The b-Chromatic Index of a Graph.

The b-chromatic index $$\varphi '(G)$$ of a graph $$G$$ is the largest integer $$k$$ such that $$G$$ admits a proper $$k$$ -edge coloring in which every color class contains at least one edge incident to some edge in all the other color classes. The b-chromatic index of trees is determined and equals either to a natural upper bound $$m'(T)$$ or one less, where $$m'(T)$$ is connected with the number of edges of high degree. Some conditions are given for which graphs have the b-chromatic index strictly less than $$m'(G)$$ , and for which conditions it is exactly $$m'(G)$$ . In the last part of the paper, regular graphs are considered. It is proved that with four exceptions, the b-chromatic index of cubic graphs is $$5$$ . The exceptions are $$K_4$$ , $$K_{3,3}$$ , the prism over $$K_3$$ , and the cube $$Q_3$$ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]