A Brooks-type result for sparse critical graphs

Abstract

A graph $G$ is $k$-{\em critical} if it has chromatic number $k$, but every proper subgraph of $G$ is $(k-1)$--colorable. Let $f_k(n)$ denote the minimum number of edges in an $n$-vertex $k$-critical graph. Recently the authors gave a lower bound, $f_k(n) \geq \left\lceil \frac{(k+1)(k-2)|V(G)|-k(k-3)}{2(k-1)}\right\rceil$, that solves a conjecture by Gallai from 1963 and is sharp for every $n\equiv 1\,({\rm mod }\, k-1)$. It is also sharp for $k=4$ and every $n\geq 6$. In this paper we refine the result by describing all $n$-vertex $k$-critical graphs $G$ with $|E(G)|= \frac{(k+1)(k-2)|V(G)|-k(k-3)}{2(k-1)}$. In particular, this result implies exact values of $f_5(n)$ when $n\geq 7$.