The results reveal that, in this setting, MCIS is strictly harder than ISI, and it is shown that it becomes NP-hard already when each input graph has cluster vertex deletion number 2.
Abstract
We study the parameterized complexity of Induced Subgraph Isomorphism (ISI) and Maximum Common Induced Subgraph (MCIS) with respect to the cluster vertex deletion number $k$. For ISI, we give a randomized $O^*(k^{O(k)})$-time algorithm, showing that ISI is fixed-parameter tractable under this parameter and resolving an open question of Hanaka et al. [WALCOM 2026]. Our algorithm is optimal under the Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH), and is based on a reduction to Exact Multicolored Matching solvable via algebraic techniques. For MCIS, we present a randomized $O^*(2^{O(k^2)})$-time algorithm via a reduction to a weighted variant of Exact Multicolored Matching, and we prove a matching ETH-based lower bound by showing that a $k$-by-$k$ binary matrix feasibility problem with list-constrained rows and columns admits no $O^*(2^{o(k^2)})$-time algorithm, which may be of independent interest. These results reveal that, in this setting, MCIS is strictly harder than ISI. Finally, for the three-graph variant 3-MCIS, we show that it becomes NP-hard already when each input graph has cluster vertex deletion number 2.
Motivated by recent work on tree independence number, we study the path independence number of a graph $G$: the minimum integer $k$ such that there is a path decomposition of $G$ where each bag induces a graph with independence number at most $k$. We show that every graph excluding both an induced forest minor and an induced star has bounded path independence number. This characterises when a graph class that excludes an induced star has bounded path independence number while also partially resolving a conjecture of Dallard, Krnc, Kwon, Milani{\v{c}}, Munaro, \v{S}torgel and Wiederrecht (2024). Furthermore, we show that graphs excluding both an apex-forest induced minor and an induced star have bounded tree independence number. As a consequence, for every fixed apex-forest $H$ and integer $t$, there is a polynomial-time algorithm to test whether a $K_{1,t}$-induced-subgraph-free graph contains $H$ as an induced minor. Moreover, it follows that the Maximum Weight Independent Set problem, as well as several other NP-hard problems, can be solved in polynomial-time on $K_{1,t}$-induced-subgraph-free graphs that exclude $H$ as an induced minor.
In this paper, we study the Pattern Avoidance problem of determining whether a given graph $G$ admits a linear vertex order which avoids a given pattern $P$, i.e., a vertex sequence with some forced and forbidden edges, on every suborder. Such patterns form a natural ordered counterpart to induced subgraphs in the order-invariant setting, and it is known that Pattern Avoidance captures a broad variety of graph problems including Bandwidth, Vertex Coloring, Queue Number, and extends to vertex-deletion problems such as Odd Cycle Transversal. We show that Pattern Avoidance is $\Sigma_2^{\textsf{P}}$-complete and furthermore remains intractable (in both the classical and parameterized sense) even under a variety of severe restrictions to both the pattern $P$ and the graph $G$. As our main contributions, we complement these lower bounds with the following tractability results, which provide a unifying framework for recognizing pattern-definable graph classes: - a fixed-parameter algorithm w.r.t. the vertex integrity of $G$ plus $|V(P)|$, - a fixed-parameter algorithm w.r.t. the neighborhood diversity of $G$ plus $|E(P)|$, and - a polynomial algorithm for Pattern Avoidance on forests for almost all constant-sized patterns.
Thomas Depian, S. D. Fink, Alexander Firbas et al.· 0 citations
Strong Connectivity Augmentation (SCA) asks whether a directed acyclic graph can be made strongly connected by adding at most $k$ prescribed links whose total weight is within a given budget. Klinkby, Misra, and Saurabh (SODA 2021) gave an $O^*(2^{O(k\log k)})$-time algorithm and asked whether the problem admits a single-exponential parameterized algorithm and a polynomial kernel. We answer both questions affirmatively: SCA can be solved in $O^*(9^k)$ time and admits a polynomial kernel with $O(k^4)$ vertices and $O(k^{16})$ bits. For unweighted SCA, we obtain $O^*(4^k)$ time and a kernel with $O(k^3)$ vertices. Our algorithms are based on a particularly simple reduction to Strongly Connected Spanning Subgraph with two edge costs.
A {\it threshold graph} is a graph that can be constructed from the one-vertex graph by repeatedly adding either a dominating vertex or an isolated vertex. Motivated by an induced Ramsey-type problem for this class, we define $r'_2(s)$ to be the minimum integer $n$ such that every $n$-vertex graph contains an induced threshold graph on $s$ vertices. We establish exponential upper and lower bounds for $r'_2(s)$ and determine its exact values for $s\in\{3,4,5,6\}$. To study this problem from an edge-coloring perspective, we use the notion of an orderable coloring, introduced by Richer [{\it J. Combin. Theory Ser. B}, 80(1) (2000), 172--177]. An edge-colored graph is {\it orderable} if its vertices can be ordered so that, for each vertex, all edges from it to later vertices have the same color. Equivalently, $r'_2(s)$ is the minimum $n$ such that every $2$-edge-coloring of $K_n$ contains an orderable $K_s$. We also determine the exact value of the unordered canonical Ramsey number $CR(s, 3)$ for all $s \ge 3$, where $CR(s,3)$ denotes the minimum integer $n$ such that every edge-coloring of $K_n$ contains either an orderable $K_s$ or a rainbow $K_3$. More generally, for graphs $G$ and $H$, we study $r'_2(G)$, the corresponding $2$-color Ramsey number for an orderable $G$, and $CR(G,H)$, where the alternative is a rainbow $H$. For complete bipartite graphs, we prove that for every fixed $s$, $r'_2(K_{s,t}) = CR(K_{s,t}, K_3)= \left(\frac{2^s}{s+1}+o(1)\right)t$ as $t\to\infty$. For $s\in \{2,3\}$, we further determine the exact values of these parameters for infinitely many $t$, using constructions arising from strongly regular graphs, Hadamard matrices and conference matrices.
The local clique cover number $lcc(G)$ is the minimum valency of an edge-clique cover of $G$. We prove the conjectured inequality $lcc(G)+\chi(G)\le |V(G)|+1$ for every finite simple graph. The proof gives an independent set improvement of an endpoint-cover estimate and applies the resulting construction to an induced four-vertex path. We further prove that the cover can be chosen so that every nonuniversal vertex has valency at most $|V(G)|-\chi(G)$. Consequently, every graph attaining equality has a universal vertex. The stronger statement follows by reducing a counterexample of minimum order to a prime double-critical graph and refining the induced path extension. We also show that an induced matching of size $m\ge2$ yields $lcc(G)+\chi(G)\le |V(G)|+3-m$, which improves the general bound when $m\ge3$, and determine the restrictions imposed by equality on deletion of an induced $2K_2$.
A. Davoodi· 0 citations
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