License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0)
When quoting this document, please refer to the following
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2021.4
URN: urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-153879
URL: http://dagstuhl.sunsite.rwth-aachen.de/volltexte/2021/15387/
Go to the corresponding LIPIcs Volume Portal

Araújo, Júlio ; Bougeret, Marin ; Campos, Victor ; Sau, Ignasi

A New Framework for Kernelization Lower Bounds: The Case of Maximum Minimal Vertex Cover

pdf-format:
LIPIcs-IPEC-2021-4.pdf (1.0 MB)

Abstract

In the Maximum Minimal Vertex Cover (MMVC) problem, we are given a graph G and a positive integer k, and the objective is to decide whether G contains a minimal vertex cover of size at least k. Motivated by the kernelization of MMVC with parameter k, our main contribution is to introduce a simple general framework to obtain lower bounds on the degrees of a certain type of polynomial kernels for vertex-optimization problems, which we call {lop-kernels}. Informally, this type of kernels is required to preserve large optimal solutions in the reduced instance, and captures the vast majority of existing kernels in the literature. As a consequence of this framework, we show that the trivial quadratic kernel for MMVC is essentially optimal, answering a question of Boria et al. [Discret. Appl. Math. 2015], and that the known cubic kernel for Maximum Minimal Feedback Vertex Set is also essentially optimal. On the positive side, given the (plausible) non-existence of subquadratic kernels for MMVC on general graphs, we provide subquadratic kernels on H-free graphs for several graphs H, such as the bull, the paw, or the complete graphs, by making use of the Erdős-Hajnal property in order to find an appropriate decomposition. Finally, we prove that MMVC does not admit polynomial kernels parameterized by the size of a minimum vertex cover of the input graph, even on bipartite graphs, unless NP ⊆ coNP / poly. This indicates that parameters smaller than the solution size are unlike to yield polynomial kernels for MMVC.

BibTeX - Entry

@InProceedings{araujo_et_al:LIPIcs.IPEC.2021.4,
  author =	{Ara\'{u}jo, J\'{u}lio and Bougeret, Marin and Campos, Victor and Sau, Ignasi},
  title =	{{A New Framework for Kernelization Lower Bounds: The Case of Maximum Minimal Vertex Cover}},
  booktitle =	{16th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2021)},
  pages =	{4:1--4:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-216-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{214},
  editor =	{Golovach, Petr A. and Zehavi, Meirav},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/opus/volltexte/2021/15387},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-153879},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2021.4},
  annote =	{Keywords: Maximum minimal vertex cover, parameterized complexity, polynomial kernel, kernelization lower bound, Erd\H{o}s-Hajnal property, induced subgraphs}
}

Keywords: Maximum minimal vertex cover, parameterized complexity, polynomial kernel, kernelization lower bound, Erdős-Hajnal property, induced subgraphs
Collection: 16th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2021)
Issue Date: 2021
Date of publication: 22.11.2021

DROPS-Home | Fulltext Search | Imprint | Privacy Published by LZI