-perfection that recovers the classical case when k=2k=2 and exhibits new periodic and finite-exception behavior for k3k\ge3. We further investigate the interaction between k,dk,d-invariants and graph powers, showing that while the k=2k=2 case reduces to graph powers in a straightforward way, substantially different behavior arises for higher values of kk, even for powers of paths.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.04351,
  title  = {Metric general position extensions of classical graph invariants},
  author = {Brent Cody and Rose Detore},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.04351},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T08:55:06.670Z