Multicolor Ramsey numbers for triple systems

Abstract

Given an $r$-uniform hypergraph $H$, the multicolor Ramsey number $r_k(H)$ is the minimum $n$ such that every $k$-coloring of the edges of the complete $r$-uniform hypergraph $K_n^r$ yields a monochromatic copy of $H$. We investigate $r_k(H)$ when $k$ grows and $H$ is fixed. For nontrivial 3-uniform hypergraphs $H$, the function $r_k(H)$ ranges from $\sqrt{6k}(1+o(1))$ to double exponential in $k$. We observe that $r_k(H)$ is polynomial in $k$ when $H$ is $r$-partite and at least single-exponential in $k$ otherwise. Erd\H{o}s, Hajnal and Rado gave bounds for large cliques $K_s^r$ with $s\ge s_0(r)$, showing its correct exponential tower growth. We give a proof for cliques of all sizes, $s>r$, using a slight modification of the celebrated stepping-up lemma of Erd\H{o}s and Hajnal. For 3-uniform hypergraphs, we give an infinite family with sub-double-exponential upper bound and show connections between graph and hypergraph Ramsey numbers. Specifically, we prove that $$r_k(K_3)\le r_{4k}(K_4^3-e)\le r_{4k}(K_3)+1,$$ where $K_4^3-e$ is obtained from $K_4^3$ by deleting an edge. We provide some other bounds, including single-exponential bounds for $F_5=\{abe,abd,cde\}$ as well as asymptotic or exact values of $r_k(H)$ when $H$ is the bow $\{abc,ade\}$, kite $\{abc,abd\}$, tight path $\{abc,bcd,cde\}$ or the windmill $\{abc,bde,cef,bce\}$. We also determine many new "small" Ramsey numbers and show their relations to designs. For example, the lower bound for $r_6(kite)=8$ is demonstrated by decomposing the triples of $[7]$ into six partial STS (two of them are Fano planes).