Complexity of tree-coloring interval graphs equitably

TL;DR

This paper proves that all interval graphs can be equitably colored with forests for any number of colors above a certain threshold and provides a linear-time algorithm for this coloring problem, while also establishing hardness results for certain graph classes.

Contribution

It confirms a conjecture for interval graphs regarding equitable tree-colorings and introduces an efficient algorithm, along with complexity results for specific graph classes.

Findings

Interval graphs have equitable tree-$k$-colorings for $k \,\geq\, \lceil(\Delta(G)+1)/2\rceil$.

A linear-time algorithm determines equitable tree-$k$-colorability in proper interval graphs.

Deciding equitable tree-$k$-coloring is $W[1]$-hard for certain graph classes.

Abstract

An equitable tree-$k$-coloring of a graph is a vertex $k$-coloring such that each color class induces a forest and the size of any two color classes differ by at most one. In this work, we show that every interval graph $G$ has an equitable tree-$k$-coloring for any integer $k\geq \lceil(\Delta(G)+1)/2\rceil$, solving a conjecture of Wu, Zhang and Li (2013) for interval graphs, and furthermore, give a linear-time algorithm for determining whether a proper interval graph admits an equitable tree-$k$-coloring for a given integer $k$. For disjoint union of split graphs, or $K_{1,r}$-free interval graphs with $r\geq 4$, we prove that it is $W[1]$-hard to decide whether there is an equitable tree-$k$-coloring when parameterized by number of colors, or by treewidth, number of colors and maximum degree, respectively.