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Paweł Rzążewski

Publications and source records attributed to Paweł Rzążewski.

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Feedback Vertex Set and Even Cycle Transversal for H-Free Graphs: Finding Large Block Graphs

We prove new complexity results for Feedback Vertex Set and Even Cycle Transversal on $H$-free graphs, that is, graphs that do not contain some fixed graph $H$ as an induced subgraph. In particular, we prove that for every $s\geq 1$, both problems are polynomial-time solvable for $sP_3$-free graphs and $(sP_1+P_5)$-free graphs; here, the graph $sP_3$ denotes the disjoint union of $s$ paths on three vertices and the graph $sP_1+P_5$ denotes the disjoint union of $s$ isolated vertices and a path on five vertices. Our new results for Feedback Vertex Set extend all known polynomial-time results for Feedback Vertex Set on $H$-free graphs, namely for $sP_2$-free graphs [Chiarelli et al., TCS 2018], $(sP_1+P_3)$-free graphs [Dabrowski et al., Algorithmica 2020] and $P_5$-free graphs [Abrishami et al., SODA 2021]. Together, the new results also show that both problems exhibit the same behaviour on $H$-free graphs (subject to some open cases). This is in part due to a new general algorithm we design for finding in a ($sP_3)$-free or $(sP_1+P_5)$-free graph $G$ a largest induced subgraph whose blocks belong to some finite class ${\cal C}$ of graphs. We also compare our results with the state-of-the-art results for the Odd Cycle Transversal problem, which is known to behave differently on $H$-free graphs.

cs.DS↗

Completeness for the Complexity Class $\forall \exists \mathbb{R}$ and Area-Universality

Exhibiting a deep connection between purely geometric problems and real algebra, the complexity class $\exists \mathbb{R}$ plays a crucial role in the study of geometric problems. Sometimes $\exists \mathbb{R}$ is referred to as the 'real analog' of NP. While NP is a class of computational problems that deals with existentially quantified boolean variables, $\exists \mathbb{R}$ deals with existentially quantified real variables. In analogy to $Π_2^p$ and $Σ_2^p$ in the famous polynomial hierarchy, we study the complexity classes $\forall \exists \mathbb{R}$ and $\exists \forall \mathbb{R}$ with real variables. Our main interest is the area-universality problem, where we are given a plane graph $G$, and ask if for each assignment of areas to the inner faces of $G$, there exists a straight-line drawing of $G$ realizing the assigned areas. We conjecture that area-universality is $\forall \exists \mathbb{R}$-complete and support this conjecture by proving $\exists \mathbb{R}$- and $\forall \exists \mathbb{R}$-completeness of two variants of area-universality. To this end, we introduce tools to prove $\forall \exists \mathbb{R}$-hardness and membership. Finally, we present geometric problems as candidates for $\forall \exists \mathbb{R}$-complete problems. These problems have connections to the concepts of imprecision, robustness, and extendability.

cs.CG↗

Counting list homomorphisms from graphs of bounded treewidth: tight complexity bounds

The goal of this work is to give precise bounds on the counting complexity of a family of generalized coloring problems (list homomorphisms) on bounded-treewidth graphs. Given graphs $G$, $H$, and lists $L(v)\subseteq V(H)$ for every $v\in V(G)$, a {\em list homomorphism} is a function $f:V(G)\to V(H)$ that preserves the edges (i.e., $uv\in E(G)$ implies $f(u)f(v)\in E(H)$) and respects the lists (i.e., $f(v)\in L(v))$. Standard techniques show that if $G$ is given with a tree decomposition of width $t$, then the number of list homomorphisms can be counted in time $|V(H)|^t\cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$. Our main result is determining, for every fixed graph $H$, how much the base $|V(H)|$ in the running time can be improved. For a connected graph $H$ we define $\operatorname{irr}(H)$ the following way: if $H$ has a loop or is nonbipartite, then $\operatorname{irr}(H)$ is the maximum size of a set $S\subseteq V(H)$ where any two vertices have different neighborhoods; if $H$ is bipartite, then $\operatorname{irr}(H)$ is the maximum size of such a set that is fully in one of the bipartition classes. For disconnected $H$, we define $\operatorname{irr}(H)$ as the maximum of $\operatorname{irr}(C)$ over every connected component $C$ of $H$. We show that, for every fixed graph $H$, the number of list homomorphisms from $(G,L)$ to $H$ * can be counted in time $\operatorname{irr}(H)^t\cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$ if a tree decomposition of $G$ having width at most $t$ is given in the input, and * cannot be counted in time $(\operatorname{irr}(H)-ε)^t\cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$ for any $ε>0$, even if a tree decomposition of $G$ having width at most $t$ is given in the input, unless the #SETH fails. Thereby we give a precise and complete complexity classification featuring matching upper and lower bounds for all target graphs with or without loops.

