Normal 6-edge-colorings of some bridgeless cubic graphs (Q2306603)

The Petersen coloring conjecture, which implies the cycle double cover conjecture and Berge-Fulkerson conjecture, asserts that the edge-set of every bridgeless cubic graph \(G\) can be colored using as set of colors the edge-set of the Petersen graph \(P_{10}\) in such a way that adjacent edges of \(G\) receive as colors adjacent edges of \(P_{10}\). In an edge-coloring (proper) of a cubic graph, an edge is poor or rich, if the set of colors assigned to the edge and the four edges adjacent to it has exactly three or exactly five distinct colors, respectively. An edge is normal in an edge-coloring if it is rich or poor in this coloring. A normal \(k\)-edge-coloring of a cubic graph is an edge-coloring with \(k\) colors such that each edge of the graph is normal. \(\chi^\prime_N(G)\) denotes the smallest \(k\), for which \(G\) admits a normal \(k\)-edge-coloring. \textit{F. Jaeger} [Ars Combin. 20-B, 229--244 (1985; Zbl 0593.05031)] showed that the Petersen coloring conjecture is equivalent to the following conjecture: Conjecture 1. For any bridgeless cubic graph \(G\), \(\chi^\prime_N(G)\le 5\). Moreover, in [\textit{G. Mazzuoccolo} and \textit{V. Mkrtchyan}, J. Graph Theory 94, No. 1, 75--91 (2020; Zbl 1495.05102)], the authors show that any simple cubic graph admits a normal \(7\)-edge-coloring. So, in this paper the authors deal with a problem posed by \textit{R. Šámal} [Electron. Notes Discrete Math. 38, 755--760 (2011; Zbl 1274.05175)]: Conjecture 2. For any bridgeless cubic graph \(G\), \(\chi^\prime_N(G)\le 6\). In the main results, the authors prove that any claw-free bridgeless cubic graph, permutation snark, tree-like snark admits a normal \(6\)-edge-coloring and, moreover, they show that any bridgeless cubic graph \(G\) admits a \(6\)-edge-coloring such that at least \(\tfrac{7}{9}|E(G)|\) edges of \(G\) are normal.