More Like this

1. Near-Linear Time Homomorphism Counting in Bounded Degeneracy Graphs: The Barrier of Long Induced Cycles

   Suman K. Bera, Noujan Pashanasangi (January 2021, Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA))

   null (Ed.)

   Counting homomorphisms of a constant sized pattern graph H in an input graph G is a fundamental computational problem. There is a rich history of studying the complexity of this problem, under various constraints on the input G and the pattern H. Given the significance of this problem and the large sizes of modern inputs, we investigate when near-linear time algorithms are possible. We focus on the case when the input graph has bounded degeneracy, a commonly studied and practically relevant class for homomorphism counting. It is known from previous work that for certain classes of H, H-homomorphisms can be counted exactly in near-linear time in bounded degeneracy graphs. Can we precisely characterize the patterns H for which near-linear time algorithms are possible? We completely resolve this problem, discovering a clean dichotomy using fine-grained complexity. Let m denote the number of edges in G. We prove the following: if the largest induced cycle in H has length at most 5, then there is an O(mlogm) algorithm for counting H-homomorphisms in bounded degeneracy graphs. If the largest induced cycle in H has length at least 6, then (assuming standard fine-grained complexity conjectures) there is a constant γ>0, such that there is no o(m1+γ) time algorithm for counting H-homomorphisms. 

   more » « less
2. Near-Linear Time Homomorphism Counting in Bounded Degeneracy Graphs: The Barrier of Long Induced Cycles

   https://doi.org/10.1137/1.9781611976465.138  

   Bera, Suman K.; Pashanasangi, Noujan; Seshadhri, C. (January 2021, Proceedings of the Annual ACMSIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms)

   null (Ed.)

   Counting homomorphisms of a constant sized pattern graph H in an input graph G is a fundamental computational problem. There is a rich history of studying the complexity of this problem, under various constraints on the input G and the pattern H. Given the significance of this problem and the large sizes of modern inputs, we investigate when near-linear time algorithms are possible. We focus on the case when the input graph has bounded degeneracy, a commonly studied and practically relevant class for homomorphism counting. It is known from previous work that for certain classes of H, H-homomorphisms can be counted exactly in near-linear time in bounded degeneracy graphs. Can we precisely characterize the patterns H for which near-linear time algorithms are possible? We completely resolve this problem, discovering a clean dichotomy using fine-grained complexity. Let m denote the number of edges in G. We prove the following: if the largest induced cycle in H has length at most 5, then there is an O(m log m) algorithm for counting H-homomorphisms in bounded degeneracy graphs. If the largest induced cycle in H has length at least 6, then (assuming standard fine-grained complexity conjectures) there is a constant γ > 0, such that there is no o(m1+γ) time algorithm for counting H-homomorphisms. 

   more » « less
3. Induced subgraphs and tree decompositions III. Three-path-configurations and logarithmic treewidth

   https://doi.org/10.19086/aic.2022.6  

   Chudnovsky, Maria; Abrishami, Tara; Hajebi, Sepehr; Spirkl, Sophie (September 2022, Advances in Combinatorics)

   A _theta_ is a graph consisting of two non-adjacent vertices and three internally disjoint paths between them, each of length at least two. For a family $$\mathcal{H}$$ of graphs, we say a graph $$G$$ is $$\mathcal{H}$$-_free_ if no induced subgraph of $$G$$ is isomorphic to a member of $$\mathcal{H}$$. We prove a conjecture of Sintiari and Trotignon, that there exists an absolute constant $$c$$ for which every (theta, triangle)-free graph $$G$$ has treewidth at most $$c\log (|V(G)|)$$. A construction by Sintiari and Trotignon shows that this bound is asymptotically best possible, and (theta, triangle)-free graphs comprise the first known hereditary class of graphs with arbitrarily large yet logarithmic treewidth.Our main result is in fact a generalization of the above conjecture, that treewidth is at most logarithmic in $|V(G)|$ for every graph $$G$$ excluding the so-called _three-path-configurations_ as well as a fixed complete graph. It follows that several NP-hard problems such as Stable Set, Vertex Cover, Dominating Set and $$k$$-Coloring (for fixed $$k$$) admit polynomial time algorithms in graphs excluding the three-path-configurations and a fixed complete graph. 

   more » « less
4. Induced Subgraphs and Tree Decompositions IV. (Even Hole, Diamond, Pyramid)-Free Graphs

   https://doi.org/10.37236/11623  

   Abrishami, Tara; Chudnovsky, Maria; Hajebi, Sepehr; Spirkl, Sophie (April 2023, The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics)

   A hole in a graph $$G$$ is an induced cycle of length at least four, and an even hole is a hole of even length. The diamond is the graph obtained from the complete graph $$K_4$$ by removing an edge. A pyramid is a graph consisting of a vertex $$a$$ called the apex and a triangle $$\{b_1, b_2, b_3\}$$ called the base, and three paths $$P_i$$ from $$a$$ to $$b_i$$ for $$1 \leq i \leq 3$$, all of length at least one, such that for $$i \neq j$$, the only edge between $$P_i \setminus \{a\}$$ and $$P_j \setminus \{a\}$$ is $$b_ib_j$$, and at most one of $$P_1$$, $$P_2$$, and $$P_3$$ has length exactly one. For a family $$\mathcal{H}$$ of graphs, we say a graph $$G$$ is $$\mathcal{H}$$-free if no induced subgraph of $$G$$ is isomorphic to a member of $$\mathcal{H}$$. Cameron, da Silva, Huang, and Vušković proved that (even hole, triangle)-free graphs have treewidth at most five, which motivates studying the treewidth of even-hole-free graphs of larger clique number. Sintiari and Trotignon provided a construction of (even hole, pyramid, $$K_4$$)-free graphs of arbitrarily large treewidth. Here, we show that for every $$t$$, (even hole, pyramid, diamond, $$K_t$$)-free graphs have bounded treewidth. The graphs constructed by Sintiari and Trotignon contain diamonds, so our result is sharp in the sense that it is false if we do not exclude diamonds. Our main result is in fact more general, that treewidth is bounded in graphs excluding certain wheels and three-path-configurations, diamonds, and a fixed complete graph. The proof uses “non-crossing decompositions” methods similar to those in previous papers in this series. In previous papers, however, bounded degree was a necessary condition to prove bounded treewidth. The result of this paper is the first to use the method of “non-crossing decompositions” to prove bounded treewidth in a graph class of unbounded maximum degree. 

   more » « less
5. On edge‐ordered Ramsey numbers

   https://doi.org/10.1002/rsa.20954  

   Fox, Jacob; Li, Ray (September 2020, Random Structures & Algorithms)

   An edge‐ordered graph is a graph with a linear ordering of its edges. Two edge‐ordered graphs areequivalentif there is an isomorphism between them preserving the edge‐ordering. Theedge‐ordered Ramsey number r_edge(H; q) of an edge‐ordered graphHis the smallestNsuch that there exists an edge‐ordered graphGonNvertices such that, for everyq‐coloring of the edges ofG, there is a monochromatic subgraph ofGequivalent toH. Recently, Balko and Vizer proved thatr_edge(H; q) exists, but their proof gave enormous upper bounds on these numbers. We give a new proof with a much better bound, showing there exists a constantcsuch thatfor every edge‐ordered graphHonnvertices. We also prove a polynomial bound for the edge‐ordered Ramsey number of graphs of bounded degeneracy. Finally, we prove a strengthening for graphs where every edge has a label and the labels do not necessarily have an ordering. 

   more » « less