arXiv subjects

Kevin Mann

Publications and source records attributed to Kevin Mann.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Language-Representability: Possibilities and Limitations

The study of word-representability was initiated by the seminal work of Kitaev and Pyatkin in 2008 that has later led to the monograph by Kitaev and Lozin in 2015. In this paper, we build on the very recent work by Fernau et al. who proposed a general framework that generalizes certain aspects of word-representability, so that any binary language describes a graph class. In this work, we systematically study particularly small languages and observe that they characterize well-known graph classes, e.g., interval, permutation, circle, and bipartite chain graphs. Thus, we strengthen the bond between formal languages and graph classes, even for small binary languages. We also show some limitations of our approach by proving that, e.g., families of sparse graphs like planar graphs cannot be characterized by any language following this approach.

cs.FL↗

arXiv2026

Finding Shortest Reconfiguration Sequences on Independent Set Polytopes

We initiate the study of the shortest reconfiguration problem for independent sets under the adjacency relation derived from the independent set polytope. Given a graph and two independent sets, the problem asks for a shortest sequence transforming one into the other such that the subgraph induced by the symmetric difference of any two consecutive sets is connected. This is equivalent to finding a shortest path on the $1$-skeleton of the independent set polytope. We prove that the problem is NP-hard even on planar graphs of bounded degree, as well as on split graphs. Notably, the hardness for planar graphs of bounded degree still holds even when deciding whether the target can be reached in at most two steps. For split graphs, we further show the W[2]-hardness when parameterized by the number of steps, as well as the inapproximability of the optimal length. As a consequence, we prove that the length of a shortest path between two vertices of a 0/1 polytope in $\mathbb{R}^n$ described by $O(n)$ linear inequalities is hard to approximate within a factor of $(1-\varepsilon)\ln n$ for any constant $\epsilon >0$, unless $P=NP$. On the positive side, we provide polynomial-time algorithms for block graphs, cographs, and bipartite chain graphs. Moreover, for paths and cycles, we show that the optimal length of the shortest reconfiguration sequence exactly matches a trivial upper bound.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2026

On Languages Describing Large Graph Classes

In this work, we introduce a new notion for representing graph classes with formal languages. In contrast to the seminal work by Kitaev and Pyatkin to represent graphs by words, we use formal binary languages in order to have a set of patterns (given by the languages' words) defining the edges in the graph. In particular, we investigate famous languages like the palindromes, copy-words, Lyndon words, and Dyck words to represent all graphs or specific graph classes by restricting these languages.

cs.FL↗

arXiv2025

Enumeration With Nice Roman Domination Properties

Although Extension Perfect Roman Domination is NP-complete, all minimal (with respect to the pointwise order) perfect Roman dominating functions can be enumerated with polynomial delay. This algorithm uses a bijection between minimal perfect Roman dominating functions and Roman dominating functions and the fact that all minimal Roman dominating functions can be enumerated with polynomial delay. This bijection considers the set of vertices with value 2 under the functions. In this paper, we will generalize this idea by defining so called nice Roman Domination properties for which we can employ this method. With this idea, we can show that all minimal maximal Roman Dominating functions can be enumerated with polynomial delay in O(1.9332^n) time. Furthermore, we prove that enumerating all minimal connected/total Roman dominating functions on cobipartite graphs can be achieved with polynomial delay. Additionally, we show the existence of a polynomial-delay algorithm for enumerating all minimal connected Roman dominating function on interval graphs. We show some downsides to this method as well.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2025

