Frankl-complete sunflowers and extremal families of four-sets

A finite configuration is Frankl-complete if every union-closed extension has an element of the original support in at least half of its members. We prove that a sunflower consisting of a two-point core and disjoint two-point petals is Frankl-complete if and only if it has at least nine petals. The positive direction follows from a charging inequality valid for every admissible family, with weight three on the core and weight one on the petals. Combining this criterion with an elementary extremal estimate gives FC(4,n) = Θ(n²), resolving the four-uniform case of Morris’s asymptotic conjecture. Independently, we establish FC(4,9) = 16 by an explicit fifteen-block negative certificate and a computer-assisted exhaustive upper bound. A smaller positive certificate also refutes a lexicographic extremality conjecture of Pulaj and Wood. We give further finite bounds and explain why higher-uniformity sunflowers cannot provide the same local forcing mechanism. Version V1. Code and exact certificates are available in the companion repository: https://github.com/michaeliu4/frankl-complete-four-sets/releases/tag/V1

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-09-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22702735
Primary Topic
Limits and Structures in Graph Theory
Type
preprint
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preprint

Frankl-complete sunflowers and extremal families of four-sets

Liu Mingchang
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Limits and Structures in Graph Theory
preprint

Frankl-complete sunflowers and extremal families of four-sets

Liu Mingchang
preprint en

Abstract

A finite configuration is Frankl-complete if every union-closed extension has an element of the original support in at least half of its members. We prove that a sunflower consisting of a two-point core and disjoint two-point petals is Frankl-complete if and only if it has at least nine petals. The positive direction follows from a charging inequality valid for every admissible family, with weight three on the core and weight one on the petals. Combining this criterion with an elementary extremal estimate gives FC(4,n) = Θ(n²), resolving the four-uniform case of Morris’s asymptotic conjecture. Independently, we establish FC(4,9) = 16 by an explicit fifteen-block negative certificate and a computer-assisted exhaustive upper bound. A smaller positive certificate also refutes a lexicographic extremality conjecture of Pulaj and Wood. We give further finite bounds and explain why higher-uniformity sunflowers cannot provide the same local forcing mechanism. Version V1. Code and exact certificates are available in the companion repository: https://github.com/michaeliu4/frankl-complete-four-sets/releases/tag/V1

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Reduced inequalities
Limits and Structures in Graph Theory
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