Connectivity of some Algebraically Defined Digraphs

TL;DR

This paper investigates the strong connectivity and component structure of algebraically defined digraphs over finite fields, extending understanding of their properties and potential applications in algebraic graph theory.

Contribution

It provides a complete characterization of the strong components of a class of algebraically defined digraphs, advancing the theoretical understanding of their connectivity.

Findings

Characterization of strong connectivity conditions

Complete description of strong components

Extension of algebraic graph theory results

Abstract

Let $p$ be a prime, $e$ a positive integer, $q = p^e$, and let $\mathbb{F}_q$ denote the finite field of $q$ elements. Let $f_i : \mathbb{F}_q^2\to\mathbb{F}_q$ be arbitrary functions, where $1\le i\le l$, $i$ and $l$ are integers. The digraph $D = D(q;\bf{f})$, where ${\bf f}=(f_1,\dotso,f_l) : \mathbb{F}_q^2\to\mathbb{F}_q^l$, is defined as follows. The vertex set of $D$ is $\mathbb{F}_q^{l+1}$. There is an arc from a vertex ${\bf x} = (x_1,\dotso,x_{l+1})$ to a vertex ${\bf y} = (y_1,\dotso,y_{l+1})$ if $ x_i + y_i = f_{i-1}(x_1,y_1) $ for all $i$, $2\le i \le l+1$. In this paper we study the strong connectivity of $D$ and completely describe its strong components. The digraphs $D$ are directed analogues of some algebraically defined graphs, which have been studied extensively and have many applications.