How to Reconfigure Your Alliances

Different variations of alliances in graphs have been introduced into the graph-theoretic literature about twenty years ago. More broadly speaking, they can be interpreted as groups that collaborate to achieve a common goal, for instance, defending themselves against possible attacks from outside. In this paper, we initiate the study of reconfiguring alliances. This means that, with the understanding of having an interconnection map given by a graph, we look at two alliances of the same size~$k$ and investigate if there is a reconfiguration sequence (of length at most~$\ell$) formed by alliances of size (at most)~$k$ that transfers one alliance into the other one. Here, we consider different (now classical) movements of tokens: sliding, jumping, addition/removal. We link the latter two regimes by introducing the concept of reconfiguration monotonicity. Concerning classical complexity, most of these reconfiguration problems are \textsf{PSPACE}-complete, although some are solvable in \textsf{Log\-SPACE}. We also consider these reconfiguration questions through the lense of parameterized algorithms and prove various \textsf{FPT}-results, in particular concerning the combined parameter $k+\ell$ or neighborhood diversity together with $k$ or neighborhood diversity together with $k$.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2025

On the Complexity of Hyperpath and Minimal Separator Enumeration in Directed Hypergraphs

In this paper, we address the enumeration of (induced) $s$-$t$ paths and minimal $s$-$t$ separators. These problems are some of the most famous classical enumeration problems that can be solved in polynomial delay by simple backtracking for a (un)directed graph. As a generalization of these problems, we consider the (induced) $s$-$t$ hyperpath and minimal $s$-$t$ separator enumeration in a \emph{directed hypergraph}. We show that extending these classical enumeration problems to directed hypergraphs drastically changes their complexity. More precisely, there are no output-polynomial time algorithms for the enumeration of induced $s$-$t$ hyperpaths and minimal $s$-$t$ separators unless $P = NP$, and if there is an output-polynomial time algorithm for the $s$-$t$ hyperpath enumeration, then the minimal transversal enumeration can be solved in output polynomial time even if a directed hypergraph is $BF$-hypergraph. Since the existence of an output-polynomial time algorithm for the minimal transversal enumeration has remained an open problem for over 45 years, it indicates that the $s$-$t$ hyperpath enumeration for a $BF$-hypergraph is not an easy problem. As a positive result, the $s$-$t$ hyperpath enumeration for a $B$-hypergraph can be solved in polynomial delay by backtracking.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2024

Generalized Word-Representable Graphs

The literature on word-representable graphs is quite rich, and a number of variations of the original definition have been proposed over the years. We are initiating a systematic study of such variations based on formal languages. In our framework, we can associate a graph class to each language over the binary alphabet \{0,1\}. All graph classes that are language-representable in this sense are hereditary and enjoy further common properties. Besides word-representable graphs and, more generally, 1^k- or k-11-representable graphs, we can identify many more graph classes in our framework, like (co)bipartite graphs, (co)comparability graphs, to name a few. It was already known that any graph is 111- or 2-11-representable. When such representations are considered for storing graphs, 111- or 2-11-representability bears the disadvantage of being significantly inferior to standard adjacency matrices or lists. We prove that quite famous languages like the palindromes, the copy language or the Lyndon words can match the efficiency of standard graph representations. The perspective of language theory allows us to prove general results that hold for all graph classes that can be defined in this way. This includes certain closure properties (e.g., all language-definable graph classes are hereditary) as well as certain limitations (e.g., all language-representable graph classes contain graphs of arbitrarily large treewidth and of arbitrarily large degeneracy, except a trivial case). As each language describes a graph class, we can also ask decidability questions concerning graph classes, given a concrete presentation of a formal language. We also present a systematic study of graph classes that can be represented by languages in which each letter occurs at most twice. Here, we find graph classes like interval, permutation, circle, bipartite chain, convex, and threshold graphs.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2023

Offensive Alliances in Signed Graphs

Signed graphs have been introduced to enrich graph structures expressing relationships between persons or general social entities, introducing edge signs to reflect the nature of the relationship, e.g., friendship or enmity. Independently, offensive alliances have been defined and studied for undirected, unsigned graphs. We join both lines of research and define offensive alliances in signed graphs, hence considering the nature of relationships. Apart from some combinatorial results, mainly on k-balanced and k-anti-balanced signed graphs (where the latter is a newly introduced family of signed graphs), we focus on the algorithmic complexity of finding smallest offensive alliances, looking at a number of parameterizations. While the parameter solution size leads to an FPT result for unsigned graphs, we obtain W[2]-completeness for the signed setting. We introduce new parameters for signed graphs, e.g., distance to weakly balanced signed graphs, that could be of independent interest. We show that these parameters yield FPT results. Here, we make use of the recently introduced parameter neighborhood diversity for signed graphs.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2023

