Large Monochromatic Components of Small Diameter

Abstract

Gy\'arf\'as conjectured in 2011 that every $r$-edge-colored $K_n$ contains a monochromatic component of bounded ("perhaps three") diameter on at least $n/(r-1)$ vertices. Letzter proved this conjecture with diameter four. In this note we improve the result in the case of $r=3$: We show that in every $3$-edge-coloring of $K_n$ either there is a monochromatic component of diameter at most three on at least $n/2$ vertices or every color class is spanning and has diameter at most four.