Given a graph $G$ and two independent sets of $G$, the independent set reconfiguration problem asks whether one independent set can be transformed into the other by moving a single vertex at a time, such that at each intermediate step we have an independent set of $G$. We study the complexity of this problem for $H$-free graphs under the token sliding and token jumping rule. Our contribution is twofold. First, we prove a reconfiguration analogue of Alekseev's theorem, showing that the problem is PSPACE-complete unless $H$ is a path or a subdivision of the claw. We then show that under the token sliding rule, the problem admits a polynomial-time algorithm if the input graph is fork-free.
We settle the complexity of the Independent Set Reconfiguration problem on bipartite graphs under all three commonly studied reconfiguration models. We show that under the token jumping or token addition/removal model the problem is NP-complete. For the token sliding model, we show that the problem remains PSPACE-complete.
This paper proposes an algorithmic framework for various reconfiguration problems using zero-suppressed binary decision diagrams (ZDDs), a data structure for families of sets. In general, a reconfiguration problem checks if there is a step-by-step transformation between two given feasible solutions (e.g., independent sets of an input graph) of a fixed search problem such that all intermediate results are also feasible and each step obeys a fixed reconfiguration rule (e.g., adding/removing a single vertex to/from an independent set). The solution space formed by all feasible solutions can be ex…
We study problems of reconfiguration of shortest paths in graphs. We prove that the shortest reconfiguration sequence can be exponential in the size of the graph and that it is NP-hard to compute the shortest reconfiguration sequence even when we know that the sequence has polynomial length. Moreover, we also study reconfiguration of independent sets in three different models and analyze relationships between these models, observing that shortest path reconfiguration is a special case of independent set reconfiguration in perfect graphs, under any of the three models. Finally, we give polynomi…
Suppose that two independent sets $I$ and $J$ of a graph with $\vert I \vert = \vert J \vert$ are given, and a token is placed on each vertex in $I$. The Sliding Token problem is to determine whether there exists a sequence of independent sets which transforms $I$ into $J$ so that each independent set in the sequence results from the previous one by sliding exactly one token along an edge in the graph. It is one of the representative reconfiguration problems that attract the attention from the viewpoint of theoretical computer science. For a yes-instance of a reconfiguration problem, finding a…
The independent set reconfiguration problem asks whether one can transform one given independent set of a graph into another, by changing vertices one by one in such a way the intermediate sets remain independent. Extremal problems on independent sets are widely studied: for example, it is well known that an $n$-vertex graph has at most $3^{n/3}$ maximum independent sets (and this is tight). This paper investigates the asymptotic behavior of maximum possible length of a shortest reconfiguration sequence for independent sets of size $k$ among all $n$-vertex graphs. We give a tight bound for $k=…
Traditionally, reconfiguration problems ask the question whether a given solution of an optimization problem can be transformed to a target solution in a sequence of small steps that preserve feasibility of the intermediate solutions. In this paper, rather than asking this question from an algorithmic perspective, we analyze the combinatorial structure behind it. We consider the problem of reconfiguring one independent set into another, using two different processes: (1) exchanging exactly $k$ vertices in each step, or (2) removing or adding one vertex in each step while ensuring the intermedi…
A graph vertex-subset problem defines which subsets of the vertices of an input graph are feasible solutions. We view a feasible solution as a set of tokens placed on the vertices of the graph. A reconfiguration variant of a vertex-subset problem asks, given two feasible solutions of size $k$, whether it is possible to transform one into the other by a sequence of token slides (along edges of the graph) or token jumps (between arbitrary vertices of the graph) such that each intermediate set remains a feasible solution of size $k$. Many algorithmic questions present themselves in the form of re…
