Bounds and extremal graphs for total dominating identifying codes

TL;DR

This paper characterizes graphs with maximum total dominating identifying code size, establishes bounds for twin-free trees and graphs with girth at least 5, and relates these codes to other graph parameters.

Contribution

It provides new characterizations of graphs with extremal total dominating identifying codes and extends bounds to broader classes of graphs, including those with girth at least 5.

Findings

Graphs with total dominating identifying code size equal to n are characterized.

Maximum size of such codes in twin-free trees is at most 3n/4, which is tight.

The bound extends to all twin-free graphs with girth at least 5, including cycle C8.

Abstract

An identifying code $C$ of a graph $G$ is a dominating set of $G$ such that any two distinct vertices of $G$ have distinct closed neighbourhoods within $C$. The smallest size of an identifying code of $G$ is denoted $\gamma^{\text{ID}}(G)$. When every vertex of $G$ also has a neighbour in $C$, it is said to be a total dominating identifying code of $G$, and the smallest size of a total dominating identifying code of $G$ is denoted by $\gamma_t^{\text{ID}}(G)$. Extending similar characterizations for identifying codes from the literature, we characterize those graphs $G$ of order $n$ with $\gamma_t^{\text{ID}}(G)=n$ (the only such connected graph is $P_3$) and $\gamma_t^{\text{ID}}(G)=n-1$ (such graphs either satisfy $\gamma^{\text{ID}}(G)=n-1$ or are built from certain such graphs by adding a set of universal vertices, to each of which a private leaf is attached). Then, using bounds from the literature, we remark that any (open and closed) twin-free tree of order $n$ has a total dominating identifying code of size at most $\frac{3n}{4}$. This bound is tight, and we characterize the trees reaching it. Moreover, by a new proof, we show that this bound actually holds for the larger class of all twin-free graphs of girth at least 5. The cycle $C_8$ also attains this bound. We also provide a generalized bound for all graphs of girth at least 5 (possibly with twins). Finally, we relate $\gamma_t^{\text{ID}}(G)$ to the related parameter $\gamma^{\text{ID}}(G)$ as well as the location-domination number of $G$ and its variants, providing bounds that are either tight or almost tight.