Resolvable path designs (Q1070250)

Resolvable path designs were studied by \textit{A. Rosa} and the reviewer [Discrete Math. 2, 229-252 (1972; Zbl 0251.05015)]. The author solves a number of problems and conjectures stated there and obtains extensive information on the existence of RBPD's (resolvable (balanced) path designs). He reports a proof, due to R. Wilson (and depending on Ray- Chaudhuri's and Wilson's solution to the Kirkman's school-girl problem), that an RBPD(v,3,1) exists if and only if \(v\equiv 9\quad (mod 12),\) and then proceeds to extend it in two ways. Firstly, he shows that an RBPD(v,3,\(\lambda)\) exists if and only if \(v\equiv 9\quad (mod t)\) where \(t=12/\gcd (4,\lambda)\). Secondly, he shows that these designs may be chosen to have an automorphism of order v/3 (these are the so-called regular RBPD's in the terminology of the Hell-Rosa paper). He also shows that an RBPD(v,k,1) exists if and only if \(v\equiv k^ 2\quad (mod s)\) where \(s=1cm\) (2k-2,k), as long as v is sufficiently large with respect to k. The author also proves that the categorical product (conjunction) of a regular graph and a k-factorizable graph is also k-factorizable; thus the product of two k-factorizable graphs is also k-factorizable. (G is k-factorizable if E(G) can be partitioned into k-factors of G.)