Upper bounds on the chromatic index of a multigraph

 

By Mike Plantholt

Illinois State University

 

Abstract:

For a multigraph G, the integer round-up f(G) of the fractional chromatic index yields the best general lower bound for the chromatic index  c′(G), and long-standing conjectures suggest that the chromatic index never surpasses this lower bound by more than one.  We review classic upper bounds by Shannon, Vizing, Goldberg & Nishizeki, and some newer bounds by Kahn, and by Sanders and Streurer.  Then we discuss an approach to show that if n denotes the order of G, then c′(G) ≤ f(G) + log (n+1), and c′(G) ≤ f(G) + log (f(G)).

 

 

 

January 25, 2005

At 3:30 in Wallace 430