Enumerating Minimal Defensive Alliances

In this paper, we study the task of enumerating (and counting) locally and globally minimal defensive alliances in graphs. We consider general graphs as well as special graph classes. From an input-sensitive perspective, our presented algorithms are mostly optimal.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2023

Defensive Alliances in Signed Networks

The analysis of (social) networks and multi-agent systems is a central theme in Artificial Intelligence. Some line of research deals with finding groups of agents that could work together to achieve a certain goal. To this end, different notions of so-called clusters or communities have been introduced in the literature of graphs and networks. Among these, defensive alliance is a kind of quantitative group structure. However, all studies on the alliance so for have ignored one aspect that is central to the formation of alliances on a very intuitive level, assuming that the agents are preconditioned concerning their attitude towards other agents: they prefer to be in some group (alliance) together with the agents they like, so that they are happy to help each other towards their common aim, possibly then working against the agents outside of their group that they dislike. Signed networks were introduced in the psychology literature to model liking and disliking between agents, generalizing graphs in a natural way. Hence, we propose the novel notion of a defensive alliance in the context of signed networks. We then investigate several natural algorithmic questions related to this notion. These, and also combinatorial findings, connect our notion to that of correlation clustering, which is a well-established idea of finding groups of agents within a signed network. Also, we introduce a new structural parameter for signed graphs, signed neighborhood diversity snd, and exhibit a parameterized algorithm that finds a smallest defensive alliance in a signed graph.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2023

Perfect Roman Domination and Unique Response Roman Domination

The idea of enumeration algorithms with polynomial delay is to polynomially bound the running time between any two subsequent solutions output by the enumeration algorithm. While it is open for more than four decades if all minimal dominating sets of a graph can be enumerated in output-polynomial time, it has recently been proven that pointwise-minimal Roman dominating functions can be enumerated even with polynomial delay. The idea of the enumeration algorithm was to use polynomial-time solvable extension problems. We use this as a motivation to prove that also two variants of Roman dominating functions studied in the literature, named perfect and unique response, can be enumerated with polynomial delay. This is interesting since Extension Perfect Roman Domination is W[1]-complete if parameterized by the weight of the given function and even W[2]-complete if parameterized by the number vertices assigned 0 in the pre-solution, as we prove. Otherwise, efficient solvability of extension problems and enumerability with polynomial delay tend to go hand-in-hand. We achieve our enumeration result by constructing a bijection to Roman dominating functions, where the corresponding extension problem is polynomimaltime solvable. Furthermore, we show that Unique Response Roman Domination is solvable in polynomial time on split graphs, while Perfect Roman Domination is NP-complete on this graph class, which proves that both variations, albeit coming with a very similar definition, do differ in some complexity aspects. This way, we also solve an open problem from the literature.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2023

Enumerating minimal vertex covers and dominating sets with capacity and/or connectivity constraints

In this paper, we consider the problems of enumerating minimal vertex covers and minimal dominating sets with capacity and/or connectivity constraints. We develop polynomial-delay enumeration algorithms for these problems on bounded-degree graphs. For the case of minimal connected vertex covers, our algorithms run in polynomial delay even on the class of $d$-claw free graphs, extending the result on bounded-degree graphs, and in output quasi-polynomial time on general graphs. To complement these algorithmic results, we show that the problems of enumerating minimal connected vertex covers, minimal connected dominating sets, and minimal capacitated vertex covers in $2$-degenerated bipartite graphs are at least as hard as enumerating minimal transversals in hypergraphs.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2023