We study reconfiguration problems for cliques in a graph, which determine whether there exists a sequence of cliques that transforms a given clique into another one in a step-by-step fashion. As one step of a transformation, we consider three different types of rules, which are defined and studied in reconfiguration problems for independent sets. We first prove that all the three rules are equivalent in cliques. We then show that the problems are PSPACE-complete for perfect graphs, while we give polynomial-time algorithms for several classes of graphs, such as even-hole-free graphs and cograph…
We study the following independent set reconfiguration problem, called TAR-Reachability: given two independent sets $I$ and $J$ of a graph $G$, both of size at least $k$, is it possible to transform $I$ into $J$ by adding and removing vertices one-by-one, while maintaining an independent set of size at least $k$ throughout? This problem is known to be PSPACE-hard in general. For the case that $G$ is a cograph (i.e. $P_4$-free graph) on $n$ vertices, we show that it can be solved in time $O(n^2)$, and that the length of a shortest reconfiguration sequence from $I$ to $J$ is bounded by $4n-2k$, …
Given a graph $G$ and two independent sets $I_s$ and $I_t$ of size $k$, the independent set reconfiguration problem asks whether there exists a sequence of $k$-sized independent sets $I_s = I_0, I_1, I_2, \ldots, I_\ell = I_t$ such that each independent set is obtained from the previous one using a so-called reconfiguration step. Viewing each independent set as a collection of $k$ tokens placed on the vertices of a graph $G$, the two most studied reconfiguration steps are token jumping and token sliding. In the token jumping variant of the problem, a single step allows a token to jump from one…
Assume we are given a graph $G$, two independent sets $S$ and $T$ in $G$ of size $k \geq 1$, and a positive integer $\ell \geq 1$. The goal is to decide whether there exists a sequence $\langle I_0, I_1, ..., I_\ell \rangle$ of independent sets such that for all $j \in \{0,\ldots,\ell-1\}$ the set $I_j$ is an independent set of size $k$, $I_0 = S$, $I_\ell = T$, and $I_{j+1}$ is obtained from $I_j$ by a predetermined reconfiguration rule. We consider two reconfiguration rules. Intuitively, we view each independent set as a collection of tokens placed on the vertices of the graph. Then, the Tok…
\textsc{Directed Token Sliding} asks, given a directed graph and two sets of pairwise nonadjacent vertices, whether one can reach from one set to the other by repeatedly applying a local operation that exchanges a vertex in the current set with one of its out-neighbors, while keeping the nonadjacency. It can be seen as a reconfiguration process where a token is placed on each vertex in the current set, and the local operation slides a token along an arc respecting its direction. Previously, such a problem was extensively studied on undirected graphs, where the edges have no directions and thus…
We study the perfect matching reconfiguration problem: Given two perfect matchings of a graph, is there a sequence of flip operations that transforms one into the other? Here, a flip operation exchanges the edges in an alternating cycle of length four. We are interested in the complexity of this decision problem from the viewpoint of graph classes. We first prove that the problem is PSPACE-complete even for split graphs and for bipartite graphs of bounded bandwidth with maximum degree five. We then investigate polynomial-time solvable cases. Specifically, we prove that the problem is solvable …
Let $\mathcal{Q}$ be a vertex subset problem on graphs. In a reconfiguration variant of $\mathcal{Q}$ we are given a graph $G$ and two feasible solutions $S_s, S_t\subseteq V(G)$ of $\mathcal{Q}$ with $|S_s|=|S_t|=k$. The problem is to determine whether there exists a sequence $S_1,\ldots,S_n$ of feasible solutions, where $S_1=S_s$, $S_n=S_t$, $|S_i|\leq k\pm 1$, and each $S_{i+1}$ results from $S_i$, $1\leq i<n$, by the addition or removal of a single vertex. We prove that for every nowhere dense class of graphs and for every integer $r\geq 1$ there exists a polynomial $p_r$ such that the rec…
