English

Minimal percolating sets in bootstrap percolation

Combinatorics 2008-10-14 v2

Abstract

In standard bootstrap percolation, a subset A of the n x n grid is initially infected. A new site is then infected if at least two of its neighbours are infected, and an infected site stays infected forever. The set A is said to percolate if eventually the entire grid is infected. A percolating set is said to be minimal if none of its subsets percolate. Answering a question of Bollobas, we show that there exists a minimal percolating set of size 4n^2/33 + o(n^2), but there does not exist one larger than (n + 2)^2/6.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.math/0702370,
  title  = {Minimal percolating sets in bootstrap percolation},
  author = {Robert Morris},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math/0702370},
  year   = {2008}
}

Comments

19 pgs, 4 figures, thorough rewrite, to appear in Electronic J. Combinatorics