Related papers: Critical Kernel Imperfectness in $4$-quasi-transit…

A directed graph $D=(V(D),A(D))$ has a kernel if there exists an independent set $K\subseteq V(D)$ such that every vertex $v\in V(D)-K$ has an ingoing arc $u\mathbin{\longrightarrow}v$ for some $u\in K$. There are directed graphs that do…

Let $D = (V(D), A(D))$ be a digraph. A subset $S \subseteq V(D)$ is $k$-independent if the distance between every pair of vertices of $S$ is at least $k$, and it is $\ell$-absorbent if for every vertex $u$ in $V(D) \setminus S$ there exists…

In a digraph, a quasi-kernel is a subset of vertices that is independent and such that every vertex can reach some vertex in that set via a directed path of length at most two. Whereas Chv\'atal and Lov\'asz proved in 1974 that every…

A digraph such that every proper induced subdigraph has a kernel is said to be \emph{kernel perfect} (KP for short) (\emph{critical kernel imperfect} (CKI for short) resp.) if the digraph has a kernel (does not have a kernel resp.). The…

A kernel of a directed graph is a subset of vertices that is both independent and absorbing (every vertex not in the kernel has an out-neighbour in the kernel). Not all directed graphs contain kernels, and computing a kernel or deciding…

In a digraph, a quasi-kernel is a subset of vertices that is independent and such that the shortest path from every vertex to this subset is of length at most two. The ``small quasi-kernel conjecture,'' proposed by Erd\H{o}s and Sz\'ekely…

Let $k$ be an integer with $k\geq 2$. A $k$-king in a digraph $D$ is a vertex which can reach every other vertex by a directed path of length at most $k$ and a non-king is a vertex which is not a 3-king. A subset $K$ is $k$-independent if…

In a directed graph, a kernel is a subset of vertices that is both stable and absorbing. Not all digraphs have a kernel, but a theorem due to Boros and Gurvich guarantees the existence of a kernel in every clique-acyclic orientation of a…

Given a directed graph G=(V,E) an independent set A of the vertices V is called quasi-kernel (quasi-sink) iff for each point v there is a path of length at most 2 from some point of A to v (from v to some point of A). Every finite directed…

We present a polyhedral description of kernels in orientations of line multigraphs. Given a digraph $D$, let $FK(D)$ denote the fractional kernel polytope defined on $D$, and let ${\sigma}(D)$ denote the linear system defining $FK(D)$. A…

Given a digraph $D$, we say that a set of vertices $Q\subseteq V(D)$ is a $q$-kernel if $Q$ is an independent set and if every vertex of $D$ can be reached from $Q$ by a path of length at most $q$. In this paper, we initiate the study of…

It is well known that determining if a digraph has a kernel is an NP-complete problem. However, Topp proved that when subdividing every arc of a digraph we obtain a digraph with a kernel. In this paper we define the kernel subdivision…

An independent vertex subset $S$ of the directed graph $G$ is a kernel if the set of out-neighbors of $S$ is $V(G)\setminus S$. An independent vertex subset $Q$ of $G$ is a quasi-kernel if the union of the first and second out-neighbors…

Let $D=(V,A)$ be a digraph. A vertex set $K\subseteq V$ is a quasi-kernel of $D$ if $K$ is an independent set in $D$ and for every vertex $v\in V\setminus K$, $v$ is at most distance 2 from $K$. In 1974, Chv\'atal and Lov\'asz proved that…

A map between connected $2$-manifolds has a geometric kernel if it sends a non-contractible simple loop to a null-homotopic loop. While every non-$\pi_1$-injective map between compact surfaces admits a geometric kernel, this generally fails…

A {\em kernel by properly colored paths} of an arc-colored digraph $D$ is a set $S$ of vertices of $D$ such that (i) no two vertices of $S$ are connected by a properly colored directed path in $D$, and (ii) every vertex outside $S$ can…

A {\em quasi-kernel} of a digraph $D$ is an independent set $Q\subseteq V(D)$ such that for every vertex $v\in V(D)\backslash Q$, there exists a directed path with one or two arcs from $v$ to a vertex $u\in Q$. In 1974, Chv\'{a}tal and…

Let $D$ be a digraph. We call a subset $N$ of $V(D)$ $k$-independent if for every pair of vertices $u,v \in N$, $d(u,v) \geq k$; and we call it $\ell$-absorbent if for every vertex $u \in V(D) \setminus N$, there exists $v \in N$ such that…

A quasi-kernel of a digraph $D$ is an independent set $Q$ such that every vertex can reach $Q$ in at most two steps. A 48-year conjecture made by P.L. Erd\H{o}s and Sz\'ekely, denoted the small QK conjecture, says that every sink-free…

In a digraph, a kernel is a subset of vertices that is both independent and absorbing. Kernels have important applications in combinatorics and outside. Kernels do not always exist and finding sufficient conditions ensuring their existence…