English

Half-integral Erd\H{o}s-P\'{o}sa property for non-null $S$-$T$ paths

Combinatorics 2024-08-30 v1 Discrete Mathematics

Abstract

For a group Γ\Gamma, a Γ\Gamma-labelled graph is an undirected graph GG where every orientation of an edge is assigned an element of Γ\Gamma so that opposite orientations of the same edge are assigned inverse elements. A path in GG is non-null if the product of the labels along the path is not the neutral element of Γ\Gamma. We prove that for every finite group Γ\Gamma, non-null SS-TT paths in Γ\Gamma-labelled graphs exhibit the half-integral Erd\H{o}s-P\'osa property. More precisely, there is a function ff, depending on Γ\Gamma, such that for every Γ\Gamma-labelled graph GG, subsets of vertices SS and TT, and integer kk, one of the following objects exists: a family F\cal F consisting of kk non-null SS-TT paths in GG such that every vertex of GG participates in at most two paths of F\cal F; or a set XX consisting of at most f(k)f(k) vertices that meets every non-null SS-TT path in GG. This in particular proves that in undirected graphs SS-TT paths of odd length have the half-integral Erd\H{o}s-P\'osa property.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2408.16344,
  title  = {Half-integral Erd\H{o}s-P\'{o}sa property for non-null $S$-$T$ paths},
  author = {Vera Chekan and Colin Geniet and Meike Hatzel and Michał Pilipczuk and Marek Sokołowski and Michał T. Seweryn and Marcin Witkowski},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2408.16344},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

12 pages, 1 figure