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For any simple, undirected graph $G=(V,E)$, we denote by $\chi(G)$ the smallest cardinal $\kappa$ such that there is a coloring $c:V \to \kappa$.

We say that $v\neq w\in V$ are incompatible if $\{v,w\}\notin E$, and for any coloring $c: V\to \chi(G)$ we have $c(v) \neq c(w)$.

It is easy to see that if $v\neq w\in V$ are incompatible, they must lie in the same connected component of $G$.

What is an example of a graph containing an incompatible pair of vertices?

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    $\begingroup$ Take a cycle of length $2n$ and let $v$ and $w$ be vertices at distance $k$ from each other where $k \geq 3$ and $k$ is odd. $\endgroup$
    – Tony Huynh
    Commented Sep 11, 2021 at 13:24
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    $\begingroup$ Connected bipartite graphs have unique (up-to-isomorphism) colorings. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 11, 2021 at 13:26
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    $\begingroup$ @Wojowu There is a connected bipartite example with 4 vertices and 3 edges, namely ({1,2,3,4},{{1,2},{2,3},{3,4}}). $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 11, 2021 at 16:57
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    $\begingroup$ I don't think you should remove this question since there some nice theory behind the notion of incompatible edges. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 12, 2021 at 14:37
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    $\begingroup$ @WlodAA It is too late for Dominic to not ask the question in the first place. Besides, the answer is completely different in the case when the chromatic number is infinite, and the problem of producing a k-graph coloring for a graph is NP-complete, and the backtracking algorithm for finding a graph coloring or proving that there is none is expected to take exponential time in some cases. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 13, 2021 at 10:08

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If $R$ is a poset, then a function $C:R\rightarrow R$ is said to be a closure operator if $r\leq C(r)=C(C(r))$ and $(r\leq s)\rightarrow(C(r)\leq C(s))$ whenever $r,s\in R$. We say that a subset $C\subseteq R$ is a closure system if for all $r\in R$, there is a least $s\in C$ where $r\leq s$. If $R$ is a complete lattice, then $C\subseteq R$ is a closure system if and only if $C$ is closed under arbitrary greatest lower bounds including the empty greatest lower bound. ​The closure operators and closure systems on a poset are in a one-to-one correspondence. If $C$ is a closure system, then let $C^{*}:R\rightarrow R$ be the mapping where if $r\in C$, then $C^{*}(r)$ is the least element $s$ in $C$ with $r\leq s$. ​Then $C^{*}$ is a closure operator. Similarly, if $C$ is a closure operator, then define $C^{*}=\{r\in R\mid r=C(r)\}$. Then $C^{*}$ is a closure system. Furthermore, if $C$ is a closure operator or closure system, then $C=(C^{*})^{*}$.

Suppose that $R,S$ are posets. Then a pair of mappings $f:R\rightarrow S,g:S\rightarrow R$ is said to be a Galois connection if $s\leq f(r)\leftrightarrow r\leq g(s)$. If $f:R\rightarrow S,g:S\rightarrow R$ is a Galois connection, then the functions $f\circ g,g\circ f$ are closure operators. Furthermore, the maps $f,g$ restrict to order reversing inverse bijections between the closure systems $(f\circ g)^{*},(g\circ f)^{*}$.

Suppose that $X,Y$ are sets. Let $R\subseteq X\times Y$ be a relation. Then define functions $F:P(X)\rightarrow P(Y),G:P(Y)\rightarrow P(X)$ by letting $F(A)=\{y\in Y\mid\forall x\in A,(x,y)\in R\}$ and $G(B)=\{x\in X\mid\forall y\in B,(x,y)\in R\}$. Then the functions $F,G$ form a Galois connection.

