A characterization of well covered graphs of girth 5 or greater (Q1204485)

A graph is well covered if every maximal independent set has the same number of vertices. A vertex \(x\), in a well covered graph \(G\), is extendable if \(G_ x=G-\{x\}\) is well covered and the maximal independent sets of \(G\) and \(G_ x\) have the same cardinality. In 1983, \textit{A. S. Finbow} and \textit{B. L. Hartnell} proved: Let \(G\) be a graph of girth \(\geq 8\). \(G\) is well covered iff its pendant edges constitute a perfect matching [Ars. Comb. 16-A, 189-198 (1983; Zbl 0559.90095)]. The main result of this paper is the following: Let \(G\) be a connected, well covered graph of girth \(\geq 5\). Then either (a) \(G\) contains an extendable vertex; this is equivalent with the condition that the vertex set of \(G\) can be partitioned into two subsets, the first of which contains the vertices of disjoint pendant edges of \(G\) (there are any other pendant edges in \(G)\) and the second subset contains the vertices of those disjoint 5-cycles which are without adjacent vertices of degree \(\geq 3\) (Theorem 2), or (b) \(G\) is isomorphic to one of the siz graphs: \(K_ 1\), \(C_ 7\) (i.e. 7-cycle 123...7), graph \(P_{10}\) (i.e. 10-cycle 123...10 with 2 additional ``diagonal'' edges 1-5 and 2-8), graph \(P_{13}\) (i.e. 13- cycle 123...13 with 4 additional ``diagonal'' edges 1-8, 2-6, 5-12, 7- 11), graph \(Q_{13}\) (i.e. 13-cycle 123...13 with 5 additional ``diagonal'' edges 1-5, 1-10, 2-8, 4-11, 7-11) or graph \(P_{14}\) (i.e. a graph of Petersen's type consisting of 7 edges \(1-1'\), \(2-2',\dots,7- 7'\) and two 7-cycles 123...7 and \(1'3'5'7'2'4'6')\) (Theorem 3). The authors described the graphs \(P_{10}\), \(P_{13}\), \(Q_{13}\), \(P_{14}\) using more visual figures.