On the average size of independent sets in triangle-free graphs

DOI10.1090/PROC/13728zbMATH Open1375.05194arXiv1606.01043OpenAlexW2416946508MaRDI QIDQ4590969FDOQ4590969

Authors: Ewan Davies, Matthew Jenssen, Will Perkins, Barnaby Roberts 

Publication date: 21 November 2017

Published in: Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We prove an asymptotically tight lower bound on the average size of independent sets in a triangle-free graph on $n$ vertices with maximum degree $d$, showing that an independent set drawn uniformly at random from such a graph has expected size at least $(1+o_d(1))fraclogddn$. This gives an alternative proof of Shearer's upper bound on the Ramsey number $R(3,k)$. We then prove that the total number of independent sets in a triangle-free graph with maximum degree $d$ is at least $expleft[left(frac12+o_d(1)ight)fraclo{g}^{2}ddnight]$. The constant $1/2$ in the exponent is best possible. In both cases, tightness is exhibited by a random $d$-regular graph. Both results come from considering the hard-core model from statistical physics: a random independent set $I$ drawn from a graph with probability proportional to $lambd{a}^{|I|}$, for a fugacity parameter $lambda>0$. We prove a general lower bound on the occupancy fraction (normalized expected size of the random independent set) of the hard-core model on triangle-free graphs of maximum degree $d$. The bound is asymptotically tight in $d$ for all $lambda=O_d(1)$. We conclude by stating several conjectures on the relationship between the average and maximum size of an independent set in a triangle-free graph and give some consequences of these conjectures in Ramsey theory.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.01043

Recommendations

• Counting independent sets in triangle-free graphs
• Occupancy fraction, fractional colouring, and triangle fraction
• Counting Independent Sets in Hypergraphs
• Dynamic concentration of the triangle-free process
• Independence, odd girth, and average degree

zbMATH Keywords

Ramsey theoryhard-core modelindependent sets

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Vertex subsets with special properties (dominating sets, independent sets, cliques, etc.) (05C69) Generalized Ramsey theory (05C55) Ramsey theory (05D10) Probabilistic methods in extremal combinatorics, including polynomial methods (combinatorial Nullstellensatz, etc.) (05D40)

Cites Work

• Title not available (Why is that?)
• An entropy approach to the hard-core model on bipartite graphs
• The probabilistic method
• The number of independent sets in a regular graph
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• The Ramsey number R(3, t) has order of magnitude t²/log t
• Graph colouring and the probabilistic method
• A note on the independence number of triangle-free graphs
• A note on Ramsey numbers
• On independent sets in hypergraphs
• Decay of correlations for the hardcore model on the \(d\)-regular random graph
• On the independence number of sparse graphs
• Dynamic concentration of the triangle-free process
• Counting Independent Sets in Hypergraphs
• The Triangle-Free Process and the Ramsey Number 𝑅(3,𝑘)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Independence numbers of locally sparse graphs and a Ramsey type problem
• On the Ramsey numbers R(3,8) and R(3,9)
• Lower matching conjecture, and a new proof of Schrijver's and Gurvits's theorems
• Independent sets, matchings, and occupancy fractions
• Counting independent sets in triangle-free graphs
• An upper bound for the number of independent sets in regular graphs

Cited In (21)

• Counting proper colourings in 4-regular graphs via the Potts model
• Occupancy fraction, fractional colouring, and triangle fraction
• The average size of independent sets of graphs
• The number of independent sets in an irregular graph
• Embedding Graphs into Larger Graphs: Results, Methods, and Problems
• Minimizing the number of independent sets in triangle-free regular graphs
• On the average order of a dominating set of a forest
• Counting Independent Sets in Hypergraphs
• Approximately Counting Independent Sets of a Given Size in Bounded-Degree Graphs
• Extremal Regular Graphs: Independent Sets and Graph Homomorphisms
• ON THE HARD SPHERE MODEL AND SPHERE PACKINGS IN HIGH DIMENSIONS
• On the number of independent sets in uniform, regular, linear hypergraphs
• Graph and hypergraph colouring via nibble methods: a survey
• A tight upper bound on the average order of dominating sets of a graph
• Tight bounds on the coefficients of partition functions via stability
• A reverse Sidorenko inequality
• Counting colorings of triangle-free graphs
• Counting independent sets in triangle-free graphs
• Two Conjectures in Ramsey--Turán Theory
• On kissing numbers and spherical codes in high dimensions
• Counting independent sets in cubic graphs of given girth

This page was built for publication: On the average size of independent sets in triangle-free graphs

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q4590969)