On one test for the switching separability of graphs modulo q

Abstract

We consider graphs whose edges are marked by numbers (weights) from 1 to q - 1 (with zero corresponding to the absence of an edge). A graph is additive if its vertices can be marked so that, for every two nonadjacent vertices, the sum of the marks modulo q is zero, and for adjacent vertices, it equals the weight of the corresponding edge. A switching of a given graph is its sum modulo q with some additive graph on the same set of vertices. A graph on n vertices is switching separable if some of its switchings has no connected components of size greater than n - 2. We consider the following separability test: If removing any vertex from G leads to a switching separable graph then G is switching separable. We prove this test for q odd and characterize the set of exclusions for q even. Connection is established between the switching separability of a graph and the reducibility of the n-ary quasigroup constructed from the graph.