Even and odd pairs in comparability and in P4-comparability graphs

AbstractWe characterize even and odd pairs in comparability and in P4-comparability graphs. The characterizations lead to simple algorithms for deciding whether a given pair of vertices forms an even or odd pair in these classes of graphs. The complexities of the proposed algorithms are O(n + m) for comparability graphs and O(n2m) for P4-comparability graphs. The former represents an improvement over a recent algorithm of complexity O(nm)

Infinite cographs and chain complete N-free posets

We give a necessary and sufficient condition for a $P_4$-free graph to be a cograph. This allows us to obtain a simple proof of the fact that finite $P_4$-free graphs are finite cographs. We also prove that chain complete posets whose comparability graph is a cograph are series-parallel.Comment: 7 page

Graph classes and forbidden patterns on three vertices

This paper deals with graph classes characterization and recognition. A popular way to characterize a graph class is to list a minimal set of forbidden induced subgraphs. Unfortunately this strategy usually does not lead to an efficient recognition algorithm. On the other hand, many graph classes can be efficiently recognized by techniques based on some interesting orderings of the nodes, such as the ones given by traversals. We study specifically graph classes that have an ordering avoiding some ordered structures. More precisely, we consider what we call patterns on three nodes, and the recognition complexity of the associated classes. In this domain, there are two key previous works. Damashke started the study of the classes defined by forbidden patterns, a set that contains interval, chordal and bipartite graphs among others. On the algorithmic side, Hell, Mohar and Rafiey proved that any class defined by a set of forbidden patterns can be recognized in polynomial time. We improve on these two works, by characterizing systematically all the classes defined sets of forbidden patterns (on three nodes), and proving that among the 23 different classes (up to complementation) that we find, 21 can actually be recognized in linear time. Beyond this result, we consider that this type of characterization is very useful, leads to a rich structure of classes, and generates a lot of open questions worth investigating.Comment: Third version version. 38 page

Clique-Stable Set separation in perfect graphs with no balanced skew-partitions

Inspired by a question of Yannakakis on the Vertex Packing polytope of perfect graphs, we study the Clique-Stable Set Separation in a non-hereditary subclass of perfect graphs. A cut (B,W) of G (a bipartition of V(G)) separates a clique K and a stable set S if $K\subseteq B$ and $S\subseteq W$. A Clique-Stable Set Separator is a family of cuts such that for every clique K, and for every stable set S disjoint from K, there exists a cut in the family that separates K and S. Given a class of graphs, the question is to know whether every graph of the class admits a Clique-Stable Set Separator containing only polynomially many cuts. It is open for the class of all graphs, and also for perfect graphs, which was Yannakakis' original question. Here we investigate on perfect graphs with no balanced skew-partition; the balanced skew-partition was introduced in the proof of the Strong Perfect Graph Theorem. Recently, Chudnovsky, Trotignon, Trunck and Vuskovic proved that forbidding this unfriendly decomposition permits to recursively decompose Berge graphs using 2-join and complement 2-join until reaching a basic graph, and they found an efficient combinatorial algorithm to color those graphs. We apply their decomposition result to prove that perfect graphs with no balanced skew-partition admit a quadratic-size Clique-Stable Set Separator, by taking advantage of the good behavior of 2-join with respect to this property. We then generalize this result and prove that the Strong Erdos-Hajnal property holds in this class, which means that every such graph has a linear-size biclique or complement biclique. This property does not hold for all perfect graphs (Fox 2006), and moreover when the Strong Erdos-Hajnal property holds in a hereditary class of graphs, then both the Erdos-Hajnal property and the polynomial Clique-Stable Set Separation hold.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1308.644

Perfect Graphs

This chapter is a survey on perfect graphs with an algorithmic flavor. Our emphasis is on important classes of perfect graphs for which there are fast and efficient recognition and optimization algorithms. The classes of graphs we discuss in this chapter are chordal, comparability, interval, perfectly orderable, weakly chordal, perfectly contractile, and chi-bound graphs. For each of these classes, when appropriate, we discuss the complexity of the recognition algorithm and algorithms for finding a minimum coloring, and a largest clique in the graph and its complement

