Vertex-Based Localization of Generalized Tur\'{a}n Problems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a vertex-based localization framework to generalize bounds on the number of complete subgraphs in graphs avoiding certain paths and cycles, providing new extremal graph characterizations.

Contribution

It extends Luo's bounds on subgraph counts using vertex-based localization, characterizes extremal graphs, and generalizes existing cycle bounds and related results.

Findings

Derived new bounds for the number of $K_s$ in $ extit{F}$-free graphs

Characterized extremal graphs attaining these bounds

Generalized previous cycle and path bounds in graph theory

Abstract

Let $\mathcal{F}$ be a family of graphs. A graph is called $\mathcal{F}$-free if it does not contain any member of $\mathcal{F}$. Generalized Tur\'{a}n problems aim to maximize the number of copies of a graph $H$ in an $n$-vertex $\mathcal{F}$-free graph. This maximum is denoted by $ex(n, H, \mathcal{F})$. When $H \cong K_2$, it is simply denoted by $ex(n,F)$. Erd\H{o}s and Gallai established the bounds $ex(n, P_{k+1}) \leq \frac{n(k-1)}{2}$ and $ex(n, C_{\geq k+1}) \leq \frac{k(n-1)}{2}$. This was later extended by Luo \cite{luo2018maximum}, who showed that $ex(n, K_s, P_{k+1}) \leq \frac{n}{k} \binom{k}{s}$ and $ex(n, K_s, C_{\geq k+1}) \leq \frac{n-1}{k-1} \binom{k}{s}$. Let $N(G,K_s)$ denote the number of copies of $K_s$ in $G$. In this paper, we use the vertex-based localization framework, introduced in \cite{adak2025vertex}, to generalize Luo's bounds. In a graph $G$, for each $v \in V(G)$, define $p(v)$ to be the length of the longest path that contains $v$. We show that \[N(G,K_s) \leq \sum_{v \in V(G)} \frac{1}{p(v)+1}{p(v)+1\choose s} = \frac{1}{s}\sum_{v \in V(G)}{p(v) \choose s-1}\] We strengthen the cycle bound from \cite{luo2018maximum} as follows: In graph $G$, for each $v \in V(G)$, let $c(v)$ be the length of the longest cycle that contains $v$, or $2$ if $v$ is not part of any cycle. We prove that \[N(G,K_s) \leq \left(\sum_{v\in V(G)}\frac{1}{c(v)-1}{c(v) \choose s}\right) - \frac{1}{c(u)-1}{c(u) \choose s}\] where $c(u)$ denotes the circumference of $G$. Furthermore, we characterize the class of extremal graphs that attain equality for these bounds. We provide full proofs for the cases $s = 1$ and $s \geq 3$, while the case $s = 2$ follows from the result in \cite{adak2025vertex}. We also conclude with a generalization of a result by Balister-Bollob\'{a}s-Riordan-Schelp \cite{BALISTER2003366}.