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Daniël Paulusma

Publications and source records attributed to Daniël Paulusma.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2021

Acyclic, Star, and Injective Colouring: Bounding the Diameter

We examine the effect of bounding the diameter for well-studied variants of the Colouring problem. A colouring is acyclic, star, or injective if any two colour classes induce a forest, star forest or disjoint union of vertices and edges, respectively. The corresponding decision problems are Acyclic Colouring, Star Colouring and Injective Colouring. The last problem is also known as $L(1,1)$-Labelling and we also consider the framework of $L(a,b)$-Labelling. We prove a number of (almost-)complete complexity classifications. In particular, we show that for graphs of diameter at most $d$, Acyclic $3$-Colouring is polynomial-time solvable if $d\leq 2$ but NP-complete if $d\geq 4$, and Star $3$-Colouring is polynomial-time solvable if $d\leq 3$ but NP-complete for $d\geq 8$. As far as we are aware, Star $3$-Colouring is the first problem that exhibits a complexity jump for some $d\geq 3$. Our third main result is that $L(1,2)$-Labelling is NP-complete for graphs of diameter $2$; we relate the latter problem to a special case of Hamiltonian Path.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2021

Tree pivot-minors and linear rank-width

Tree-width and its linear variant path-width play a central role for the graph minor relation. In particular, Robertson and Seymour (1983) proved that for every tree~$T$, the class of graphs that do not contain $T$ as a minor has bounded path-width. For the pivot-minor relation, rank-width and linear rank-width take over the role from tree-width and path-width. As such, it is natural to examine if for every tree~$T$, the class of graphs that do not contain $T$ as a pivot-minor has bounded linear rank-width. We first prove that this statement is false whenever $T$ is a tree that is not a caterpillar. We conjecture that the statement is true if $T$ is a caterpillar. We are also able to give partial confirmation of this conjecture by proving: (1) for every tree $T$, the class of $T$-pivot-minor-free distance-hereditary graphs has bounded linear rank-width if and only if $T$ is a caterpillar; (2) for every caterpillar $T$ on at most four vertices, the class of $T$-pivot-minor-free graphs has bounded linear rank-width. To prove our second result, we only need to consider $T=P_4$ and $T=K_{1,3}$, but we follow a general strategy: first we show that the class of $T$-pivot-minor-free graphs is contained in some class of $(H_1,H_2)$-free graphs, which we then show to have bounded linear rank-width. In particular, we prove that the class of $(K_3,S_{1,2,2})$-free graphs has bounded linear rank-width, which strengthens a known result that this graph class has bounded rank-width.

math.CO↗
arXiv2021

Hard Problems That Quickly Become Very Easy

A graph class is hereditary if it is closed under vertex deletion. We give examples of NP-hard, PSPACE-complete and NEXPTIME-complete problems that become constant-time solvable for every hereditary graph class that is not equal to the class of all graphs.

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arXiv2021

Disjoint Paths and Connected Subgraphs for H-Free Graphs

The well-known Disjoint Paths problem is to decide if a graph contains k pairwise disjoint paths, each connecting a different terminal pair from a set of k distinct pairs. We determine, with an exception of two cases, the complexity of the Disjoint Paths problem for $H$-free graphs. If $k$ is fixed, we obtain the $k$-Disjoint Paths problem, which is known to be polynomial-time solvable on the class of all graphs for every $k \geq 1$. The latter does no longer hold if we need to connect vertices from terminal sets instead of terminal pairs. We completely classify the complexity of $k$-Disjoint Connected Subgraphs for $H$-free graphs, and give the same almost-complete classification for Disjoint Connected Subgraphs for $H$-free graphs as for Disjoint Paths.

math.CO↗
arXiv2021

Colouring $(P_r+P_s)$-Free Graphs

The $k$-Colouring problem is to decide if the vertices of a graph can be coloured with at most $k$ colours for a fixed integer $k$ such that no two adjacent vertices are coloured alike. If each vertex u must be assigned a colour from a prescribed list $L(u) \subseteq \{1,\cdots, k\}$, then we obtain the List $k$-Colouring problem. A graph $G$ is $H$-free if $G$ does not contain $H$ as an induced subgraph. We continue an extensive study into the complexity of these two problems for $H$-free graphs. The graph $P_r+P_s$ is the disjoint union of the $r$-vertex path $P_r$ and the $s$-vertex path $P_s$. We prove that List $3$-Colouring is polynomial-time solvable for $(P_2+P_5)$-free graphs and for $(P_3+P_4)$-free graphs. Combining our results with known results yields complete complexity classifications of $3$-Colouring and List $3$-Colouring on $H$-free graphs for all graphs $H$ up to seven vertices.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2020

