Counting independent sets in regular graphs with bounded independence number

TL;DR

This paper investigates the maximum number of independent sets in regular graphs with a bounded independence number, providing tight bounds and constructions for various regimes of the independence ratio.

Contribution

It establishes asymptotically tight upper and lower bounds on the number of independent sets in regular graphs with a given independence number, extending previous bounds.

Findings

Upper bounds via graph container methods

Constructive lower bounds matching upper bounds in many cases

Characterization of independent set counts for different independence ratios

Abstract

An $n$-vertex, $d$-regular graph can have at most $2^{n/2+o_d(n)}$ independent sets. In this paper we address what happens with this upper bound when we impose the further condition that the graph has independence number at most $\alpha$. We give upper and lower bounds that in many cases are close to each other. In particular, for each $0 < c_{\rm ind} \leq 1/2$ we exhibit a constant $k(c_{\rm ind})$ such that if $(G_n)_{n \in {\mathbb N}}$ is a sequence of graphs with $G_n$ $d$-regular on $n$ vertices and with maximum independent set size at most $\alpha$, with $d\rightarrow \infty$ and $\alpha/n \rightarrow c_{\rm ind}$ as $n \rightarrow \infty$, then $G_n$ has at most $k(c_{\rm ind})^{n+o(n)}$ independent sets, and we show that there is a sequence $(G_n)_{n \in {\mathbb N}}$ of graphs with $G_n$ $d$-regular on $n$ vertices ($d \leq n/2$) and with maximum independent set size at most $\alpha$, with $\alpha/n \rightarrow c_{\rm ind}$ as $n \rightarrow \infty$ and with $G_n$ having at least $k(c_{\rm ind})^{n+o(n)}$ independent sets. We also consider the regime $1/2 < c_{\rm ind} < 1$. Here for each $0 < c_{\rm deg} \leq 1-c_{\rm ind}$ we exhibit a constant $k(c_{\rm ind},c_{\rm deg})$ for which an analogous pair of statements can be proven, except that in each case we add the condition $d/n \rightarrow c_{\rm deg}$ as $n \rightarrow \infty$. Our upper bounds are based on graph container arguments, while our lower bounds are constructive.