Avoidable vertices and edges in graphs

Abstract

A vertex v in a graph G is said to be avoidable if every induced two-edge path with midpoint v is contained in an induced cycle. Generalizing Dirac’s theorem on the existence of simplicial vertices in chordal graphs, Ohtsuki et al. proved in 1976 that every graph has an avoidable vertex. In a different generalization, Chvátal et al. gave in 2002 a characterization of graphs without long induced cycles based on the concept of simplicial paths. We introduce the concept of avoidable induced paths as a common generalization of avoidable vertices and simplicial paths. We propose a conjecture that would unify the results of Ohtsuki et al. and of Chvátal et al. The conjecture states that every graph that has an induced k-vertex path also has an avoidable k-vertex path. We prove that every graph with an edge has an avoidable edge, thus establishing the case k= 2 of the conjecture. Furthermore, we point out a close relationship between avoidable vertices in a graph and its minimal triangulations and identify new algorithmic uses of avoidable vertices. More specifically, applying Lexicographic Breadth First Search and bisimplicial elimination orderings, we derive a polynomial-time algorithm for the maximum weight clique problem in a class of graphs generalizing the class of 1-perfectly orientable graphs and its subclasses chordal graphs and circular-arc graphs.