Fixed-parameter tractable canonization and isomorphism test for graphs of bounded treewidth

We give a fixed-parameter tractable algorithm that, given a parameter $k$ and two graphs $G_1,G_2$, either concludes that one of these graphs has treewidth at least $k$, or determines whether $G_1$ and $G_2$ are isomorphic. The running time of the algorithm on an $n$-vertex graph is $2^{O(k^5\log k)}\cdot n^5$, and this is the first fixed-parameter algorithm for Graph Isomorphism parameterized by treewidth. Our algorithm in fact solves the more general canonization problem. We namely design a procedure working in $2^{O(k^5\log k)}\cdot n^5$ time that, for a given graph $G$ on $n$ vertices, either concludes that the treewidth of $G$ is at least $k$, or: * finds in an isomorphic-invariant way a graph $\mathfrak{c}(G)$ that is isomorphic to $G$; * finds an isomorphism-invariant construction term --- an algebraic expression that encodes $G$ together with a tree decomposition of $G$ of width $O(k^4)$. Hence, the isomorphism test reduces to verifying whether the computed isomorphic copies or the construction terms for $G_1$ and $G_2$ are equal.Comment: Full version of a paper presented at FOCS 201

The Weisfeiler-Leman Dimension of Planar Graphs is at most 3

We prove that the Weisfeiler-Leman (WL) dimension of the class of all finite planar graphs is at most 3. In particular, every finite planar graph is definable in first-order logic with counting using at most 4 variables. The previously best known upper bounds for the dimension and number of variables were 14 and 15, respectively. First we show that, for dimension 3 and higher, the WL-algorithm correctly tests isomorphism of graphs in a minor-closed class whenever it determines the orbits of the automorphism group of any arc-colored 3-connected graph belonging to this class. Then we prove that, apart from several exceptional graphs (which have WL-dimension at most 2), the individualization of two correctly chosen vertices of a colored 3-connected planar graph followed by the 1-dimensional WL-algorithm produces the discrete vertex partition. This implies that the 3-dimensional WL-algorithm determines the orbits of a colored 3-connected planar graph. As a byproduct of the proof, we get a classification of the 3-connected planar graphs with fixing number 3.Comment: 34 pages, 3 figures, extended version of LICS 2017 pape