Axial Morphology of the Partition Graph: Self-Conjugate Axis, Spine, and Concentration

Abstract

We study the partition graph $G_n$, whose vertices are the partitions of $n$ and whose edges correspond to elementary unit transfers between parts. We define the self-conjugate axis, its distance neighborhoods, and the thin spine, a first off-axis layer built from common neighbors of distinct axial vertices. We prove that distinct self-conjugate vertices are never adjacent, that the thin spine is a conjugation-invariant induced subgraph, and that axial and spinal concentration radii differ by at most one. Computations for $1 \le n \le 30$ show that the main local invariants are maximized near the axis and the spine.