Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T05:44:48.475Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Maximizing the Number of Independent Sets of a Fixed Size

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2014

WENYING GAN
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, ETH, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland (e-mail: ganw@math.ethz.ch, benjamin.sudakov@math.ethz.ch)
PO-SHEN LOH
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA (e-mail: ploh@cmu.edu)
BENNY SUDAKOV
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, ETH, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland (e-mail: ganw@math.ethz.ch, benjamin.sudakov@math.ethz.ch)

Abstract

Let it(G) be the number of independent sets of size t in a graph G. Engbers and Galvin asked how large it(G) could be in graphs with minimum degree at least δ. They further conjectured that when n ⩾ 2δ and t ⩾ 3, it(G) is maximized by the complete bipartite graph Kδ,n−δ. This conjecture has recently drawn the attention of many researchers. In this short note, we prove this conjecture.

Type
Paper
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

[1]Alexander, J., Cutler, J. and Mink, T. (2012) Independent sets in graphs with given minimum degree. Electron. J. Combin. 19 P37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[2]Alexander, J. and Mink, T. (2013) A new method for enumerating independent sets of a fixed size in general graphs. arXiv:1308.3242Google Scholar
[3]Cutler, J. and Radcliffe, A. J. (2013) The maximum number of complete subgraphs in a graph with given maximum degree. J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 104 6071.Google Scholar
[4]Engbers, J. and Galvin, D. (2014) Counting independent sets of a fixed size in graphs with a given minimum degree. J. Graph Theory 76 149168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[5]Galvin, D. (2011) Two problems on independent sets in graphs. Discrete Math. 311 21052112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[6]Kahn, J. (2001) An entropy approach to the hard-core model on bipartite graphs. Combin. Probab. Comput. 10 219237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[7]Katona, G. (1968) A theorem of finite sets. In Theory of Graphs: Proc. Colloq., Tihhany, 1966, Academic Press, pp. 187207.Google Scholar
[8]Kruskal, J. B. (1964) The number of simplices in a complex. In Mathematical Optimization Techniques (Bellman, R., ed.), University of California Press, pp. 251278.Google Scholar
[9]Law, H. and McDiarmid, C. (2013) On independent sets in graphs with given minimum degree. Combin. Probab. Comput. 22 874884.Google Scholar
[10]Lovász, L. (2007) Combinatorial Problems and Exercises, AMS.Google Scholar
[11]Sauvé, I. L. (1961) On chromatic graphs. Amer. Math. Monthly 68 107111.Google Scholar
[12]Zhao, Y. (2010) The number of independent sets in a regular graph. Combin. Probab. Comput. 19 109112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar