Directed star decompositions of directed multigraphs (Q1183974)

A complete directed multigraph \(\lambda\text{DK}_ n\) of order \(n\) and index \(\lambda\) is an ordered pair \((V,A)\) where \(V\) is a set of \(n\) vertics and \(A\) is a collection of \(\lambda n(n-1)\) arcs containing each \((x,y)\), \(x\), \(y\in V\), \(x\neq y\), precisely \(\lambda\) times. A directed multigraph is symmetric if for each pair of vertices \(x\) and \(y\), the number of arcs from \(x\) to \(y\) equals the number of arcs from \(y\) to \(x\). It is regular of degree \(r\) if the indegree and outdegree at each vertex is \(r\). An \((s,t)\)-directed star is a directed graph which has \(s+t+1\) vertices, \(s+t\) arcs, a vertex of indegree \(s\) and outdegree \(t\) called the center, and no other vertex incident with more than one arc. A \((s,t)\)-direct star decomposition of a directed graph \(D\) is a partition of the arcs of \(D\) into \((s,t)\)-directed stars. The authors characterize those complete directed multigraphs that have an \((s,t)\)-directed star decomposition. Furthermore, they obtain a characterization of those regular directed symmetric graphs that have an \((s,t)\)-directed star decomposition such that each vertex is the center of the same number of stars.