On Relaxation of Dominant Sets

In a graph $G = (V,E)$, a k-ruling set $S$ is one in which all vertices $V$ \ $S$ are at most $k$ distance from $S$. Finding a minimum k-ruling set is intrinsically linked to the minimum dominating set problem and maximal independent set problem, which have been extensively studied in graph theory. This paper presents the first known algorithm for solving all k-ruling set problems in conjunction with known minimum dominating set algorithms at only additional polynomial time cost compared to a minimum dominating set. The algorithm further succeeds for $(\alpha, \alpha - 1)$ ruling sets in which $\alpha > 1$, for which constraints exist on the proximity of vertices v $\in S$. This secondary application instead works in conjunction with maximal independent set algorithms.