Hitting the Romans

Roman domination is one of few examples where the related extension problem is polynomial-time solvable even if the original decision problem is NP-complete. This is interesting, as it allows to establish polynomial-delay enumeration algorithms for finding minimal Roman dominating functions, while it is open for more than four decades if all minimal dominating sets of a graph or if all hitting sets of a hypergraph can be enumerated with polynomial delay. To find the reason why this is the case, we combine the idea of hitting set with the idea of Roman domination. We hence obtain and study two new problems, called Roman Hitting Function and Roman Hitting Set, both generalizing Roman Domination. This allows us to delineate the borderline of polynomial-delay enumerability. Here, we assume what we call the Hitting Set Transversal Thesis, claiming that it is impossible to enumerate all minimal hitting sets of a hypergraph with polynomial delay. Our first focus is on the extension versions of these problems. While doing this, we find some conditions under which the Extension Roman Hitting Function problem is NP-complete. We then use parameterized complexity to get a better understanding of why Extension Roman Hitting Function behaves in this way. Furthermore, we analyze the parameterized and approximation complexity of the underlying optimization problems. We also discuss consequences for Roman variants of other problems like Vertex Cover.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2022

Parameterizing Path Partitions

We study the algorithmic complexity of partitioning the vertex set of a given (di)graph into a small number of paths. The Path Partition problem (PP) has been studied extensively, as it includes Hamiltonian Path as a special case. The natural variants where the paths are required to be either \emph{induced} (Induced Path Partition, IPP) or \emph{shortest} (Shortest Path Partition, SPP), have received much less attention. Both problems are known to be NP-complete on undirected graphs; we strengthen this by showing that they remain so even on planar bipartite directed acyclic graphs (DAGs), and that SPP remains NP-hard on undirected bipartite graphs. When parameterized by the natural parameter ``number of paths'', both SPP and IPP are shown to be W[1]-hard on DAGs. We also show that SPP is in XP both for DAGs and undirected graphs for the same parameter, as well as for other special subclasses of directed graphs (IPP is known to be NP-hard on undirected graphs, even for two paths). On the positive side, we show that for undirected graphs, both problems are in FPT, parameterized by neighborhood diversity. We also give an explicit algorithm for the vertex cover parameterization of PP. When considering the dual parameterization (graph order minus number of paths), all three variants, IPP, SPP and PP, are shown to be in FPT for undirected graphs. We also lift the mentioned neighborhood diversity and dual parameterization results to directed graphs; here, we need to define a proper novel notion of directed neighborhood diversity. As we also show, most of our results transfer to the case of covering by edge-disjoint paths, and purely covering.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2022

Recognizing well-dominated graphs is coNP-complete

A graph $G$ is well-covered if every minimal vertex cover of $G$ is minimum, and a graph $G$ is well-dominated if every minimal dominating set of $G$ is minimum. Studies on well-covered graphs were initiated in [Plummer, JCT 1970], and well-dominated graphs were first introduced in [Finbow, Hartnell and Nowakow, AC 1988]. Well-dominated graphs are well-covered, and both classes have been widely studied in the literature. The recognition of well-covered graphs was proved coNP-complete by [Chv\'atal and Slater, AODM 1993] and by [Sankaranarayana and Stewart, Networks 1992], but the complexity of recognizing well-dominated graphs has been left open since their introduction. We close this complexity gap by proving that recognizing well-dominated graphs is coNP-complete. This solves a well-known open question (c.f. [Levit and Tankus, DM 2017] and [G\"{o}z\"{u}pek, Hujdurovic and Milani\v{c}, DMTCS 2017]), which was first asked in [Caro, Seb\H{o} and Tarsi, JAlg 1996]. Surprisingly, our proof is quite simple, although it was a long-standing open problem. Finally, we show that recognizing well-totally-dominated graphs is coNP-complete, answering a question of [Bahad\ir, Ekim, and G\"oz\"upek, AMC 2021].

