arXiv subjects

Johannes Köbler

Publications and source records attributed to Johannes Köbler.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

On a Hierarchy of Spectral Invariants for Graphs

We consider a hierarchy of graph invariants that naturally extends the spectral invariants defined by Fürer (Lin. Alg. Appl. 2010) based on the angles formed by the set of standard basis vectors and their projections onto eigenspaces of the adjacency matrix. We provide a purely combinatorial characterization of this hierarchy in terms of the walk counts. This allows us to give a complete answer to Fürer's question about the strength of his invariants in distinguishing non-isomorphic graphs in comparison to the 2-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm, extending the recent work of Rattan and Seppelt (SODA 2023). As another application of the characterization, we prove that almost all graphs are determined up to isomorphism in terms of the spectrum and the angles, which is of interest in view of the long-standing open problem whether almost all graphs are determined by their eigenvalues alone. Finally, we describe the exact relationship between the hierarchy and the Weisfeiler-Leman algorithms for small dimensions, as also some other important spectral characteristics of a graph such as the generalized and the main spectra.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2024

Gathering Information about a Graph by Counting Walks from a Single Vertex

We say that a vertex $v$ in a connected graph $G$ is decisive if the numbers of walks from $v$ of each length determine the graph $G$ rooted at $v$ up to isomorphism among all connected rooted graphs with the same number of vertices. On the other hand, $v$ is called ambivalent if it has the same walk counts as a vertex in a non-isomorphic connected graph with the same number of vertices as $G$. Using the classical constructions of cospectral trees, we first observe that ambivalent vertices exist in almost all trees. If a graph $G$ is determined by spectrum and its characteristic polynomial is irreducible, then we prove that all vertices of $G$ are decisive. Note that both assumptions are conjectured to be true for almost all graphs. Without using any assumption, we are able to prove that the vertices of a random graph are with high probability distinguishable from each other by the numbers of closed walks of length at most 4. As a consequence, the closed walk counts for lengths 2, 3, and 4 provide a canonical labeling of a random graph. Answering a question posed in chemical graph theory, we finally show that all walk counts for a vertex in an $n$-vertex graph are determined by the counts for the $2n$ shortest lengths, and the bound $2n$ is here asymptotically tight.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2024

On the Expressibility of the Reconstructional Color Refinement

One of the most basic facts related to the famous Ulam reconstruction conjecture is that the connectedness of a graph can be determined by the deck of its vertex-deleted subgraphs, which are considered up to isomorphism. We strengthen this result by proving that connectedness can still be determined when the subgraphs in the deck are given up to equivalence under the color refinement isomorphism test. Consequently, this implies that connectedness is recognizable by Reconstruction Graph Neural Networks, a recently introduced GNN architecture inspired by the reconstruction conjecture (Cotta, Morris, Ribeiro 2021).

cs.CC↗

arXiv2020

The Weisfeiler-Leman Algorithm and Recognition of Graph Properties

The $k$-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm ($k$-WL) is a very useful combinatorial tool in graph isomorphism testing. We address the applicability of $k$-WL to recognition of graph properties. Let $G$ be an input graph with $n$ vertices. We show that, if $n$ is prime, then vertex-transitivity of $G$ can be seen in a straightforward way from the output of 2-WL on $G$ and on the vertex-individualized copies of $G$. However, if $n$ is divisible by 16, then $k$-WL is unable to distinguish between vertex-transitive and non-vertex-transitive graphs with $n$ vertices as long as $k=o(\sqrt n)$. Similar results are obtained for recognition of arc-transitivity.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

On the Weisfeiler-Leman Dimension of Fractional Packing

The $k$-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman procedure ($k$-WL), which colors $k$-tuples of vertices in rounds based on the neighborhood structure in the graph, has proven to be immensely fruitful in the algorithmic study of Graph Isomorphism. More generally, it is of fundamental importance in understanding and exploiting symmetries in graphs in various settings. Two graphs are $k$-WL-equivalent if the $k$-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman procedure produces the same final coloring on both graphs. 1-WL-equivalence is known as fractional isomorphism of graphs, and the $k$-WL-equivalence relation becomes finer as $k$ increases. We investigate to what extent standard graph parameters are preserved by $k$-WL-equivalence, focusing on fractional graph packing numbers. The integral packing numbers are typically NP-hard to compute, and we discuss applicability of $k$-WL-invariance for estimating the integrality gap of the LP relaxation provided by their fractional counterparts.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2020

