On a conjecture of Mohar concerning Kempe equivalence of regular graphs

Abstract

Let $G$ be a graph with a vertex colouring $\alpha$. Let $a$ and $b$ be two colours. Then a connected component of the subgraph induced by those vertices coloured either $a$ or $b$ is known as a Kempe chain. A colouring of $G$ obtained from $\alpha$ by swapping the colours on the vertices of a Kempe chain is said to have been obtained by a Kempe change. Two colourings of $G$ are Kempe equivalent if one can be obtained from the other by a sequence of Kempe changes. A conjecture of Mohar (2007) asserts that, for $k\ge 3$, all $k$-colourings of a $k$-regular graph that is not complete are Kempe equivalent. It was later shown that all $3$-colourings of a cubic graph that is neither $K_4$ nor the triangular prism are Kempe equivalent. In this paper, we prove that the conjecture holds for each $k\ge 4$. We also report the implications of this result on the validity of the Wang-Swendsen-Kotecký algorithm for the antiferromagnetic Potts model at zero-temperature.

arXiv commentcorrected typos, tidied references, added figures; added section on Wang-Swendsen-Kotecky algorithm