cs.CC↗

EPTAS and Subexponential Algorithm for Maximum Clique on Disk and Unit Ball Graphs

A (unit) disk graph is the intersection graph of closed (unit) disks in the plane. Almost three decades ago, an elegant polynomial-time algorithm was found for \textsc{Maximum Clique} on unit disk graphs [Clark, Colbourn, Johnson; Discrete Mathematics '90]. Since then, it has been an intriguing open question whether or not tractability can be extended to general disk graphs. We show that the disjoint union of two odd cycles is never the complement of a disk graph nor of a unit (3-dimensional) ball graph. From that fact and existing results, we derive a simple QPTAS and a subexponential algorithm running in time $2^{\tilde{O}(n^{2/3})}$ for \textsc{Maximum Clique} on disk and unit ball graphs. We then obtain a randomized EPTAS for computing the independence number on graphs having no disjoint union of two odd cycles as an induced subgraph, bounded VC-dimension, and linear independence number. This, in combination with our structural results, yields a randomized EPTAS for \textsc{Max Clique} on disk and unit ball graphs. \textsc{Max Clique} on unit ball graphs is equivalent to finding, given a collection of points in $\mathbb R^3$, a maximum subset of points with diameter at most some fixed value. In stark contrast, \textsc{Maximum Clique} on ball graphs and unit $4$-dimensional ball graphs, as well as intersection graphs of filled ellipses (even close to unit disks) or filled triangles is unlikely to have such algorithms. Indeed, we show that, for all those problems, there is a constant ratio of approximation which cannot be attained even in time $2^{n^{1-\varepsilon}}$, unless the Exponential Time Hypothesis fails.

cs.DS↗

Degeneracy of $P_t$-free and $C_{\geq t}$-free graphs with no large complete bipartite subgraphs

A hereditary class of graphs $\mathcal{G}$ is \emph{$χ$-bounded} if there exists a function $f$ such that every graph $G \in \mathcal{G}$ satisfies $χ(G) \leq f(ω(G))$, where $χ(G)$ and $ω(G)$ are the chromatic number and the clique number of $G$, respectively. As one of the first results about $χ$-bounded classes, Gyárfás proved in 1985 that if $G$ is $P_t$-free, i.e., does not contain a $t$-vertex path as an induced subgraph, then $χ(G) \leq (t-1)^{ω(G)-1}$. In 2017, Chudnovsky, Scott, and Seymour proved that $C_{\geq t}$-free graphs, i.e., graphs that exclude induced cycles with at least $t$ vertices, are $χ$-bounded as well, and the obtained bound is again superpolynomial in the clique number. Note that $P_{t-1}$-free graphs are in particular $C_{\geq t}$-free. It remains a major open problem in the area whether for $C_{\geq t}$-free, or at least $P_t$-free graphs $G$, the value of $χ(G)$ can be bounded from above by a polynomial function of $ω(G)$. We consider a relaxation of this problem, where we compare the chromatic number with the size of a largest balanced biclique contained in the graph as a (not necessarily induced) subgraph. We show that for every $t$ there exists a constant $c$ such that for and every $C_{\geq t}$-free graph which does not contain $K_{\ell,\ell}$ as a subgraph, it holds that $χ(G) \leq \ell^{c}$.

