Upper bounds on the smallest positive eigenvalue of trees with at most one zero eigenvalue (Q2109070)

For a tree \(T\) on \(k\) vertices, the tree \(\tilde{T}\), obtained from \(T\) by adding a pendant at each vertex of \(T\) is called the corona tree. Let \(\mathcal{T}_n\) be the class of all trees on \(n\) vertices, and \(\mathcal{T}^\ast_{2n}\) the class of corona trees on \(2n\) vertices. The author proves that the ordering by the spectral radius in \(\mathcal{T}_n\) is the same as the reverse ordering of corresponding trees in \(\mathcal{T}^\ast_{2n}\), by the smallest positive eigenvalue. It is also shown that for a tree on \(2k\) vertices with matching number \(k\), the smallest positive eigenvalue \(\tau(T)\) satisfies the following bound \[ \tau(T)\leq \sqrt{\cos^2 (\frac{\pi}{k+1}+1})-\cos\frac{\pi}{k+1}. \] The equality holds if and only if \(T=\tilde{P_n}\). If \(T\) is a tree on \(2k+1\) vertices, with matching number \(k\), then \(\tau(T)\leq 1\). The second part of the paper concerns the least positive eigenvalue of trees obtained by attaching a pendant at some vertex of a path graph. In particular, it is shown that in a path graph on an odd number of vertices if a pendant is attached at an odd label vertex, then the smallest positive eigenvalue of the tree is greater than or equal to that of the path graph. In case a pendant is attached at an even label vertex then the smallest positive eigenvalue of the tree is less than or equal to that of the path graph. The unique vertex \(i\) in \(P_{2n+1}\) such that attaching a pendant at \(i\) is lessening the smallest positive eigenvalue to the maximum extent is determined.