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We prove that for all $0\leq t\leq k$ and $d\geq 2k$, every graph $G$ with treewidth at most $k$ has a `large' induced subgraph $H$, where $H$ has treewidth at most $t$ and every vertex in $H$ has degree at most $d$ in $G$. The order of $H$…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2007-05-23 Prosenjit Bose , Vida Dujmovic , David R. Wood

This paper shows that $K_t$-minor-free (and $K_{s, t}$-minor-free) graphs $G$ are subgraphs of products of a tree-like graph $H$ (of bounded treewidth) and a complete graph $K_m$. Our results include optimal bounds on the treewidth of $H$…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2024-11-11 Freddie Illingworth , Alex Scott , David R. Wood

In the first paper of the Graph Minors series [JCTB '83], Robertson and Seymour proved the Forest Minor theorem: the $H$-minor-free graphs have bounded pathwidth if and only if $H$ is a forest. In recent years, considerable effort has been…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2025-12-02 Édouard Bonnet , Benjamin Duhamel , Robert Hickingbotham

We continue the study of $(\mathrm{tw},\omega)$-bounded graph classes, that is, hereditary graph classes in which the treewidth can only be large due to the presence of a large clique, with the goal of understanding the extent to which this…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2023-12-19 Clément Dallard , Martin Milanič , Kenny Štorgel

We prove that $\{\overline{K_3}, H\}$-free graphs are not counterexamples to Hadwiger's Conjecture, where $H$ is any one of 33 graphs on seven, eight, or nine vertices, or $H=K_8$. This improves on past results of Plummer-Stiebitz-Toft,…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2022-11-02 Daniel Carter

We show that every graph has an induced pseudoforest of at least $n-m/4.5$ vertices, an induced partial 2-tree of at least $n-m/5$ vertices, and an induced planar subgraph of at least $n-m/5.2174$ vertices. These results are constructive,…

Computational Geometry · Computer Science 2015-07-16 Glencora Borradaile , David Eppstein , Pingan Zhu

We prove that for any fixed r>=2, the tree-width of graphs not containing K_r as a topological minor (resp. as a subgraph) is bounded by a linear (resp. polynomial) function of their rank-width. We also present refinements of our bounds for…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2014-03-26 Fedor V. Fomin , Sang-il Oum , Dimitrios M. Thilikos

Motivated by a question of Galby, Munaro, and Yang (SoCG 2023) asking whether every graph class of bounded layered tree-independence number admits clique-based separators of sublinear weight, we investigate relations between layered…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2025-06-17 Clément Dallard , Martin Milanič , Andrea Munaro , Shizhou Yang

The tree-independence number tree-$\alpha$, first defined and studied by Dallard, Milani\v{c} and \v{S}torgel, is a variant of treewidth tailored to solving the maximum independent set problem. Over a series of papers, Abrishami et al.…

For every graph $X$, we consider the class of all connected $\{K_{1,3}, X\}$-free graphs which are distinct from an odd cycle and have independence number at least $4$, and we show that all graphs in the class are perfect if and only if $X$…

We prove that the tree independence number of every even-hole-free graph is at most polylogarithmic in its number of vertices. More explicitly, we prove that there exists a constant c>0 such that for every integer n>1 every n-vertex…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2024-07-15 Maria Chudnovsky , Peter Gartland , Sepehr Hajebi , Daniel Lokshtanov , Sophie Spirkl

Given a family $\mathcal{H}$ of graphs, we say that a graph $G$ is $\mathcal{H}$-free if no induced subgraph of $G$ is isomorphic to a member of $\mathcal{H}$. Let $W_{t\times t}$ be the $t$-by-$t$ hexagonal grid and let $\mathcal{L}_t$ be…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2025-09-22 Maria Chudnovsky , Julien Codsi

We consider the $H$-Induced Minor problem: for a fixed graph~$H$, decide whether a given graph $G$ contains $H$ as an induced minor. While the problem is known to be NP-complete for some trees~$H$ on more than $2^{300}$ vertices, the…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2026-04-28 Tala Eagling-Vose , Barnaby Martin , Daniël Paulusma , Nicolas Trotignon

The Gyarfas-Sumner conjecture asserts that if H is a tree then every graph with bounded clique number and very large chromatic number contains H as an induced subgraph. This is still open, although it has been proved for a few simple…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2018-12-06 Maria Chudnovsky , Alex Scott , Paul Seymour

Let $G$ be a graph, $S \subseteq V(G)$ be a vertex set in $G$ and $r$ be a positive integer. The distance $r$-independence number of $S$ is the size of the largest subset $I \subseteq S$ such that no pair $u$, $v$ of vertices in $I$ have a…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2026-05-07 Maria Chudnovsky , Julien Codsi , Ajaykrishnan E S , Daniel Lokshtanov

Let H be a tree. It was proved by Rodl that graphs that do not contain H as an induced subgraph, and do not contain the complete bipartite graph $K_{t,t}$ as a subgraph, have bounded chromatic number. Kierstead and Penrice strengthened…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2021-07-27 Alex Scott , Paul Seymour , Sophie Spirkl

A graph is "$H$-free" if it has no induced subgraph isomorphic to $H$. A conjecture of Conlon, Fox and Sudakov states that for every graph $H$, there exists $s>0$ such that in every $H$-free graph with $n>1$ vertices, either some vertex has…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2020-12-08 Maria Chudnovsky , Jacob Fox , Alex Scott , Paul Seymour , Sophie Spirkl

We construct classes of graphs that are variants of the so-called layered wheel. One of their key properties is that while the treewidth is bounded by a function of the clique number, the construction can be adjusted to make the dependance…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2025-11-04 Maria Chudnovsky , Nicolas Trotignon

For a graph G, let t(G) denote the maximum number of vertices in an induced subgraph of G that is a tree. In this paper, we study the problem of bounding t(G) for graphs which do not contain a complete graph K_r on r vertices. This problem…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2008-10-25 Jacob Fox , Po-Shen Loh , Benny Sudakov

We prove a conjecture of Sintiari and Trotignon that every even-hole-free graph of sufficiently large treewidth contains a four-vertex induced subgraph with at least five edges (that is, either the four-vertex complete graph or the unique…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2025-10-08 Bogdan Alecu , Maria Chudnovsky , Sepehr Hajebi , Sophie Spirkl