math.CO↗

Coloring squares of planar graphs with small maximum degree

For a graph $G$, by $χ_2(G)$ we denote the minimum integer $k$, such that there is a $k$-coloring of the vertices of $G$ in which vertices at distance at most 2 receive distinct colors. Equivalently, $χ_2(G)$ is the chromatic number of the square of $G$. In 1977 Wegner conjectured that if $G$ is planar and has maximum degree $Δ$, then $χ_2(G) \leq 7$ if $Δ\leq 3$, $χ_2(G) \leq Δ+5$ if $4 \leq Δ\leq 7$, and $\lfloor 3Δ/2 \rfloor +1$ if $Δ\geq 8$. Despite extensive work, the known upper bounds are quite far from the conjectured ones, especially for small values of $Δ$. In this work we show that for every planar graph $G$ with maximum degree $Δ$ it holds that $χ_2(G) \leq 3Δ+4$. This result provides the best known upper bound for $6 \leq Δ\leq 14$.

math.CO↗

Faster 3-coloring of small-diameter graphs

We study the 3-\textsc{Coloring} problem in graphs with small diameter. In 2013, Mertzios and Spirakis showed that for $n$-vertex diameter-2 graphs this problem can be solved in subexponential time $2^{\mathcal{O}(\sqrt{n \log n})}$. Whether the problem can be solved in polynomial time remains a well-known open question in the area of algorithmic graphs theory. In this paper we present an algorithm that solves 3-\textsc{Coloring} in $n$-vertex diameter-2 graphs in time $2^{\mathcal{O}(n^{1/3} \log^{2} n)}$. This is the first improvement upon the algorithm of Mertzios and Spirakis in the general case, i.e., without putting any further restrictions on the instance graph. In addition to standard branchings and reducing the problem to an instance of 2-\textsc{Sat}, the crucial building block of our algorithm is a combinatorial observation about 3-colorable diameter-2 graphs, which is proven using a probabilistic argument. As a side result, we show that 3-\textsc{Coloring} can be solved in time $2^{\mathcal{O}( (n \log n)^{2/3})}$ in $n$-vertex diameter-3 graphs. We also generalize our algorithms to the problem of finding a list homomorphism from a small-diameter graph to a cycle.

cs.DS↗

Constant congestion brambles in directed graphs

The Directed Grid Theorem, stating that there is a function $f$ such that a directed graphs of directed treewidth at least $f(k)$ contains a directed grid of size at least $k$ as a butterfly minor, after being a conjecture for nearly 20 years, has been proven in 2015 by Kawarabayashi and Kreutzer. However, the function $f$ obtained in the proof is very fast growing. In this work, we show that if one relaxes directed grid to bramble of constant congestion, one can obtain a polynomial bound. More precisely, we show that for every $k \geq 1$ there exists $t = \mathcal{O}(k^{48} \log^{13} k)$ such that every directed graph of directed treewidth at least $t$ contains a bramble of congestion at most $8$ and size at least $k$.

math.CO↗

Quasi-polynomial-time algorithm for Independent Set in $P_t$-free graphs via shrinking the space of induced paths

In a recent breakthrough work, Gartland and Lokshtanov [FOCS 2020] showed a quasi-polynomial-time algorithm for Maximum Weight Independent Set in $P_t$-free graphs, that is, graphs excluding a fixed path as an induced subgraph. Their algorithm runs in time $n^{\mathcal{O}(\log^3 n)}$, where $t$ is assumed to be a constant. Inspired by their ideas, we present an arguably simpler algorithm with an improved running time bound of $n^{\mathcal{O}(\log^2 n)}$. Our main insight is that a connected $P_t$-free graph always contains a vertex $w$ whose neighborhood intersects, for a constant fraction of pairs $\{u,v\} \in \binom{V(G)}{2}$, a constant fraction of induced $u-v$ paths. Since a $P_t$-free graph contains $\mathcal{O}(n^{t-1})$ induced paths in total, branching on such a vertex and recursing independently on the connected components leads to a quasi-polynomial running time bound. We also show that the same approach can be used to obtain quasi-polynomial-time algorithms for related problems, including Maximum Weight Induced Matching and 3-Coloring.