math.CO↗

arXiv2022

Roman Census: Enumerating and Counting Roman Dominating Functions on Graph Classes

The concept of Roman domination has recently been studied concerning enumerating and counting (WG 2022). It has been shown that minimal Roman dominating functions can be enumerated with polynomial delay, contrasting what is known about minimal dominating sets. The running time of the algorithm could be estimated as $\mathcal{O}(1.9332^n)$ on general graphs of order $n$. In this paper, we focus on special graph classes. More specifically, for chordal graphs, we present an enumeration algorithm running in time $\mathcal{O}(1.8940^n)$. For interval graphs, we can lower this time further to $\mathcal{O}(1.7321^n)$. Interestingly, this also matches (exactly) the known lower bound. We can also provide a matching lower and upper bound for forests, which is (incidentally) the same, namely $\mathcal{O}(\sqrt{3}^n)$. Furthermore, we show an enumeration algorithm running in time $\mathcal{O}(1.4656^n)$ for split graphs and for cobipartite graphs. Our approach also allows to give concrete formulas for counting minimal Roman dominating functions on special graph families like paths.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2022

Enumerating Connected Dominating Sets

The question to enumerate all inclusion-minimal connected dominating sets in a graph of order $n$ in time significantly less than $2^n$ is an open question that was asked in many places. We answer this question affirmatively, by providing an enumeration algorithm that runs in time $\mathcal{O}(1.9896^n)$, using polynomial space only. The key to this result is the consideration of this enumeration problem on 2-degenerate graphs, which is proven to be possible in time $\mathcal{O}(1.9767^n)$. We also show new lower bound results by constructing a family of graphs of order $n$ with $\Omega(1.4890^n)$ minimal connected dominating sets, while previous examples achieved $\Omega(1.4422^n)$. Our construction results in lower bounds for a few special graph classes. We also address essential questions concerning output-sensitive enumeration. Namely, we give reasons why our algorithm cannot be turned into an enumeration algorithm that guarantees polynomial delay without much efforts. More precisely, we prove that it is NP-complete to decide, given a graph $G$ and a vertex set $U$, if there exists a minimal connected dominating set $D$ with $U\subseteq D$, even if $G$ is known to be 2-degenerate. Our reduction also shows that even any subexponential delay is not easy to achieve for enumerating minimal connected dominating sets. Another reduction shows that no FPT-algorithms can be expected for this extension problem concerning minimal connected dominating sets, parameterized by $|U|$. We also relate our enumeration problem to the famous open Hitting Set Transversal problem, which can be phrased in our context as the question to enumerate all minimal dominating sets of a graph with polynomial delay by showing that a polynomial-delay enumeration algorithm for minimal connected dominating sets implies an affirmative algorithmic solution to the Hitting Set Transversal problem.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2022

Minimal Roman Dominating Functions: Extensions and Enumeration

Roman domination is one of the many variants of domination that keeps most of the complexity features of the classical domination problem. We prove that Roman domination behaves differently in two aspects: enumeration and extension. We develop non-trivial enumeration algorithms for minimal Roman domination functions with polynomial delay and polynomial space. Recall that the existence of a similar enumeration result for minimal dominating sets is open for decades. Our result is based on a polynomial-time algorithm for Extension Roman Domination: Given a graph $G = (V,E)$ and a function $f:V\to\{0,1,2\}$, is there a minimal Roman domination function $\Tilde{f}$ with $f\leq \Tilde{f}$? Here, $\leq$ lifts $0< 1< 2$ pointwise; minimality is understood in this order. Our enumeration algorithm is also analyzed from an input-sensitive viewpoint, leading to a run-time estimate of $\Oh(\RomanUpperbound^n)$ for graphs of order n; this is complemented by a lower bound example of $\Omega(\RomanLowerbound^n)$.

cs.DS↗