On the Estrada Indices of Unicyclic Graphs with Fixed Diameters

Abstract

The Estrada index of a graph G is defined as EE(G)=∑i=1neλi, where λ1,λ2,…,λn are the eigenvalues of the adjacency matrix of G. A unicyclic graph is a connected graph with a unique cycle. Let U(n,d) be the set of all unicyclic graphs with n vertices and diameter d. In this paper, we give some transformations which can be used to compare the Estrada indices of two graphs. Using these transformations, we determine the graphs with the maximum Estrada indices among U(n,d). We characterize two candidate graphs with the maximum Estrada index if d is odd and three candidate graphs with the maximum Estrada index if d is even.