cs.DS↗

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↗

Fine-grained complexity of the list homomorphism problem: feedback vertex set and cutwidth

For graphs $G,H$, a homomorphism from $G$ to $H$ is an edge-preserving mapping from $V(G)$ to $V(H)$. In the list homomorphism problem, denoted by \textsc{LHom}($H$), we are given a graph $G$ and lists $L: V(G) \to 2^{V(H)}$, and we ask for a homomorphism from $G$ to $H$ which additionally respects the lists $L$. Very recently Okrasa, Piecyk, and Rzążewski [ESA 2020] defined an invariant $i^*(H)$ and proved that under the SETH $\mathcal{O}^*\left (i^*(H)^{\textrm{tw}(G)}\right)$ is the tight complexity bound for \textsc{LHom}($H$), parameterized by the treewidth $\textrm{tw}(G)$ of the instance graph $G$. We study the complexity of the problem under dirretent parameterizations. As the first result, we show that $i^*(H)$ is also the right complexity base if the parameter is the size of a minimum feedback vertex set of $G$. Then we turn our attention to a parameterization by the cutwidth $\textrm{ctw}(G)$ of $G$. Jansen and Nederlof~[ESA 2018] showed that \textsc{List $k$-Coloring} (i.e., \textsc{LHom}($K_k$)) can be solved in time $\mathcal{O}^*\left (c^{\textrm{ctw}(G)}\right)$ where $c$ does not depend on $k$. Jansen asked if this behavior extends to graph homomorphisms. As the main result of the paper, we answer the question in the negative. We define a new graph invariant $mim^*(H)$ and prove that \textsc{LHom}($H$) problem cannot be solved in time $\mathcal{O}^*\left ((mim^*(H)-\varepsilon)^{\textrm{ctw}(G)}\right)$ for any $\varepsilon >0$, unless the SETH fails. This implies that there is no $c$, such that for every odd cycle the non-list version of the problem can be solved in time $\mathcal{O}^*\left (c^{\textrm{ctw}(G)} \right)$. Finally, we generalize the algorithm of Jansen and Nederlof, so that it can be used to solve \textsc{LHom}($H$) for every graph $H$; its complexity depends on $\textrm{ctw}(G)$ and another invariant of $H$, which is constant for cliques.

cs.CC↗

Full complexity classification of the list homomorphism problem for bounded-treewidth graphs

A homomorphism from a graph $G$ to a graph $H$ is an edge-preserving mapping from $V(G)$ to $V(H)$. Let $H$ be a fixed graph with possible loops. In the list homomorphism problem, denoted by LHom($H$), we are given a graph $G$, whose every vertex $v$ is assigned with a list $L(v)$ of vertices of $H$. We ask whether there exists a homomorphism $h$ from $G$ to $H$, which respects lists $L$, i.e., for every $v \in V(G)$ it holds that $h(v) \in L(v)$. The complexity dichotomy for LHom($H$) was proven by Feder, Hell, and Huang [JGT 2003]. We are interested in the complexity of the problem, parameterized by the treewidth of the input graph. This problem was investigated by Egri, Marx, and Rzążewski [STACS 2018], who obtained tight complexity bounds for the special case of reflexive graphs $H$. In this paper we extend and generalize their results for \emph{all} relevant graphs $H$, i.e., those, for which the LHom{H} problem is NP-hard. For every such $H$ we find a constant $k = k(H)$, such that LHom($H$) on instances with $n$ vertices and treewidth $t$ * can be solved in time $k^{t} \cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$, provided that the input graph is given along with a tree decomposition of width $t$, * cannot be solved in time $(k-\varepsilon)^{t} \cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$, for any $\varepsilon >0$, unless the SETH fails. For some graphs $H$ the value of $k(H)$ is much smaller than the trivial upper bound, i.e., $|V(H)|$. Obtaining matching upper and lower bounds shows that the set of algorithmic tools we have discovered cannot be extended in order to obtain faster algorithms for LHom($H$) in bounded-treewidth graphs. Furthermore, neither the algorithm, nor the proof of the lower bound, is very specific to treewidth. We believe that they can be used for other variants of LHom($H$), e.g. with different parameterizations.

