Asymptotic rarity of high chromatic index in Steiner triple systems

Let m(v)m(v) be the lower bound for the chromatic index of a Steiner triple system of order vv, namely

m(v)={v12if v3(mod6),v+12if v1(mod6).m(v)=\begin{cases}\frac{v-1}{2}&\text{if }v\equiv3\pmod 6,\\[3pt]\frac{v+1}{2}&\text{if }v\equiv1\pmod 6. \end{cases}

Asymptotic rarity conjecture. The proportion of Steiner triple systems of order vv whose chromatic index is at least m(v)+2m(v)+2 tends to 00 as vv\to\infty.

This conjecture is motivated by computational observations in the source: systems with chromatic index m(v)+2m(v)+2 were rare in the small orders examined, although the experiments were not sampled from a uniform distribution. The source gives no resolution.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Darryn Bryant, Charles Colbourn, Daniel Horsley and Ian M. Wanless, “Steiner triple systems with high chromatic index”, arXiv:1702.00521 (2017).

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