A set of vertices in a graph is c-colorable if the subgraph induced by the set has a proper c-coloring. In this paper, we study the problem of finding a step-by-step transformation (reconfiguration) between two c-colorable sets in the same graph. This problem generalizes the well-studied Independent Set Reconfiguration problem. As the first step toward a systematic understanding of the complexity of this general problem, we study the problem on classes of perfect graphs. We first focus on interval graphs and give a combinatorial characterization of the distance between two c-colorable sets. Th…
Subgraph reconfiguration is a family of problems focusing on the reachability of the solution space in which feasible solutions are subgraphs, represented either as sets of vertices or sets of edges, satisfying a prescribed graph structure property. Although there has been previous work that can be categorized as subgraph reconfiguration, most of the related results appear under the name of the property under consideration; for example, independent set, clique, and matching. In this paper, we systematically clarify the complexity status of subgraph reconfiguration with respect to graph structu…
For a fixed graph H, the H-Recoloring problem asks whether for two given homomorphisms from a graph G to H, we can transform one into the other by changing the image of a single vertex of G in each step and maintaining a homomorphism from G to H throughout. We extend an algorithm of Wrochna for H-Recoloring where H is a square-free loopless undirected graph to the more general setting of directed graphs. We obtain a polynomial-time algorithm for H-Recoloring in this setting whenever H is a loopless digraph that does not contain a 4-cycle of algebraic girth zero and whenever H is a reflexive di…
Imagine that unlabelled tokens are placed on the edges of a graph, such that no two tokens are placed on incident edges. A token can jump to another edge if the edges having tokens remain independent. We study the problem of determining the distance between two token configurations (resp., the corresponding matchings), which is given by the length of a shortest transformation. We give a polynomial-time algorithm for the case that at least one of the two configurations is not inclusion-wise maximal and show that otherwise, the problem admits no polynomial-time sublogarithmic-factor approximatio…
The reconfiguration graph $R_k(G)$ of the $k$-colourings of a graph $G$ contains as its vertex set the $k$-colourings of $G$ and two colourings are joined by an edge if they differ in colour on just one vertex of $G$. We show that for each $k \geq 3$ there is a $k$-colourable weakly chordal graph $G$ such that $R_{k+1}(G)$ is disconnected. We also introduce a subclass of $k$-colourable weakly chordal graphs which we call $k$-colourable compact graphs and show that for each $k$-colourable compact graph $G$ on $n$ vertices, $R_{k+1}(G)$ has diameter $O(n^2)$. We show that this class contains all…
For a fixed graph $H$, the reconfiguration problem for $H$-colourings (i.e. homomorphisms to $H$) asks: given a graph $G$ and two $H$-colourings $φ$ and $ψ$ of $G$, does there exist a sequence $f_0,\dots,f_m$ of $H$-colourings such that $f_0=φ$, $f_m=ψ$ and $f_i(u)f_{i+1}(v)\in E(H)$ for every $0\leq i<m$ and $uv\in E(G)$? If the graph $G$ is loop-free, then this is the equivalent to asking whether it possible to transform $φ$ into $ψ$ by changing the colour of one vertex at a time such that all intermediate mappings are $H$-colourings. In the affirmative, we say that $φ$ reconfigures to $ψ$. …
We explore a reconfiguration version of the dominating set problem, where a dominating set in a graph $G$ is a set $S$ of vertices such that each vertex is either in $S$ or has a neighbour in $S$. In a reconfiguration problem, the goal is to determine whether there exists a sequence of feasible solutions connecting given feasible solutions $s$ and $t$ such that each pair of consecutive solutions is adjacent according to a specified adjacency relation. Two dominating sets are adjacent if one can be formed from the other by the addition or deletion of a single vertex. For various values of $k$, …
Given two $k$-independent sets $I$ and $J$ of a graph $G$, one can ask if it is possible to transform the one into the other in such a way that, at any step, we replace one vertex of the current independent set by another while keeping the property of being independent. Deciding this problem, known as the Token Jumping (TJ) reconfiguration problem, is PSPACE-complete even on planar graphs. Ito et al. proved in 2014 that the problem is FPT parameterized by $k$ if the input graph is $K_{3,\ell}$-free. We prove that the result of Ito et al. can be extended to any $K_{\ell,\ell}$-free graphs. In o…
