A Separator Theorem for Hypergraphs and a CSP-SAT Algorithm

We show that for every $r \ge 2$ there exists $\epsilon_r > 0$ such that any $r$-uniform hypergraph with $m$ edges and maximum vertex degree $o(\sqrt{m})$ contains a set of at most $(\frac{1}{2} - \epsilon_r)m$ edges the removal of which breaks the hypergraph into connected components with at most $m/2$ edges. We use this to give an algorithm running in time $d^{(1 - \epsilon_r)m}$ that decides satisfiability of $m$-variable $(d, k)$-CSPs in which every variable appears in at most $r$ constraints, where $\epsilon_r$ depends only on $r$ and $k\in o(\sqrt{m})$. Furthermore our algorithm solves the corresponding #CSP-SAT and Max-CSP-SAT of these CSPs. We also show that CNF representations of unsatisfiable $(2, k)$-CSPs with variable frequency $r$ can be refuted in tree-like resolution in size $2^{(1 - \epsilon_r)m}$. Furthermore for Tseitin formulas on graphs with degree at most $k$ (which are $(2, k)$-CSPs) we give a deterministic algorithm finding such a refutation.

Applications of a New Separator Theorem for String Graphs

An intersection graph of curves in the plane is called astring graph. Matoušek almost completely settled a conjecture of the authors by showing that every string graph withmedges admits a vertex separator of size$O(\sqrt{m}\log m)$. In the present note, this bound is combined with a result of the authors, according to which every dense string graph contains a large complete balanced bipartite graph. Three applications are given concerning string graphsGwithnvertices: (i) ifKt⊈Gfor somet, then the chromatic number ofGis at most (logn)O(logt); (ii) ifKt,t⊈G, thenGhas at mostt(logt)O(1)nedges,; and (iii) a lopsided Ramsey-type result, which shows that the Erdős–Hajnal conjecture almost holds for string graphs.

A Separator Theorem for String Graphs and its Applications

A string graph is the intersection graph of a collection of continuous arcs in the plane. We show that any string graph with m edges can be separated into two parts of roughly equal size by the removal of $O(m^{3/4}\sqrt{\log m})$ vertices. This result is then used to deduce that every string graph with n vertices and no complete bipartite subgraph Kt,t has at most ctn edges, where ct is a constant depending only on t. Another application shows that locally tree-like string graphs are globally tree-like: for any ε > 0, there is an integer g(ε) such that every string graph with n vertices and girth at least g(ε) has at most (1 + ε)n edges. Furthermore, the number of such labelled graphs is at most (1 + ε)nT(n), where T(n) = nn−2 is the number of labelled trees on n vertices.

SEPARATING SETS OF HYPERRECTANGLES

We consider the problem of separating a set of d-dimensional non-overlapping isothetic hyperrectangles by means of one cutting isothetic hyperplane. If the cutting hyperplane crosses one hyperrectangle this is split into two non-overlapping hyperrectangles. We show that it always exists a cutting hyperplane that separates n given hyperrectangles into two sets each containing no more than [αd · n] hyperrectangles, where αd=(2d−1)/2d. Also, we show that there are instances for which it is not possible to do better. An optimal O(d · n) time and space algorithm for finding this cutting hyperplane is presented. An upper bound to the number of intersected hyperrectangles is also given, thus proving a separator theorem for hyperrectangles.