Clique-Width: Harnessing the Power of Atoms

Many NP-complete graph problems are polynomial-time solvable on graph classes of bounded clique-width. Several of these problems are polynomial-time solvable on a hereditary graph class ${\cal G}$ if they are so on the atoms (graphs with no clique cut-set) of ${\cal G}$. Hence, we initiate a systematic study into boundedness of clique-width of atoms of hereditary graph classes. A graph $G$ is $H$-free if $H$ is not an induced subgraph of $G$, and it is $(H_1,H_2)$-free if it is both $H_1$-free and $H_2$-free. A class of $H$-free graphs has bounded clique-width if and only if its atoms have this property. This is no longer true for $(H_1,H_2)$-free graphs, as evidenced by one known example. We prove the existence of another such pair $(H_1,H_2)$ and classify the boundedness of clique-width on $(H_1,H_2)$-free atoms for all but 18 cases.

cs.DM↗
arXiv2019

On the Price of Independence for Vertex Cover, Feedback Vertex Set and Odd Cycle Transversal

Let $vc(G)$, $fvs(G)$ and $oct(G)$, respectively, denote the size of a minimum vertex cover, minimum feedback vertex set and minimum odd cycle transversal in a graph $G$. One can ask, when looking for these sets in a graph, how much bigger might they be if we require that they are independent; that is, what is the price of independence? If $G$ has a vertex cover, feedback vertex set or odd cycle transversal that is an independent set, then we let $ivc(G)$, $ifvs(G)$ or $ioct(G)$, respectively, denote the minimum size of such a set. Similar to a recent study on the price of connectivity (Hartinger et al. EuJC 2016), we investigate for which graphs $H$ the values of $ivc(G)$, $ifvs(G)$ and $ioct(G)$ are bounded in terms of $vc(G)$, $fvs(G)$ and $oct(G)$, respectively, when the graph $G$ belongs to the class of $H$-free graphs. We find complete classifications for vertex cover and feedback vertex set and an almost complete classification for odd cycle transversal (subject to three non-equivalent open cases). We also investigate for which graphs $H$ the values of $ivc(G)$, $ifvs(G)$ and $ioct(G)$ are equal to $vc(G)$, $fvs(G)$ and $oct(G)$, respectively, when the graph $G$ belongs to the class of $H$-free graphs. We find a complete classification for vertex cover and almost complete classifications for feedback vertex set (subject to one open case) and odd cycle transversal (subject to three open cases).

math.CO↗
arXiv2019

Graph Isomorphism for $(H_1,H_2)$-free Graphs: An Almost Complete Dichotomy

We resolve the computational complexity of Graph Isomorphism for classes of graphs characterized by two forbidden induced subgraphs $H_1$ and $H_2$ for all but six pairs $(H_1,H_2)$. Schweitzer had previously shown that the number of open cases was finite, but without specifying the open cases. Grohe and Schweitzer proved that Graph Isomorphism is polynomial-time solvable on graph classes of bounded clique-width. Our work combines known results such as these with new results. By exploiting a relationship between Graph Isomorphism and clique-width, we simultaneously reduce the number of open cases for boundedness of clique-width for $(H_1,H_2)$-free graphs to five.

cs.DM↗
arXiv2019

On Cycle Transversals and Their Connected Variants in the Absence of a Small Linear Forest

A graph is $H$-free if it contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H$. We prove new complexity results for the two classical cycle transversal problems Feedback Vertex Set and Odd Cycle Transversal by showing that they can be solved in polynomial time on $(sP_1+P_3)$-free graphs for every integer $s\geq 1$. We show the same result for the variants Connected Feedback Vertex Set and Connected Odd Cycle Transversal. We also prove that the latter two problems are polynomial-time solvable on cographs; this was already known for Feedback Vertex Set and Odd Cycle Transversal. We complement these results by proving that Odd Cycle Transversal and Connected Odd Cycle Transversal are NP-complete on $(P_2+P_5,P_6)$-free graphs.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2019

