Spectral extrema of graphs with fixed size: cycles and complete bipartite graphs (Q2033928)

\textit{V. Nikiforov} [Comb. Probab. Comput. 11, No. 2, 179--189 (2002; Zbl 1005.05029)] proved that if a graph \(G\) on \(m\) edges and no isolated vertices is \(K_{r+1}\)-free, then the spectral radius \(\rho(G)\) satisfies \(\rho(G)\leq \sqrt{2m(1-1/r)}\). This result has inspired much research into finding similar results. Such results are given in this interesting and nicely written paper under review. In particular, the authors prove that: \par (i) if \(G\) is \(K_{2,r+1}\)-free with \(r\geq 2\) and \(m\geq 16r^2\), then \(\rho(G)\leq \sqrt{m}\) with equality exactly when \(G\) is a star; \par (ii) if \(G\) is \(C_3^+\)- and \(C_4^+\)-free with \(m\geq 9\), then \(\rho(G)\leq \sqrt{m}\) with equality exactly when \(G\) is a complete bipartite graph or one of three specific graphs; \par (iii) if \(G\) is \(C_5\)-free with \(m\geq 8\), then \(\rho(G)\leq \frac{1+\sqrt{4m-3}}{2}\) with equality exactly when \(G\) is the book \(S_{(m+3)/2,2}\); \par (iv) if \(G\) is \(C_6\)-free with \(m\geq 22\), then \(\rho(G)\leq \frac{1+\sqrt{4m-3}}{2}\) with equality exactly when \(G\) is the book \(S_{(m+3)/2,2}\); \par (v) if \(\rho(G)\leq \frac{k+\sqrt{4k|V(G)|+k^2-4k}}{2}\) for a positive integer \(k\), then \(G\) contains a cycle \(C_t\) for each even number \(t\leq 2k+2\). \par The authors also pose two interesting conjectures.