Total tessellation cover and quantum walk

Abstract

We propose the total staggered quantum walk model and the total tessellation cover of a graph. This model uses the concept of total tessellation cover to describe the motion of the walker who is allowed to hop both to vertices and edges of the graph, in contrast with previous models in which the walker hops either to vertices or edges. We establish bounds on $T_t(G)$, which is the smallest number of tessellations required in a total tessellation cover of $G$. We highlight two of these lower bounds $T_t(G) \geq ω(G)$ and $T_t(G)\geq is(G)+1$, where $ω(G)$ is the size of a maximum clique and $is(G)$ is the number of edges of a maximum induced star subgraph. Using these bounds, we define the good total tessellable graphs with either $T_t(G)=ω(G)$ or $T_t(G)=is(G)+1$. The $k$-total tessellability problem aims to decide whether a given graph $G$ has $T_t(G) \leq k$. We show that $k$-total tessellability is in $\mathcal{P}$ for good total tessellable graphs. We establish the $\mathcal{NP}$-completeness of the following problems when restricted to the following classes: ($is(G)+1$)-total tessellability for graphs with $ω(G) = 2$; $ω(G)$-total tessellability for graphs $G$ with $is(G)+1 = 3$; $k$-total tessellability for graphs $G$ with $\max\{ω(G), is(G)+1\}$ far from $k$; and $4$-total tessellability for graphs $G$ with $ω(G) = is(G)+1 = 4$. As a consequence, we establish hardness results for bipartite graphs, line graphs of triangle-free graphs, universal graphs, planar graphs, and $(2,1)$-chordal graphs.