On $3$-graphs with vanishing codegree Tur\'{a}n density

TL;DR

This paper explores the relationship between two hypergraph density measures, proving a reverse implication for layered 3-graphs and providing counterexamples to a previously posed inequality question.

Contribution

It introduces a layered structure for 3-graphs that establishes the reverse implication and constructs counterexamples to a conjectured inequality between densities.

Findings

Layered 3-graphs with zero uniform Turán density also have zero codegree Turán density.

Counterexamples show positive but small codegree density can coexist with high uniform Turán density.

The paper answers negatively to whether the uniform Turán density is always less than or equal to the codegree Turán density.

Abstract

For a $k$-uniform hypergraph (or simply $k$-graph) $F$, the codegree Tur\'{a}n density $\pi_{\mathrm{co}}(F)$ is the supremum over all $\alpha$ such that there exist arbitrarily large $n$-vertex $F$-free $k$-graphs $H$ in which every $(k-1)$-subset of $V(H)$ is contained in at least $\alpha n$ edges. Recently, it was proved that for every $3$-graph $F$, $\pi_{\mathrm{co}}(F)=0$ implies $\pi_{\therefore}(F)=0$, where $\pi_{\therefore}(F)$ is the uniform Tur\'{a}n density of $F$ and is defined as the supremum over all $d$ such that there are infinitely many $F$-free $k$-graphs $H$ satisfying that any induced linear-size subhypergraph of $H$ has edge density at least $d$. In this paper, we introduce a layered structure for $3$-graphs which allows us to obtain the reverse implication: every layered $3$-graph $F$ with $\pi_{\therefore}(F)=0$ satisfies $\pi_{\mathrm{co}}(F)=0$. Along the way, we answer in the negative a question of Falgas-Ravry, Pikhurko, Vaughan and Volec [J. London Math. Soc., 2023] about whether $\pi_{\therefore}(F)\leq\pi_{\mathrm{co}}(F)$ always holds. In particular, we construct counterexamples $F$ with positive but arbitrarily small $\pi_{\mathrm{co}}(F)$ while having $\pi_{\therefore}(F)\ge 4/27$.