Graphs that admit 3-to-1 or 2-to-1 maps onto the circle (Q1917280)

It is known that the image graph must contain a circle if \(k\)-to-\(1\) continuous maps between graphs are considered. In the present paper, the simplest such image graph is treated, namely the circle itself. Heath and Hilton already studied 2-to-1 and 3-to-1 continuous maps from trees onto the circle. The authors generalize this result on connected graphs which must not be trees only. The main results are given in Theorems 1 and 5 by which such connected graphs that admit a continuous 3-to-1 or 2-to-1 map onto the circle are completely and explicitly characterized. To characterize the 2-to-1 map onto the circle, trees of the types 0, 1 and 2 must be introduced. Let a type-0 tree consist of a single vertex, let a type-1 tree consist of a single edge or a single vertex, and a vertex of a type-1 tree is named the root vertex. Let a type-2 tree consist of a main path onto which some (perhaps no) type-1 trees are rooted at distinct non-endpoints. The classes of all type-0, type-1 and type-2 rooted trees are denoted by \(T_0\), \(T_1\) and \(T_2\), respectively. Moreover, let a class-1 unicyclic graph consist of a circle onto which some (perhaps no) type-1 trees are rooted at distinct points, and let \(C_1\) denote the class of these graphs. Let a class-2 unicycic graph consist of a circle onto which some (perhaps no) type-2 trees are rooted at distinct points, and let \(C_2\) denote the class of these graphs. The class of graphs in \(C_2\) with at most two rooted trees is denoted by \(C_2(2)\). The authors prove that a connected graph \(G\) can be mapped continuously 2-to-1 onto the circle iff \(G\in C_1\cup C_2(2)\) (Theorem 1). To characterize 3-to-1 maps onto the circle, the classes \(T_i\) of all type-\(i\) trees with \(i= 3, 4, 5, 6\), and the classes \(C_i\) of all class-\(i\) unicyclic graphs with \(i= 3, 4, 5, 6, 7\) are introduced in a more complicated and extensive manner. The authors obtain the result that a connected graph \(G\) can be mapped continuously 3-to-1 onto the circle iff \(G\in (T_5\backslash T_0)\cup C_3\cup C_4\cup C_5\cup C_6\cup C_7\). The proofs are very extensive ones and 34 lemmas are used. The numerous necessary concepts are illustrated by many figures.