Clique cycle transversals in graphs with few P₄'s

Abstract

Graph Theory International audience A graph is extended P4-laden if each of its induced subgraphs with at most six vertices that contains more than two induced P4's is 2K2,C4-free. A cycle transversal (or feedback vertex set) of a graph G is a subset T ⊆ V (G) such that T ∩ V (C) 6= ∅ for every cycle C of G; if, in addition, T is a clique, then T is a clique cycle transversal (cct). Finding a cct in a graph G is equivalent to partitioning V (G) into subsets C and F such that C induces a complete subgraph and F an acyclic subgraph. This work considers the problem of characterizing extended P4-laden graphs admitting a cct. We characterize such graphs by means of a finite family of forbidden induced subgraphs, and present a linear-time algorithm to recognize them.