Twilight graphs

Abstract

AbstractThis paper deals primarily with countable, simple, connected graphs and the following two conditions which are trivially satisfied if the graphs are finite:(a) there is an edge-recognition algorithm, i.e., an effective procedure which enables us, given two distinct vertices, to decide whether they are adjacent,(b) there is a shortest path algorithm, i.e., an effective procedure which enables us, given two distinct vertices, to find a minimal path joining them.A graph G = ‹ν, η› with ν as set of vertices and η as set of edges is an α-graph if it satisfies (a); it is an ω-graph if it satisfies (b). G is called r.e. (isolic) if the sets ν and η are r.e. (isolated). While every ω-graph is an α-graph, the converse is false, even if G is r.e. or isolic. Several basic properties of finite graphs do not generalize to ω-graphs. For example, an ω-tree with more than one vertex need not have two pendant vertices, but may have only one or none, since it may be a 1-way or 2-way infinite path. Nevertheless, some elementary propositions for finite graphs G = ‹ν, η› with n = card(ν), e = card(η), do generalize to isolic ω-graphs, e.g., n − 1 ≤ e ≤ n(n − 1)/2. Let N and E be the recursive equivalence types of ν and η respectively. Then we have for an isolic α-tree G = ‹ν, η›: N = E + 1 iff G is an ω-tree. The theorem that every finite graph has a spanning tree has a natural, effective analogue for ω-graphs.The structural difference between isolic α-graphs and isolic ω-graphs will be illustrated by: (i) every infinite graph is isomorphic to some isolic α-graph; (ii) there is an infinite graph which is not isomorphic to any isolic ω-graph.An isolic α-graph is also called a twilight graph. There are c such graphs, c denoting the cardinality of the continuum.