Let $\lambda$ be a cardinal, and let $V$ be a vertex set. Then define a relation $R_{\lambda,V}\subseteq[V]^{2}\times^{V}\lambda$ where if $u,v\in V,u\neq v$ and $f:V\rightarrow\lambda$ is a function, then $\{u,v\},f)\in R_{\lambda,V}$ if and only if $f(u)\neq f(v)$. Then from this relation, we define a Galois connection $F_{\lambda,V}:P([V]^{2})\rightarrow P(^{V}\lambda),G_{\lambda,V}:P(^{V}\lambda)\rightarrow P([V]^{2})$ the standard way by setting $F_{\lambda,V}(R)=\{s\in^{V}\lambda\mid\forall r\in R,(r,s)\in R_{\lambda,V}\}$ and $G_{\lambda,V}(S)=\{r\in[V]^{2}\mid\forall s\in S,(r,s)\in R_{\lambda,V}\}$.

Define closure operators $C_{\lambda,V}:P([V]^{2})\rightarrow P([V]^{2}),D_{\lambda,V}:P(^{V}\lambda)\rightarrow P(^{V}\lambda)$ by letting $C_{\lambda,V}=G_{\lambda,V}\circ F_{\lambda,V},D_{\lambda,V}=F_{\lambda,V}\circ G_{\lambda,V}$.

If $G=(V,E)$, then the following are equivalent:

  1. $\chi_{G}\leq\lambda$.

  2. $F_{\lambda,V}(E)\neq\emptyset$.

  3. $C_{\lambda,V}(E)\neq[V]^{2}$.

We observe that if $\lambda,\mu$ are cardinals with $\lambda\leq\mu$, then $C_{\mu,V}(E)\subseteq C_{\lambda,V}(E)$.

In particular, if $\lambda$ is a cardinal and $F_{\lambda,V}(E)\neq\emptyset$, then every edge in $C_{\lambda,V}(E)\setminus E$ is an incompatible edge. In particular, the graph $(V,E)$ has an incompatible edge if and only if $E$ is non-closed and non-dense.

Finite chromatic number examples

If $(V,E)$ is a connected bipartite graph with bipartition $A,B$, then $C_{2,V}(E)=\{\{a,b\}\mid a\in A,b\in B\}$. Connected incomplete bipartite graphs therefore have incompatible edges.

More generally, as was mentioned by Tony Huynh in the comments, we say that a graph $G=(V,E)$ is uniquely colorable with $k$ colors if it is not colorable with $k-1$ colors and where there is only one coloring $f:V\rightarrow k$ up to permutations (i.e. if $f,g:V\rightarrow k$ are colorings, then there is a permutation $h\in S_{k}$ with $g=h\circ f$). Every complete graph is uniquely colorable. Furthermore, one can easily construct new uniquely colorable graphs from old uniquely colorable graphs. Suppose that $(V,E)$ is a uniquely colorable graph with $k$-colors. Let $f:V\rightarrow k$ be the unique (up-to-permutation) coloring of $(V,E)$. Then let $v$ be a vertex with $v\not\in V$. Then let $v_{1},\dots,v_{k}$ be vertices where $f(v_{1}),\dots,f(v_{k})$ are distinct. Then $(V\cup\{v\},E\cup\{\{v,v_{i}\}\mid 1\leq i\leq k\})$ is also uniquely colorable. In particular, every k-tree is uniquely colorable with k colors.

If $(V,E)$ is a uniquely colorable graph with $k$ colors, and $f:V\rightarrow k$ is the unique coloring, then whenever $\{u,v\}\not\in E$ and $f(u)\neq f(v)$, the edge $\{u,v\}$ is incompatible with $(V,E)$. In particular, if $$|E|<|V|\cdot(|V|-1)/2-\sum_{i=0}^{k-1}|f^{-1}[\{i\}]|\cdot(|f^{-1}[\{i\}]|-1)/2,$$ then there is some edge $\{u,v\}$ incompatible with $(V,E)$.

Deletion-contraction

There is a deletion-contraction formula for the number of $k$-colorings of a graph, and this deletion-contraction formula applies for infinite graphs as well with infinitely many colorings.

