The metamorphosis of \(\lambda\)-fold block designs with block size four into a maximum packing of \(\lambda K_{n}\) with 4-cycles. (Q1427478)

A \(\lambda\)-fold \(G\)-design of order \(n\) and block size \(k\) is a pair \((X,B)\), where \(B\) is a collection of edge disjoint copies of the graph \(G \subseteq K_k\) which partitions the edge set of \(\lambda K_n\) with vertex set \(X\). The copies of \(G\) are called the blocks. Where \(G = K_k\), the structure is simply called a \(\lambda\)-fold block design. In this paper the authors examine the process of building a so-called metamorphosis of a \(\lambda\)-fold block design, in the case that \(k=4\). Given a \(\lambda\)-fold block design \((X,B)\) and \(G \subseteq K_k\), define sets \(B(G)\) and \(E(K_4 \setminus G)\) as follows: for each block \(b \in B\), partition \(b\) into copies of \(G\) and \(K_4 \setminus G\), and place the copy of \(G\) in \(B(G)\) and the edges belonging to the copy of \(K_4 \setminus G\) in \(E(K_4 \setminus G)\). If the edges belonging to \(E(K_4 \setminus G)\) can be assembled into a collection \(E(G)\) of copies of \(G\), then \((X,B(G) \cup E(G))\) is a \(\lambda\)-fold \(G\)-design, called a metamorphosis of the \(\lambda\)-fold block design \((X,B)\). For each \(G \subseteq K_4\) the spectrum of \(\lambda\)-fold block designs having a metamorphosis into a \(\lambda\)-fold \(G\)-design has been determined; see, amongst others, the paper \textit{S. Küçükçifçi} and \textit{C.C. Lindner} [Util. Math. 63, 239-254 (2003; Zbl 1036.05008)]. In this paper the authors extend the metamorphosis problem to that for \(\lambda\)-fold block designs into maximum packings of \(\lambda K_n\) with \(4\)-cycles, in the following way. A packing of \(\lambda K_n\) with \(4\)-cycles is a triple \((S,C,L)\), where \(S\) is the vertex set of \(\lambda K_n\), \(C\) is a collection of edge disjoint \(4\)-cycles from the edge set of \(\lambda K_n\), and the leave \(L\) is the collection of edges in \(\lambda K_n\) not belonging to one of the \(4\)-cycles of \(C\). Given a \(\lambda\)-fold block design \((X,B)\) define sets \(B(C)\) and \(E(K_4 \setminus C)\) as follows: for each block \(b \in B\), partition \(b\) into a \(4\)-cycle and a pair of disjoint edges, and place the \(4\)-cycle in \(B(C)\) and the disjoint edges in \(E(K_4 \setminus C)\). Reassemble the edges belonging to \(E(K_4 \setminus C)\) into a collection of \(4\)-cycles \(E(C)\) with leave \(L\). Then \((X,B(C) \cup E(C),L)\) is a packing of \(\lambda K_n\) with \(4\)-cycles, and is called a metamorphosis of the \(\lambda\)-fold block design \((X,B)\). The result of this paper is a complete solution (with one possible exception) of the metamorphosis problem for \(\lambda\)-fold block designs into maximum packings of \(\lambda K_n\) with \(4\)-cycles. The possible exception is the case \(\lambda = 1\), \(n = 37\), with a leave of \(2\) disjoint triangles.