Clique-Width for Hereditary Graph Classes

Clique-width is a well-studied graph parameter owing to its use in understanding algorithmic tractability: if the clique-width of a graph class ${\cal G}$ is bounded by a constant, a wide range of problems that are NP-complete in general can be shown to be polynomial-time solvable on ${\cal G}$. For this reason, the boundedness or unboundedness of clique-width has been investigated and determined for many graph classes. We survey these results for hereditary graph classes, which are the graph classes closed under taking induced subgraphs. We then discuss the algorithmic consequences of these results, in particular for the Colouring and Graph Isomorphism problems. We also explain a possible strong connection between results on boundedness of clique-width and on well-quasi-orderability by the induced subgraph relation for hereditary graph classes.

math.CO↗
arXiv2018

Simple Games versus Weighted Voting Games: Bounding the Critical Threshold Value

A simple game $(N,v)$ is given by a set $N$ of $n$ players and a partition of~$2^N$ into a set~$\mathcal{L}$ of losing coalitions~$L$ with value $v(L)=0$ that is closed under taking subsets and a set $\mathcal{W}$ of winning coalitions $W$ with $v(W)=1$. Simple games with $α= \min_{p\geq 0}\max_{W\in {\cal W}, L\in {\cal L}} \frac{p(L)}{p(W)}<1$ are exactly the weighted voting games. We show that $α\leq \frac{1}{4}n$ for every simple game $(N,v)$, confirming the conjecture of Freixas and Kurz (IJGT, 2014). For complete simple games, Freixas and Kurz conjectured that $α=O(\sqrt{n})$. We prove this conjecture up to a $\ln n$ factor. We also prove that for graphic simple games, that is, simple games in which every minimal winning coalition has size~2, computing $α$ is \NP-hard, but polynomial-time solvable if the underlying graph is bipartite. Moreover, we show that for every graphic simple game, deciding if $α 0$.

cs.GT↗
arXiv2018

Colouring Square-Free Graphs without Long Induced Paths

The complexity of {\sc Colouring} is fully understood for $H$-free graphs, but there are still major complexity gaps if two induced subgraphs $H_1$ and $H_2$ are forbidden. Let $H_1$ be the $s$-vertex cycle $C_s$ and $H_2$ be the $t$-vertex path $P_t$. We show that {\sc Colouring} is polynomial-time solvable for $s=4$ and $t\leq 6$, strengthening several known results. Our main approach is to initiate a study into the boundedness of the clique-width of atoms (graphs with no clique cutset) of a hereditary graph class. We first show that the classifications of boundedness of clique-width of $H$-free graphs and $H$-free atoms coincide. We then show that this is not the case if two graphs are forbidden: we prove that $(C_4,P_6)$-free atoms have clique-width at most~18. Our key proof ingredients are a divide-and-conquer approach for bounding the clique-width of a subclass of $C_4$-free graphs and the construction of a new bound on the clique-width for (general) graphs in terms of the clique-width of recursively defined subgraphs induced by homogeneous pairs and triples of sets. As a complementary result we prove that {\sc Colouring} is \NP-complete for $s=4$ and $t\geq 9$, which is the first hardness result on {\sc Colouring} for $(C_4,P_t)$-free graphs. Combining our new results with known results leads to an almost complete dichotomy for \cn restricted to $(C_s,P_t)$-free graphs.

math.CO↗
arXiv2018

Simple Games versus Weighted Voting Games

A simple game $(N,v)$ is given by a set $N$ of $n$ players and a partition of $2^N$ into a set $\mathcal{L}$ of losing coalitions $L$ with value $v(L)=0$ that is closed under taking subsets and a set $\mathcal{W}$ of winning coalitions $W$ with $v(W)=1$. Simple games with $α= \min_{p\geq 0}\max_{W\in {\cal W},L\in {\cal L}} \frac{p(L)}{p(W)}<1$ are known as weighted voting games. Freixas and Kurz (IJGT, 2014) conjectured that $α\leq \frac{1}{4}n$ for every simple game $(N,v)$. We confirm this conjecture for two complementary cases, namely when all minimal winning coalitions have size $3$ and when no minimal winning coalition has size $3$. As a general bound we prove that $α\leq \frac{2}{7}n$ for every simple game $(N,v)$. For complete simple games, Freixas and Kurz conjectured that $α=O(\sqrt{n})$. We prove this conjecture up to a $\ln n$ factor. We also prove that for graphic simple games, that is, simple games in which every minimal winning coalition has size 2, computing $α$ is \NP-hard, but polynomial-time solvable if the underlying graph is bipartite. Moreover, we show that for every graphic simple game, deciding if $α 0$.

