Proper vertex connection and graph operations

TL;DR

This paper investigates the proper vertex connection and strong proper vertex connection numbers in various graph operations, providing exact values and bounds for these parameters in complex graph constructions.

Contribution

It introduces new bounds and exact values for proper vertex connection numbers in graph joins and products, advancing understanding of vertex-coloring connectivity.

Findings

Exact values for proper vertex k-connection in graph joins

Upper bounds for Cartesian, lexicographic, strong, and direct products

Characterization of strong proper vertex-connected graphs

Abstract

A path in a vertex-colored graph is a {\it vertex-proper path} if any two internal adjacent vertices differ in color. A vertex-colored graph is {\it proper vertex $k$-connected} if any two vertices of the graph are connected by $k$ disjoint vertex-proper paths of the graph. For a $k$-connected graph $G$, the {\it proper vertex $k$-connection number} of $G$, denoted by $pvc_{k}(G)$, is defined as the smallest number of colors required to make $G$ proper vertex $k$-connected. A vertex-colored graph is {\it strong proper vertex-connected}, if for any two vertices $u,v$ of the graph, there exists a vertex-proper $u$-$v$ geodesic. For a connected graph $G$, the {\it strong proper vertex-connection number} of $G$, denoted by $spvc(G)$, is the smallest number of colors required to make $G$ strong proper vertex-connected. In this paper, we study the proper vertex $k$-connection number and the strong proper vertex-connection number on the join of two graphs, the Cartesian, lexicographic, strong and direct product, and present exact values or upper bounds for these operations of graphs.