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Improved approximation algorithms for hitting 3-vertex paths. (English) Zbl 1442.05222
Summary: We study the problem of deleting a minimum cost set of vertices from a given vertex-weighted graph in such a way that the resulting graph has no induced path on three vertices. This problem is often called cluster vertex deletion in the literature and admits a straightforward 3-approximation algorithm since it is a special case of the vertex cover problem on a 3-uniform hypergraph. Recently, J. You et al. [Discrete Appl. Math. 219, 202–209 (2017; Zbl 1354.05110)] described an efficient 5/2-approximation algorithm for the unweighted version of the problem. Our main result is a 9/4-approximation algorithm for arbitrary weights, using the local ratio technique. We further conjecture that the problem admits a 2-approximation algorithm and give some support for the conjecture. This is in sharp contrast with the fact that the similar problem of deleting vertices to eliminate all triangles in a graph is known to be UGC-hard to approximate to within a ratio better than 3, as proved by V. Guruswami and E. Lee [SIAM J. Discrete Math. 31, No. 3, 1552–1571 (2017; Zbl 1371.68099)].

MSC:
 05C85 Graph algorithms (graph-theoretic aspects) 90C27 Combinatorial optimization 90C59 Approximation methods and heuristics in mathematical programming 68W25 Approximation algorithms
Keywords:
cluster vertex deletion
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References:
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