Monochromatic sets in strictly Δ-regressive colourings

For every ordinal θ > ω, every Δ-regressive colouring c: [2θ]2 → θ has a monochromatic four-element set of a natural-number colour. Here Δ(x,y) is the first coordinate at which x and y differ, and regressivity means c(x,y) < Δ(x,y) whenever Δ(x,y) > 0. This answers the four-element-set part of Problem 5.2 of Lambie-Hanson and Soukup. The proof follows a nested sequence of full binary cones, successively excluding small colours. We give an explicit colouring on 2ω+1 with no monochromatic five-element set, showing that the four-element conclusion is sharp at this length. At length ω, we prove that every Δ-regressive colouring into ω has a monochromatic triangle. This contradicts Observation 2.1 of the arXiv v2 version of the same paper; we also give a three-point counterexample to its displayed colouring. All proofs are elementary and are carried out in ZFC. This English preprint includes complete proofs, attribution of the predecessor argument and maximality lemma, and disclosure of AI-generated mathematical content. The comparison concerns arXiv:2002.02480v2; no claim is made about whether the journal version has the same error. The manuscript has undergone AI-assisted proof and editorial review, not independent expert review. No Lean or other proof-assistant verification is claimed. Files contain the seven-page article PDF and its complete LaTeX source.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-09-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22846176
Primary Topic
Limits and Structures in Graph Theory
Type
preprint
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preprint

Monochromatic sets in strictly Δ-regressive colourings

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

Monochromatic sets in strictly Δ-regressive colourings

Haoxuan Ye
preprint en

Abstract

For every ordinal θ > ω, every Δ-regressive colouring c: [2θ]2 → θ has a monochromatic four-element set of a natural-number colour. Here Δ(x,y) is the first coordinate at which x and y differ, and regressivity means c(x,y) < Δ(x,y) whenever Δ(x,y) > 0. This answers the four-element-set part of Problem 5.2 of Lambie-Hanson and Soukup. The proof follows a nested sequence of full binary cones, successively excluding small colours. We give an explicit colouring on 2ω+1 with no monochromatic five-element set, showing that the four-element conclusion is sharp at this length. At length ω, we prove that every Δ-regressive colouring into ω has a monochromatic triangle. This contradicts Observation 2.1 of the arXiv v2 version of the same paper; we also give a three-point counterexample to its displayed colouring. All proofs are elementary and are carried out in ZFC. This English preprint includes complete proofs, attribution of the predecessor argument and maximality lemma, and disclosure of AI-generated mathematical content. The comparison concerns arXiv:2002.02480v2; no claim is made about whether the journal version has the same error. The manuscript has undergone AI-assisted proof and editorial review, not independent expert review. No Lean or other proof-assistant verification is claimed. Files contain the seven-page article PDF and its complete LaTeX source.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Limits and Structures in Graph Theory
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Monochromatic sets in strictly Δ-regressive colourings — Haoxuan Ye · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS