On Robust Colorings of Hamming-Distance Graphs

Abstract: $H_q(n,d)$ is defined as the graph with vertex set ${\mathbb Z}_q^n$ and where two vertices are adjacent if their Hamming distance is at least $d$. The chromatic number of these graphs is presented for various sets of parameters $(q,n,d)$. For the $4$-colorings of the graphs $H_2(n,n-1)$ a notion of robustness is introduced. It is based on the tolerance of swapping colors along an edge without destroying properness of the coloring. An explicit description of the maximally robust $4$-colorings of $H_2(n,n-1)$ is presented.