Local WL Invariance and Hidden Shades of Regularity

The $k$-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm is a powerful tool in graph isomorphism testing. For an input graph $G$, the algorithm determines a canonical coloring of $s$-tuples of vertices of $G$ for each $s$ between 1 and $k$. We say that a numerical parameter of $s$-tuples is $k$-WL-invariant if it is determined by the tuple color. As an application of Dvořák's result on $k$-WL-invariance of homomorphism counts, we spot some non-obvious regularity properties of strongly regular graphs and related graph families. For example, if $G$ is a strongly regular graph, then the number of paths of length 6 between vertices $x$ and $y$ in $G$ depends only on whether or not $x$ and $y$ are adjacent (and the length 6 is here optimal). Or, the number of cycles of length 7 passing through a vertex $x$ in $G$ is the same for every $x$ (where the length 7 is also optimal).

cs.CC↗

arXiv2020

Identifiability of Graphs with Small Color Classes by the Weisfeiler-Leman Algorithm

As it is well known, the isomorphism problem for vertex-colored graphs with color multiplicity at most 3 is solvable by the classical 2-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm (2-WL). On the other hand, the prominent Cai-Fürer-Immerman construction shows that even the multidimensional version of the algorithm does not suffice for graphs with color multiplicity 4. We give an efficient decision procedure that, given a graph $G$ of color multiplicity 4, recognizes whether or not $G$ is identifiable by 2-WL, that is, whether or not 2-WL distinguishes $G$ from any non-isomorphic graph. In fact, we solve the much more general problem of recognizing whether or not a given coherent configuration of maximum fiber size 4 is separable. This extends our recognition algorithm to graphs of color multiplicity 4 with directed and colored edges. Our decision procedure is based on an explicit description of the class of graphs with color multiplicity 4 that are not identifiable by 2-WL. The Cai-Fürer-Immerman graphs of color multiplicity 4 distinctly appear here as a natural subclass, which demonstrates that the Cai-Fürer-Immerman construction is not ad hoc. Our classification reveals also other types of graphs that are hard for 2-WL. One of them arises from patterns known as $(n_3)$-configurations in incidence geometry.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2019

On Weisfeiler-Leman Invariance: Subgraph Counts and Related Graph Properties

The $k$-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman algorithm ($k$-WL) is a fruitful approach to the Graph Isomorphism problem. 2-WL corresponds to the original algorithm suggested by Weisfeiler and Leman over 50 years ago. 1-WL is the classical color refinement routine. Indistinguishability by $k$-WL is an equivalence relation on graphs that is of fundamental importance for isomorphism testing, descriptive complexity theory, and graph similarity testing which is also of some relevance in artificial intelligence. Focusing on dimensions $k=1,2$, we investigate subgraph patterns whose counts are $k$-WL invariant, and whose occurrence is $k$-WL invariant. We achieve a complete description of all such patterns for dimension $k=1$ and considerably extend the previous results known for $k=2$.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2017

Finding Small Weight Isomorphisms with Additional Constraints is Fixed-Parameter Tractable

Lubiw showed that several variants of Graph Isomorphism are NP-complete, where the solutions are required to satisfy certain additional constraints [SICOMP 10, 1981]. One of these, called Isomorphism With Restrictions, is to decide for two given graphs $X_1=(V,E_1)$ and $X_2=(V,E_2)$ and a subset $R\subseteq V\times V$ of forbidden pairs whether there is an isomorphism $π$ from $X_1$ to $X_2$ such that $π(i)\neq j$ for all $(i,j)\in R$. We prove that this problem and several of its generalizations are in fact in FPT: - The problem of deciding whether there is an isomorphism between two graphs that moves k vertices and satisfies Lubiw-style constraints is in FPT, with k and the size of $R$ as parameters. The problem remains in FPT if a CNF of such constraints is allowed. It follows that the problem to decide whether there is an isomorphism that moves exactly k vertices is in FPT. This solves a question left open in our article on exact weight automorphisms [STACS 2017]. - When the weight and complexity are unrestricted, finding isomorphisms that satisfy a CNF of Lubiw-style constraints can be solved in FPT with access to a GI oracle. - Checking if there is an isomorphism $π$ between two graphs with complexity t is also in FPT with t as parameter, where the complexity of a permutation is the Cayley measure defined as the minimum number t such that $π$ can be expressed as a product of t transpositions. - We consider a more general problem in which the vertex set of a graph X is partitioned into Red and Blue, and we are interested in an automorphism that stabilizes Red and Blue and moves exactly k vertices in Blue, where k is the parameter. This problem was introduced by [Downey and Fellows 1999], and we showed [STACS 2017] that it is W[1]-hard even with color classes of size 4 inside Red. Now, for color classes of size at most 3 inside Red, we show the problem is in FPT.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2016

The Parameterized Complexity of Fixing Number and Vertex Individualization in Graphs

