Solutions to the Oberwolfach Problem for Orders 18 to 40

A. Deza1, F. Franek1, W. Hua1, M. Meszka2, A. Rosa3
1 Department of Computing and Software McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1
2Faculty of Applied Mathematics AGH University of Science and Technology al. Mickiewicza 30 30-059 Krakdéw, Poland
3Department of Mathematics and Statistics McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K1

Abstract

The Oberwolfach problem (OP) asks whether \( K_n \) (for \( n \) odd) or \( K_n \) minus a \( 1 \)-factor (for \( n \) even) admits a \( 2 \)-factorization where each \( 2 \)-factor is isomorphic to a given \( 2 \)-factor \( F \). The order \( n \) and the type of the \( 2 \)-factor \( F \) are the parameters of the problem. For \( n \leq 17 \), the existence of a solution has been resolved for all possible parameters. There are also many special types of \( 2 \)-factors for which solutions to OP are known. We provide solutions to OP for all orders \( n \), \( 18 \leq n \leq 40 \). The computational results for higher orders were obtained using the SHARCNET high-performance computing cluster.