The clique number and the smallest Q-eigenvalue of graphs

Abstract

Let $q_{\min}(G)$ stand for the smallest eigenvalue of the signless Laplacian of a graph $G$ of order $n.$ This paper gives some results on the following extremal problem: How large can $q_\min\left( G\right) $ be if $G$ is a graph of order $n,$ with no complete subgraph of order $r+1?$ It is shown that this problem is related to the well-known topic of making graphs bipartite. Using known classical results, several bounds on $q_{\min}$ are obtained, thus extending previous work of Brandt for regular graphs. In addition, using graph blowups, a general asymptotic result about the maximum $q_{\min}$ is established. As a supporting tool, the spectra of the Laplacian and the signless Laplacian of blowups of graphs are calculated.