cs.CC↗

Sparsification Lower Bounds for List $H$-Coloring

We investigate the List $H$-Coloring problem, the generalization of graph coloring that asks whether an input graph $G$ admits a homomorphism to the undirected graph $H$ (possibly with loops), such that each vertex $v \in V(G)$ is mapped to a vertex on its list $L(v) \subseteq V(H)$. An important result by Feder, Hell, and Huang [JGT 2003] states that List $H$-Coloring is polynomial-time solvable if $H$ is a so-called bi-arc graph, and NP-complete otherwise. We investigate the NP-complete cases of the problem from the perspective of polynomial-time sparsification: can an $n$-vertex instance be efficiently reduced to an equivalent instance of bitsize $O(n^{2-\varepsilon})$ for some $\varepsilon > 0$? We prove that if $H$ is not a bi-arc graph, then List $H$-Coloring does not admit such a sparsification algorithm unless $NP \subseteq coNP/poly$. Our proofs combine techniques from kernelization lower bounds with a study of the structure of graphs $H$ which are not bi-arc graphs.

cs.CC↗

Packing Directed Cycles Quarter- and Half-Integrally

The celebrated Erdős-Pósa theorem states that every undirected graph that does not admit a family of $k$ vertex-disjoint cycles contains a feedback vertex set (a set of vertices hitting all cycles in the graph) of size $O(k \log k)$. After being known for long as Younger's conjecture, a similar statement for directed graphs has been proven in 1996 by Reed, Robertson, Seymour, and Thomas. However, in their proof, the dependency of the size of the feedback vertex set on the size of vertex-disjoint cycle packing is not elementary. We show that if we compare the size of a minimum feedback vertex set in a directed graph with the quarter-integral cycle packing number, we obtain a polynomial bound. More precisely, we show that if in a directed graph $G$ there is no family of $k$ cycles such that every vertex of $G$ is in at most four of the cycles, then there exists a feedback vertex set in $G$ of size $O(k^4)$. Furthermore, a variant of our proof shows that if in a directed graph $G$ there is no family of $k$ cycles such that every vertex of $G$ is in at most two of the cycles, then there exists a feedback vertex set in $G$ of size $O(k^6)$. On the way there we prove a more general result about quarter-integral packing of subgraphs of high directed treewidth: for every pair of positive integers $a$ and $b$, if a directed graph $G$ has directed treewidth $Ω(a^6 b^8 \log^2(ab))$, then one can find in $G$ a family of $a$ subgraphs, each of directed treewidth at least $b$, such that every vertex of $G$ is in at most four subgraphs.

cs.DM↗

Finding large $H$-colorable subgraphs in hereditary graph classes

We study the \textsc{Max Partial $H$-Coloring} problem: given a graph $G$, find the largest induced subgraph of $G$ that admits a homomorphism into $H$, where $H$ is a fixed pattern graph without loops. Note that when $H$ is a complete graph on $k$ vertices, the problem reduces to finding the largest induced $k$-colorable subgraph, which for $k=2$ is equivalent (by complementation) to \textsc{Odd Cycle Transversal}. We prove that for every fixed pattern graph $H$ without loops, \textsc{Max Partial $H$-Coloring} can be solved: $\bullet$ in $\{P_5,F\}$-free graphs in polynomial time, whenever $F$ is a threshold graph; $\bullet$ in $\{P_5,\textrm{bull}\}$-free graphs in polynomial time; $\bullet$ in $P_5$-free graphs in time $n^{\mathcal{O}(ω(G))}$; $\bullet$ in $\{P_6,\textrm{1-subdivided claw}\}$-free graphs in time $n^{\mathcal{O}(ω(G)^3)}$. Here, $n$ is the number of vertices of the input graph $G$ and $ω(G)$ is the maximum size of a clique in~$G$. Furthermore, combining the mentioned algorithms for $P_5$-free and for $\{P_6,\textrm{1-subdivided claw}\}$-free graphs with a simple branching procedure, we obtain subexponential-time algorithms for \textsc{Max Partial $H$-Coloring} in these classes of graphs. Finally, we show that even a restricted variant of \textsc{Max Partial $H$-Coloring} is $\mathsf{NP}$-hard in the considered subclasses of $P_5$-free graphs, if we allow loops on $H$.