Suppose that $G=(V,E)$ is a graph. If $\simeq$ is an equivalence relation on $V$, then let $G/\simeq$ denote the graph with vertex set $V/\simeq$ and with edge set $E/\simeq=\{\{[u],[v]\}\mid\{u,v\}\in E,u\not\simeq v\}$. If $\{u,v\}$ is a pair, then let $G/\{u,v\}$ denote the graph $G/\simeq$ where $x\simeq y$ if and only if $x=y$ or $\{x,y\}=\{u,v\}$.

If $(V,E)$ is a graph where $u,v,\in V,u\neq v,\{u,v\}\not\in E$, then by using the same notation as before, we define a function $$L:F_{k,V}(E\cup\{\{u,v\}\})\cup F_{k,V/\{u,v\}}(E/\{u,v\})\rightarrow F_{\lambda,V}(E)$$ by letting $L(f)=f$ whenever $f\in F_{k,V}(E\cup\{\{u,v\}\})$ and $L(f)=f\circ\pi$ where $\pi:V\rightarrow V/\{u,v\}$ is the quotient mapping.

Therefore, $F_{k,V}(E\cup\{\{u,v\}\})=F_{k,V}(E)$ if and only if $F_{k,V/\{u,v\}}(E/\{u,v\})=\emptyset$. In particular, if $\{u,v\}\in[V]^{2}\setminus E$, then $\{u,v\}$ is an incompatible edge for $(V,E)$ if and only if $$\chi(G/\{u,v\})>\chi(G).$$

infinite chromatic topology

Suppose that $\lambda$ is an infinite cardinal. Let $\text{pc}(\lambda)$ be the least cardinal with $\lambda^{\text{pc}(\lambda)}>\lambda$.

Proposition: $C_{\lambda,V}^{*}$ is a topological closure system. In the corresponding topology, the union of less than $\text{pc}(\lambda)$ many closed sets is closed, and the intersection of less than $\text{pc}(\lambda)$ many open sets is open.

If $P$ is a partition of a set $V$, then let $U_{P}=\{\{u,v\}\mid u\neq v,u=v(P)\}$. In the $C_{\lambda,V}$-topology, the basic open sets are precisely the sets of the form $U_{P}$ where $|P|\leq\lambda$.

If $\lambda=|V|$, then the $C_{\lambda,V}$-topology is discrete.

Proposition: A non-empty subset $A\subseteq[V]^{2}$ is open in the $C_{\lambda,V}$-topology if and only if $U_{P}\subseteq A$ for some partition $P$ with $|P|\leq\lambda$.

Proof: The direction $\rightarrow$ has already been established. For the direction, $\leftarrow$, suppose that $P$ is a partition of $V$ into at most $\lambda$ many sets. Then we shall show that $U_{P}\cup\{\{p,q\}\}$ is open for each pair $p,q$ with $p\neq q$. The case where $p=q(P)$ is trivial, so assume that $p\neq q(P).$

Let $$Q=(\{\{p,q\}\}\cup\{R\setminus\{p,q\}|R\in P\})\setminus\{\emptyset\}.$$ Then $$U_{P}\cup\{\{p,q\}\}=U_{P}\cup U_{Q}.$$

Q.E.D.

Therefore, if $A\subseteq[V]^{2}$, then either $A$ is dense in the $C_{\lambda,V}$ topology or $A$ is closed in the $C_{\lambda,V}$ topology. Therefore, for each graph $(V,E)$, we know that $C_{\lambda,V}(E)=[V]^{2}$ or $V_{\lambda,V}(E)=E$. Therefore, the graph $(V,E)$ can never have an incompatible edge whenever $(V,E)$ has infinite chromatic number.

You can also argue that if $G$ has infinite chromatic number, then $G$ cannot have an incompatible edge by using the facts that that $\chi(G/\{u,v\})\leq\chi(G)+2$ but in order for $\{u,v\}$ to be incompatible, we must have $\chi(G/\{u,v\})>\chi(G)$.

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  • $\begingroup$ Wow, Joseph, thanks for taking the time to write this up! $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 12, 2021 at 16:10

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