Chordality and hyperbolicity of a graph

TL;DR

This paper explores the relationship between chordality and hyperbolicity in graphs, establishing bounds and characterizations for k-chordal graphs and their hyperbolic properties.

Contribution

It provides new bounds linking k-chordality to hyperbolicity and characterizes 5-chordal graphs that are 1/2-hyperbolic through forbidden isometric subgraphs.

Findings

Every 3-chordal graph is 1-hyperbolic.

For k ≥ 4, k-chordal graphs are at most (⌊k/2⌋)/2 hyperbolic.

A 5-chordal graph is 1/2-hyperbolic iff it avoids six specific isometric subgraphs.

Abstract

Let $G$ be a connected graph with the usual shortest-path metric $d$. The graph $G$ is $\delta$-hyperbolic provided for any vertices $x,y,u,v$ in it, the two larger of the three sums $d(u,v)+d(x,y),d(u,x)+d(v,y)$ and $d(u,y)+d(v,x)$ differ by at most $2\delta.$ The graph $G$ is $k$-chordal provided it has no induced cycle of length greater than $k.$ Brinkmann, Koolen and Moulton find that every 3-chordal graph is 1-hyperbolic and is not 1/2-hyperbolic if and only if it contains one of two special graphs as an isometric subgraph. For every $k\geq 4,$ we show that a $k$-chordal graph must be $\frac{\lfloor \frac{k}{2}\rfloor}{2}$-hyperbolic and there does exist a $k$-chordal graph which is not $\frac{\lfloor \frac{k-2}{2}\rfloor}{2}$-hyperbolic. Moreover, we prove that a 5-chordal graph is 1/2-hyperbolic if and only if it does not contain any of a list of six special graphs (See Fig. 3) as an isometric subgraph.