Quillen model structures on the category of graphs (Q1935108)

Introduced in [\textit{D. Quillen}, Homotopical algebra. Lecture Notes in Mathematics. 43. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag. (1967; Zbl 0168.20903)], the formalism of model structures is useful for the study of homotopical notions in any category. In this paper, the author presents various model structures in the category \(\mathcal G\) of graphs undirected and without multiple edges. Actually, he proves (Theorem 5.3) that there is a continuum of model structures on \(\mathcal G\). Among them, the most important is the \textit{core model structure} (Theorem 4.13), whose weak equivalences are the maps inducing isomorphism on cores (a graph is a \textit{core} if it does not retract to a proper subgraph and a \textit{core of a graph \(X\)} is a retract of \(X\) which is a core ; the core of a graph is unique up to isomorphism). In this model category, the homotopy types are given by cores; any two homomorphisms \(f,g: X \to Y\) from a graph \(X\) to a graph \(Y\) are homotopic and two graphs \(X\) and \(Y\) are homotopy equivalent if, and only if, they are homomorphically equivalent, following the terminology of the monography [\textit{P. Hell} and \textit{J. Nešetřil}, Graphs and homomorphisms. Oxford Lecture Series in Mathematics and its Applications 28. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (2004; Zbl 1062.05139)], i.e. if the sets of homomorphisms \(HOM(X,Y)\) and \(HOM(Y,X)\) are non empty. It is worth noting that none homotopy category obtained in this article corresponds to \(\times\)-homotopy nor to A-homotopy, the two homotopy theories described in [\textit{A. Dochtermann}, J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 116, No. 1, 180--194 (2009; Zbl 1167.05017)], although these two formalisms are closely related to classical homotopy theory for topological spaces (see \textit{E. Babson} et al., [J. Algebr. Comb. 24, No. 1, 31--44 (2006; Zbl 1108.05030)] for A-homotopy and \textit{E. Fieux} and \textit{J. Lacaze}, Discrete Math. 312, No. 17, 2639--2651 (2012; Zbl 1246.05157)] for \(\times\)-homotopy).