Signed star k-domatic number of a graph

Abstract

Let $G$ be a simple graph without isolated vertices with vertex set $V(G)$ and edge set $E(G)$ and let $k$ be a positive integer. A function $f:E(G)\longrightarrow \{-1, 1\}$ is said to be a signed star $k$-dominating function on $G$ if $\sum_{e\in E(v)}f(e)\ge k$ for every vertex $v$ of $G$, where $E(v)=\{uv\in E(G)\mid u\in N(v)\}$. A set $\{f_1,f_2,\ldots,f_d\}$ of signed star $k$-dominating functions on $G$ with the property that $\sum_{i=1}^df_i(e)\le 1$ for each $e\in E(G)$, is called a signed star $k$-dominating family (of functions) on $G$. The maximum number of functions in a signed star $k$-dominating family on $G$ is the signed star $k$-domatic number of $G$, denoted by $d_{kSS}(G)$.