Bounded Search Tree Algorithms for Parameterized Cograph Deletion: Efficient Branching Rules by Exploiting Structures of Special Graph Classes

Many fixed-parameter tractable algorithms using a bounded search tree have been repeatedly improved, often by describing a larger number of branching rules involving an increasingly complex case analysis. We introduce a novel and general search strategy that branches on the forbidden subgraphs of a graph class relaxation. By using the class of $P_4$-sparse graphs as the relaxed graph class, we obtain efficient bounded search tree algorithms for several parameterized deletion problems. We give the first non-trivial bounded search tree algorithms for the cograph edge-deletion problem and the trivially perfect edge-deletion problems. For the cograph vertex deletion problem, a refined analysis of the runtime of our simple bounded search algorithm gives a faster exponential factor than those algorithms designed with the help of complicated case distinctions and non-trivial running time analysis [21] and computer-aided branching rules [11].Comment: 23 pages. Accepted in Discrete Mathematics, Algorithms and Applications (DMAA

Beyond Ohba's Conjecture: A bound on the choice number of kk-chromatic graphs with nn vertices

Let $\text{ch}(G)$ denote the choice number of a graph $G$ (also called "list chromatic number" or "choosability" of $G$). Noel, Reed, and Wu proved the conjecture of Ohba that $\text{ch}(G)=\chi(G)$ when $|V(G)|\le 2\chi(G)+1$. We extend this to a general upper bound: $\text{ch}(G)\le \max\{\chi(G),\lceil({|V(G)|+\chi(G)-1})/{3}\rceil\}$. Our result is sharp for $|V(G)|\le 3\chi(G)$ using Ohba's examples, and it improves the best-known upper bound for $\text{ch}(K_{4,\dots,4})$.Comment: 14 page

Clique versus Independent Set

Yannakakis' Clique versus Independent Set problem (CL-IS) in communication complexity asks for the minimum number of cuts separating cliques from stable sets in a graph, called CS-separator. Yannakakis provides a quasi-polynomial CS-separator, i.e. of size $O(n^{\log n})$, and addresses the problem of finding a polynomial CS-separator. This question is still open even for perfect graphs. We show that a polynomial CS-separator almost surely exists for random graphs. Besides, if H is a split graph (i.e. has a vertex-partition into a clique and a stable set) then there exists a constant $c_H$ for which we find a $O(n^{c_H})$ CS-separator on the class of H-free graphs. This generalizes a result of Yannakakis on comparability graphs. We also provide a $O(n^{c_k})$ CS-separator on the class of graphs without induced path of length k and its complement. Observe that on one side, $c_H$ is of order $O(|H| \log |H|)$ resulting from Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension, and on the other side, $c_k$ is exponential. One of the main reason why Yannakakis' CL-IS problem is fascinating is that it admits equivalent formulations. Our main result in this respect is to show that a polynomial CS-separator is equivalent to the polynomial Alon-Saks-Seymour Conjecture, asserting that if a graph has an edge-partition into k complete bipartite graphs, then its chromatic number is polynomially bounded in terms of k. We also show that the classical approach to the stubborn problem (arising in CSP) which consists in covering the set of all solutions by $O(n^{\log n})$ instances of 2-SAT is again equivalent to the existence of a polynomial CS-separator

Heavy subgraphs, stability and hamiltonicity

Let $G$ be a graph. Adopting the terminology of Broersma et al. and \v{C}ada, respectively, we say that $G$ is 2-heavy if every induced claw ($K_{1,3}$) of $G$ contains two end-vertices each one has degree at least $|V(G)|/2$; and $G$ is o-heavy if every induced claw of $G$ contains two end-vertices with degree sum at least $|V(G)|$ in $G$. In this paper, we introduce a new concept, and say that $G$ is \emph{$S$-c-heavy} if for a given graph $S$ and every induced subgraph $G'$ of $G$ isomorphic to $S$ and every maximal clique $C$ of $G'$, every non-trivial component of $G'-C$ contains a vertex of degree at least $|V(G)|/2$ in $G$. In terms of this concept, our original motivation that a theorem of Hu in 1999 can be stated as every 2-connected 2-heavy and $N$-c-heavy graph is hamiltonian, where $N$ is the graph obtained from a triangle by adding three disjoint pendant edges. In this paper, we will characterize all connected graphs $S$ such that every 2-connected o-heavy and $S$-c-heavy graph is hamiltonian. Our work results in a different proof of a stronger version of Hu's theorem. Furthermore, our main result improves or extends several previous results.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, finial version for publication in Discussiones Mathematicae Graph Theor

Complexity of C_k-Coloring in Hereditary Classes of Graphs

For a graph F, a graph G is F-free if it does not contain an induced subgraph isomorphic to F. For two graphs G and H, an H-coloring of G is a mapping f:V(G) -> V(H) such that for every edge uv in E(G) it holds that f(u)f(v)in E(H). We are interested in the complexity of the problem H-Coloring, which asks for the existence of an H-coloring of an input graph G. In particular, we consider H-Coloring of F-free graphs, where F is a fixed graph and H is an odd cycle of length at least 5. This problem is closely related to the well known open problem of determining the complexity of 3-Coloring of P_t-free graphs. We show that for every odd k >= 5 the C_k-Coloring problem, even in the precoloring-extension variant, can be solved in polynomial time in P_9-free graphs. On the other hand, we prove that the extension version of C_k-Coloring is NP-complete for F-free graphs whenever some component of F is not a subgraph of a subdivided claw