cs.DS↗

Representing Graphs and Hypergraphs by Touching Polygons in 3D

Contact representations of graphs have a long history. Most research has focused on problems in 2D, but 3D contact representations have also been investigated, mostly concerning fully-dimensional geometric objects such as spheres or cubes. In this paper we study contact representations with convex polygons in 3D. We show that every graph admits such a representation. Since our representations use super-polynomial coordinates, we also construct representations on grids of polynomial size for specific graph classes (bipartite, subcubic). For hypergraphs, we represent their duals, that is, each vertex is represented by a point and each edge by a polygon. We show that even regular and quite small hypergraphs do not admit such representations. On the other hand, the two smallest Steiner triple systems can be represented.

cs.CG↗

Induced subgraphs of bounded treewidth and the container method

A hole in a graph is an induced cycle of length at least 4. A hole is long if its length is at least 5. By $P_t$ we denote a path on $t$ vertices. In this paper we give polynomial-time algorithms for the following problems: the Maximum Weight Independent Set problem in long-hole-free graphs, and the Feedback Vertex Set problem in $P_5$-free graphs. Each of the above results resolves a corresponding long-standing open problem. An extended $C_5$ is a five-vertex hole with an additional vertex adjacent to one or two consecutive vertices of the hole. Let $\mathcal{C}$ be the class of graphs excluding an extended $C_5$ and holes of length at least $6$ as induced subgraphs; $\mathcal{C}$ contains all long-hole-free graphs and all $P_5$-free graphs. We show that, given an $n$-vertex graph $G \in \mathcal{C}$ with vertex weights and an integer $k$, one can in time $n^{\Oh(k)}$ find a maximum-weight induced subgraph of $G$ of treewidth less than $k$. This implies both aforementioned results.

cs.DS↗

Fine-grained complexity of the graph homomorphism problem for bounded-treewidth graphs

For graphs $G$ and $H$, a \emph{homomorphism} from $G$ to $H$ is an edge-preserving mapping from the vertex set of $G$ to the vertex set of $H$. For a fixed graph $H$, by \textsc{Hom($H$)} we denote the computational problem which asks whether a given graph $G$ admits a homomorphism to $H$. If $H$ is a complete graph with $k$ vertices, then \textsc{Hom($H$)} is equivalent to the $k$-\textsc{Coloring} problem, so graph homomorphisms can be seen as generalizations of colorings. It is known that \textsc{Hom($H$)} is polynomial-time solvable if $H$ is bipartite or has a vertex with a loop, and NP-complete otherwise [Hell and Nešetřil, JCTB 1990]. In this paper we are interested in the complexity of the problem, parameterized by the treewidth of the input graph $G$. If $G$ has $n$ vertices and is given along with its tree decomposition of width $\mathrm{tw}(G)$, then the problem can be solved in time $|V(H)|^{\mathrm{tw}(G)} \cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$, using a straightforward dynamic programming. We explore whether this bound can be improved. We show that if $H$ is a \emph{projective core}, then the existence of such a faster algorithm is unlikely: assuming the Strong Exponential Time Hypothesis (SETH), the \textsc{Hom($H$)} problem cannot be solved in time $(|V(H)|-ε)^{\mathrm{tw}(G)} \cdot n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$, for any $ε> 0$. This result provides a full complexity characterization for a large class of graphs $H$, as almost all graphs are projective cores. We also notice that the naive algorithm can be improved for some graphs $H$, and show a complexity classification for all graphs $H$, assuming two conjectures from algebraic graph theory. In particular, there are no known graphs $H$ which are not covered by our result. In order to prove our results, we bring together some tools and techniques from algebra and from fine-grained complexity.

cs.CC↗