Covering 2-colored complete digraphs by monochromatic $d$-dominating digraphs


Abstract in English

A digraph is {em $d$-dominating} if every set of at most $d$ vertices has a common out-neighbor. For all integers $dgeq 2$, let $f(d)$ be the smallest integer such that the vertices of every 2-edge-colored (finite or infinite) complete digraph (including loops) can be covered by the vertices of at most $f(d)$ monochromatic $d$-dominating subgraphs. Note that the existence of $f(d)$ is not obvious -- indeed, the question which motivated this paper was simply to determine whether $f(d)$ is bounded, even for $d=2$. We answer this question affirmatively for all $dgeq 2$, proving $4leq f(2)le 8$ and $2dleq f(d)le 2dleft(frac{d^{d}-1}{d-1}right)$ for all $dge 3$. We also give an example to show that there is no analogous bound for more than two colors. Our result provides a positive answer to a question regarding an infinite analogue of the Burr-ErdH{o}s conjecture on the Ramsey numbers of $d$-degenerate graphs. Moreover, a special case of our result is related to properties of $d$-paradoxical tournaments.

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