Distinguishing density and the Distinct Spheres Condition

TL;DR

This paper proves that countable connected graphs satisfying the Distinct Spheres Condition are 2-distinguishable with density zero, using deterministic and probabilistic methods, with applications to various infinite graph families.

Contribution

It establishes a general criterion linking the Distinct Spheres Condition to 2-distinguishability with density zero, including new proofs and applications.

Findings

Graphs satisfying the Distinct Spheres Condition are 2-distinguishable with density zero.

Locally finite primitive graphs are 2-distinguishable with density zero.

Graphs with infinite motion and subquadratic growth are 2-distinguishable with density zero.

Abstract

If a graph $G$ has distinguishing number 2, then there exists a partition of its vertex set into two parts, such that no nontrivial automorphism of $G$ fixes setwise the two parts. Such a partition is called a 2-distinguishing coloring of $G$, and the parts are called its color classes. If $G$ admits such a coloring, it is often possible to find another in which one of the color classes is sparse in a certain sense. In this case we say that $G$ has 2-distinguishing density zero. An extreme example of this would be an infinite graph admitting a 2-distinguishing coloring in which one of the color classes is finite. If a graph $G$ contains a vertex $v$ such that, for all $n \in \mathbb N$, any two distinct vertices equidistant from $v$ have nonequal $n$-spheres, then we say that $G$ satisfies the Distinct Spheres Condition. In this paper we prove a general result: any countable connected graph that satisfies the Distinct Spheres Condition is 2-distinguishable with density zero. We present two proofs of this, one that uses a deterministic coloring, and another (that applies only to locally finite graphs) using a random coloring. From this result, we deduce that several important families of countably infinite and connected graphs are 2-distinguishable with density zero, including those that are locally finite and primitive. Furthermore, we prove that any connected graph with infinite motion and subquadratic growth is 2-distinguishable with density zero.