Minimum augmented Zagreb index of \(c\)-cyclic graphs (Q2661212)

More then 10 years ago a modified atom bond connectivity (ABC) index was introduced as \[ABC_{\lambda}(G)= \sum_{uv \in E(G)} \left( \frac{d(u)d(v)}{d(u)-d(v)-2} \right)^{\lambda},\] which gives for \(\lambda=-\frac{1}{2}\) the original version of the ABC index. The modified version gives the best correlation with the heat of formation of alkanes for the value \(\lambda=3\) and the index \(ABC_{3}(G)\) is nowadays refer to as the augmented Zagreb index. The authors characterize graphs with the minimum augmented Zagreb index among all \(c\)-cyclic graphs on \(n\) vertices for \(n\geq 2c+1\) and \(c\geq 3\). The proof itself is quite complex and several lemmas dealing with different possible cases are needed on order to finalize it. The minimum problem has already been solved for trees, and unicyclic and bicyclic graphs on at least five vertices.