On component-size bounded Steiner trees (Q1894356)

A Steiner tree is a tree interconnecting a given set of points in a metric space such that all leaves are given points. A full component of a Steiner tree is a subtree which results from splitting the Steiner tree at some given points. A \(k\)-size Steiner tree is a Steiner tree in which every full component has at most \(k\) given points. The \(k\)-Steiner ratio \(\rho_k (M)\) is the largest lower bound for the ratio between lengths of a minimum Steiner tree and a minimum \(k\)-size Steiner tree for the same set of points in the metric space \(M\). Define \(\rho_k= \inf_M \rho_k (M)\), where \(M\) runs over all metric spaces. Zelikovsky showed in an unpublished manuscript that \(\rho_3\geq 3/5\). The present paper shows that equality holds.