Topics in Graph Theory: Extremal Intersecting Systems, Perfect Graphs, and Bireflexive Graphs

In this thesis we investigate three different aspects of graph theory. Firstly, we consider interesecting systems of independent sets in graphs, and the extension of the classical theorem of Erdos, Ko and Rado to graphs. Our main results are a proof of an Erdos-Ko-Rado type theorem for a class of trees, and a class of trees which form counterexamples to a conjecture of Hurlberg and Kamat, in such a way that extends the previous counterexamples given by Baber. Secondly, we investigate perfect graphs - specifically, edge modification aspects of perfect graphs and their subclasses. We give some alternative characterisations of perfect graphs in terms of edge modification, as well as considering the possible connection of the critically perfect graphs - previously studied by Wagler - to the Strong Perfect Graph Theorem. We prove that the situation where critically perfect graphs arise has no analogue in seven different subclasses of perfect graphs (e.g. chordal, comparability graphs), and consider the connectivity of a bipartite reconfiguration-type graph associated to each of these subclasses. Thirdly, we consider a graph theoretic structure called a bireflexive graph where every vertex is both adjacent and nonadjacent to itself, and use this to characterise modular decompositions as the surjective homomorphisms of these structures. We examine some analogues of some graph theoretic notions and define a “dual” version of the reconstruction conjecture

Colouring set families without monochromatic k-chains

A coloured version of classic extremal problems dates back to Erd\H{o}s and Rothschild, who in 1974 asked which $n$-vertex graph has the maximum number of 2-edge-colourings without monochromatic triangles. They conjectured that the answer is simply given by the largest triangle-free graph. Since then, this new class of coloured extremal problems has been extensively studied by various researchers. In this paper we pursue the Erd\H{o}s--Rothschild versions of Sperner's Theorem, the classic result in extremal set theory on the size of the largest antichain in the Boolean lattice, and Erd\H{o}s' extension to $k$-chain-free families. Given a family $\mathcal{F}$ of subsets of $[n]$, we define an $(r,k)$-colouring of $\mathcal{F}$ to be an $r$-colouring of the sets without any monochromatic $k$-chains $F_1 \subset F_2 \subset \dots \subset F_k$. We prove that for $n$ sufficiently large in terms of $k$, the largest $k$-chain-free families also maximise the number of $(2,k)$-colourings. We also show that the middle level, $\binom{[n]}{\lfloor n/2 \rfloor}$, maximises the number of $(3,2)$-colourings, and give asymptotic results on the maximum possible number of $(r,k)$-colourings whenever $r(k-1)$ is divisible by three.Comment: 30 pages, final versio

Open problems on graph coloring for special graph classes.

For a given graph G and integer k, the Coloring problem is that of testing whether G has a k-coloring, that is, whether there exists a vertex mapping c:V→{1,2,…}c:V→{1,2,…} such that c(u)≠c(v)c(u)≠c(v) for every edge uv∈Euv∈E. We survey known results on the computational complexity of Coloring for graph classes that are hereditary or for which some graph parameter is bounded. We also consider coloring variants, such as precoloring extensions and list colorings and give some open problems in the area of on-line coloring

Equal Entries in Totally Positive Matrices

We show that the maximal number of equal entries in a totally positive (resp. totally nonsingular) $n\textrm{-by-}n$ matrix is $\Theta(n^{4/3})$ (resp. $\Theta(n^{3/2}$)). Relationships with point-line incidences in the plane, Bruhat order of permutations, and $TP$ completability are also presented. We also examine the number and positionings of equal $2\textrm{-by-}2$ minors in a $2\textrm{-by-}n$ $TP$ matrix, and give a relationship between the location of equal $2\textrm{-by-}2$ minors and outerplanar graphs.Comment: 15 page