cs.GT↗
arXiv2017

Clique-width and Well-Quasi-Ordering of Triangle-Free Graph Classes

Daligault, Rao and Thomassé asked whether every hereditary graph class that is well-quasi-ordered by the induced subgraph relation has bounded clique-width. Lozin, Razgon and Zamaraev (JCTB 2017+) gave a negative answer to this question, but their counterexample is a class that can only be characterised by infinitely many forbidden induced subgraphs. This raises the issue of whether the question has a positive answer for finitely defined hereditary graph classes. Apart from two stubborn cases, this has been confirmed when at most two induced subgraphs $H_1,H_2$ are forbidden. We confirm it for one of the two stubborn cases, namely for the $(H_1,H_2)=(\mbox{triangle},P_2+P_4)$ case, by proving that the class of $(\mbox{triangle},P_2+P_4)$-free graphs has bounded clique-width and is well-quasi-ordered. Our technique is based on a special decomposition of $3$-partite graphs. We also use this technique to prove that the class of $(\mbox{triangle},P_1+P_5)$-free graphs, which is known to have bounded clique-width, is well-quasi-ordered. Our results enable us to complete the classification of graphs $H$ for which the class of $(\mbox{triangle},H)$-free graphs is well-quasi-ordered.

math.CO↗
arXiv2017

Minimum Connected Transversals in Graphs: New Hardness Results and Tractable Cases Using the Price of Connectivity

We perform a systematic study in the computational complexity of the connected variant of three related transversal problems: Vertex Cover, Feedback Vertex Set, and Odd Cycle Transversal. Just like their original counterparts, these variants are NP-complete for general graphs. A graph $G$ is $H$-free for some graph $H$ if $G$ contains no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H$. It is known that Connected Vertex Cover is NP-complete even for $H$-free graphs if $H$ contains a claw or a cycle. We show that the two other connected variants also remain NP-complete if $H$ contains a cycle or claw. In the remaining case $H$ is a linear forest. We show that Connected Vertex Cover, Connected Feedback Vertex Set, and Connected Odd Cycle Transversal are polynomial-time solvable for $sP_2$-free graphs for every constant $s\geq 1$. For proving these results we use known results on the price of connectivity for vertex cover, feedback vertex set, and odd cycle transversal. This is the first application of the price of connectivity that results in polynomial-time algorithms.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2017

Critical Vertices and Edges in $H$-free Graphs

A vertex or edge in a graph is critical if its deletion reduces the chromatic number of the graph by 1. We consider the problems of deciding whether a graph has a critical vertex or edge, respectively. We give a complexity dichotomy for both problems restricted to $H$-free graphs, that is, graphs with no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H$. Moreover, we show that an edge is critical if and only if its contraction reduces the chromatic number by 1. Hence, we also obtain a complexity dichotomy for the problem of deciding if a graph has an edge whose contraction reduces the chromatic number by 1.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2017

Contraction and Deletion Blockers for Perfect Graphs and $H$-free Graphs

We study the following problem: for given integers $d$, $k$ and graph $G$, can we reduce some fixed graph parameter $π$ of $G$ by at least $d$ via at most $k$ graph operations from some fixed set $S$? As parameters we take the chromatic number $χ$, clique number $ω$ and independence number $α$, and as operations we choose the edge contraction ec and vertex deletion vd. We determine the complexity of this problem for $S=\{\mbox{ec}\}$ and $S=\{\mbox{vd}\}$ and $π\in \{χ,ω,α\}$ for a number of subclasses of perfect graphs. We use these results to determine the complexity of the problem for $S=\{\mbox{ec}\}$ and $S=\{\mbox{vd}\}$ and $π\in \{χ,ω,α\}$ restricted to $H$-free graphs.

cs.DS↗