In this paper we study the complexity of the following problems: Given a colored graph X=(V,E,c), compute a minimum cardinality set S of vertices such that no nontrivial automorphism of X fixes all vertices in S. A closely related problem is computing a minimum base S for a permutation group G on [n] given by generators, i.e., a minimum cardinality subset S of [n] such that no nontrivial permutation in G fixes all elements of S. Our focus is mainly on the parameterized complexity of these problems. We show that when k=|S| is treated as parameter, then both problems are MINI[1]-hard. For the dual problems, where k=n-|S| is the parameter, we give FPT algorithms. A notion closely related to fixing is called individualization. Individualization combined with the Weisfeiler-Leman procedure is a fundamental technique in algorithms for Graph Isomorphism. Motivated by the power of individualization, in the present paper we explore the complexity of individualization: what is the minimum number of vertices we need to individualize in a given graph such that color refinement "succeeds" on it. Here "succeeds" could have different interpretations, and we consider the following: It could mean the individualized graph becomes: (a) discrete, (b) amenable, (c) compact, or (d) refinable. In particular, we study the parameterized versions of these problems where the parameter is the number of vertices individualized. We show a dichotomy: For graphs with color classes of size at most 3 these problems can be solved in polynomial time (even in logspace), while starting from color class size 4 they become W[P]-hard.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2015

On the Isomorphism Problem for Helly Circular-Arc Graphs

The isomorphism problem is known to be efficiently solvable for interval graphs, while for the larger class of circular-arc graphs its complexity status stays open. We consider the intermediate class of intersection graphs for families of circular arcs that satisfy the Helly property. We solve the isomorphism problem for this class in logarithmic space. If an input graph has a Helly circular-arc model, our algorithm constructs it canonically, which means that the models constructed for isomorphic graphs are equal.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2015

Graph Isomorphism, Color Refinement, and Compactness

Color refinement is a classical technique used to show that two given graphs G and H are non-isomorphic; it is very efficient, although it does not succeed on all graphs. We call a graph G amenable to color refinement if it succeeds in distinguishing G from any non-isomorphic graph H. Tinhofer (1991) explored a linear programming approach to Graph Isomorphism and defined compact graphs: A graph is compact if its fractional automorphisms polytope is integral. Tinhofer noted that isomorphism testing for compact graphs can be done quite efficiently by linear programming. However, the problem of characterizing and recognizing compact graphs in polynomial time remains an open question. Our results are summarized below: - We show that amenable graphs are recognizable in time O((n + m)logn), where n and m denote the number of vertices and the number of edges in the input graph. - We show that all amenable graphs are compact. - We study related combinatorial and algebraic graph properties introduced by Tinhofer and Godsil. The corresponding classes of graphs form a hierarchy and we prove that recognizing each of these graph classes is P-hard. In particular, this gives a first complexity lower bound for recognizing compact graphs.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2013

Solving the Canonical Representation and Star System Problems for Proper Circular-Arc Graphs in Log-Space

We present a logspace algorithm that constructs a canonical intersection model for a given proper circular-arc graph, where `canonical' means that models of isomorphic graphs are equal. This implies that the recognition and the isomorphism problems for this class of graphs are solvable in logspace. For a broader class of concave-round graphs, that still possess (not necessarily proper) circular-arc models, we show that those can also be constructed canonically in logspace. As a building block for these results, we show how to compute canonical models of circular-arc hypergraphs in logspace, which are also known as matrices with the circular-ones property. Finally, we consider the search version of the Star System Problem that consists in reconstructing a graph from its closed neighborhood hypergraph. We solve it in logspace for the classes of proper circular-arc, concave-round, and co-convex graphs.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2013

Circular-arc hypergraphs: Rigidity via Connectedness

A circular-arc hypergraph $H$ is a hypergraph admitting an arc ordering, that is, a circular ordering of the vertex set $V(H)$ such that every hyperedge is an arc of consecutive vertices. An arc ordering is tight if, for any two hyperedges $A$ and $B$ such that $A$ is a nonempty subset of $B$ and $B$ is not equal to $V(H)$, the corresponding arcs share a common endpoint. We give sufficient conditions for $H$ to have, up to reversing, a unique arc ordering and a unique tight arc ordering. These conditions are stated in terms of connectedness properties of $H$. It is known that $G$ is a proper circular-arc graph exactly when its closed neighborhood hypergraph $N[G]$ admits a tight arc ordering. We explore connectedness properties of $N[G]$ and prove that, if $G$ is a connected, twin-free, proper circular-arc graph with non-bipartite complement, then $N[G]$ has, up to reversing, a unique arc ordering. If the complement of $G$ is bipartite and connected, then $N[G]$ has, up to reversing, two tight arc orderings. As a corollary, we notice that in both of the two cases $G$ has an essentially unique intersection representation. The last result also follows from the work by Deng, Hell, and Huang based on a theory of local tournaments.

cs.DM↗