New inequalities on the hyperbolicity constant of line graphs

Abstract: If X is a geodesic metric space and $x_1,x_2,x_3\in X$, a {\it geodesic triangle} $T={x_1,x_2,x_3}$ is the union of the three geodesics $[x_1x_2]$, $[x_2x_3]$ and $[x_3x_1]$ in $X$. The space $X$ is $\delta$-\emph{hyperbolic} $($in the Gromov sense$)$ if any side of $T$ is contained in a $\delta$-neighborhood of the union of the two other sides, for every geodesic triangle $T$ in $X$. We denote by $\delta(X)$ the sharp hyperbolicity constant of $X$, i.e. $\delta(X):=\inf{\delta\ge 0: \, X \, \text{ is $\delta$-hyperbolic}\,}\,. $ The main result of this paper is the inequality $\delta(G) \le \delta(\mathcal L(G))$ for the line graph $\mathcal L(G)$ of every graph $G$. We prove also the upper bound $\delta(\mathcal L(G)) \le 5 \delta(G)+ 3 l_{max}$, where $l_{max}$ is the supremum of the lengths of the edges of $G$. Furthermore, if every edge of $G$ has length $k$, we obtain $\delta(G) \le \delta(\mathcal L(G)) \le 5 \delta(G)+ 5k/2$.