A Polynomial Kernel for Paw-Free Editing

TL;DR

This paper presents the first polynomial kernel for the paw-free editing problem, reducing the problem size to polynomial in the parameter k, which advances the understanding of kernelization for H-free editing problems.

Contribution

It provides the first polynomial kernel for paw-free editing, resolving a key open case in the kernelization of H-free editing problems.

Findings

Polynomial kernel for paw-free editing with O(k^6) vertices.

Advances the kernelization dichotomy for H-free editing problems.

Shows that the problem admits a polynomial compression for this specific case.

Abstract

For a fixed graph $H$, the $H$-free-editing problem asks whether we can modify a given graph $G$ by adding or deleting at most $k$ edges such that the resulting graph does not contain $H$ as an induced subgraph. The problem is known to be NP-complete for all fixed $H$ with at least $3$ vertices and it admits a $2^{O(k)}n^{O(1)}$ algorithm. Cai and Cai showed that the $H$-free-editing problem does not admit a polynomial kernel whenever $H$ or its complement is a path or a cycle with at least $4$ edges or a $3$-connected graph with at least $1$ edge missing. Their results suggest that if $H$ is not independent set or a clique, then $H$-free-editing admits polynomial kernels only for few small graphs $H$, unless $\textsf{coNP} \in \textsf{NP/poly}$. Therefore, resolving the kernelization of $H$-free-editing for small graphs $H$ plays a crucial role in obtaining a complete dichotomy for this problem. In this paper, we positively answer the question of compressibility for one of the last two unresolved graphs $H$ on $4$ vertices. Namely, we give the first polynomial kernel for paw-free editing with $O(k^{6})$vertices.