A $k$-colouring of a graph $G$ is an assignment of at most $k$ colours to the vertices of $G$ so that adjacent vertices are assigned different colours. The reconfiguration graph of the $k$-colourings, $\mathcal{R}_k(G)$, is the graph whose vertices are the $k$-colourings of $G$ and two colourings are joined by an edge in $\mathcal{R}_k(G)$ if they differ in colour on exactly one vertex. For a $k$-colourable graph $G$, we investigate the connectivity and diameter of $\mathcal{R}_{k+1}(G)$. It is known that not all weakly chordal graphs have the property that $\mathcal{R}_{k+1}(G)$ is connected.…
Changing a given configuration in a graph into another one is known as a re- configuration problem. Such problems have recently received much interest in the context of algorithmic graph theory. We initiate the theoretical study of the following reconfiguration problem: How to reroute $k$ unsplittable flows of a certain demand in a capacitated network from their current paths to their respective new paths, in a congestion-free manner? This problem finds immediate applications, e.g., in traffic engineering in computer networks. We show that the problem is generally NP-hard already for $k = 2$ f…
A Logic for Minor-Free Graph Classes: Model Checking, Dependence, and Combinatorial Reconfiguration
University of Warsaw（华沙大学）；CAMS, EHESS/CNRS UMR 8557（EHESS/CNRS联合研究单位8557）；University of Bremen（不来梅大学）；Université Paris Cité, CNRS, IRIF（巴黎西岱大学，法国国家科学研究中心，信息学研究所）；LIRMM, Univ Montpellier, CNRS（蒙彼利埃大学，法国国家科学研究中心，计算机科学与微电子研究所）；LIMOS, Univ Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP（克勒蒙奥弗涅大学，克勒蒙奥弗涅理工学院，计算与信息系统实验室）
Two independent sets of a graph are adjacent if they differ on exactly one vertex (i.e. we can transform one into the other by adding or deleting a vertex). Let $k$ be an integer. We consider the reconfiguration graph $TAR_k(G)$ on the set of independent sets of size at least $k$ in a graph $G$, with the above notion of adjacency. Here we provide a cubic-time algorithm to decide whether $TAR_k(G)$ is connected when $G$ is a cograph, thus solving an open question of~[Bonsma 2014]. As a by-product, we also describe a linear-time algorithm which decides whether two elements of $TAR_k(G)$ are in t…
Determining a graph from its reconfiguration graph
Université Clermont Auvergne（克莱蒙奥弗涅大学）；Université d’Orléans（奥尔良大学）；London School of Economics & Political Science（伦敦政治经济学院）；Université Grenoble Alpes（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学）；Université Lyon（里昂大学）
The reconfiguration graph for the $k$-colourings of a graph $G$, denoted $R_{k}(G)$, is the graph whose vertices are the $k$-colourings of $G$ and two colourings are joined by an edge if they differ in colour on exactly one vertex. For any $k$-colourable $P_4$-free graph $G$, Bonamy and Bousquet proved that $R_{k+1}(G)$ is connected. In this short note, we complete the classification of the connectedness of $R_{k+1}(G)$ for a $k$-colourable graph $G$ excluding a fixed path, by constructing a $7$-chromatic $2K_2$-free (and hence $P_5$-free) graph admitting a frozen $8$-colouring. This settles a…
We introduce a new framework for reconfiguration problems, and apply it to independent sets as the first example. Suppose that we are given an independent set $I_0$ of a graph $G$, and an integer $l \ge 0$ which represents a lower bound on the size of any independent set of $G$. Then, we are asked to find an independent set of $G$ having the maximum size among independent sets that are reachable from $I_0$ by either adding or removing a single vertex at a time such that all intermediate independent sets are of size at least $l$. We show that this problem is PSPACE-hard even for bounded pathwid…
Let I be an independent set of a graph G. Imagine that a token is located on any vertex of I. We can now move the tokens of I along the edges of the graph as long as the set of tokens still defines an independent set of G. Given two independent sets I and J, the Token Sliding problem consists in deciding whether there exists a sequence of independent sets which transforms I into J so that every pair of consecutive independent sets of the sequence can be obtained via a token move. This problem is known to be PSPACE-complete even on planar graphs. In 2014, Demaine et al. asked whether the Token …
