On Threshold Probability for the Stability of Independent Sets in Distance Graphs

This paper considers the so-called distance graph G(n, r, s);its vertices can be identified with the r-element subsets of the set {1, 2,…,n}, and two vertices are joined by an edge if the size of the intersection of the corresponding subsets equals s. Note that, in the case s = 0, such graphs are known as Kneser graphs. These graphs are closely related to the Erd?s-Ko-Rado problem; they also play an important role in combinatorial geometry and coding theory.

We study properties of random subgraphs of the graph G(n, r, s) in the Erd?s-Rényi model, in which each edge is included in the subgraph with a certain fixed probability p independently of the other edges. It is known that if r > 2s + 1, then, for p = 1/2, the size of an independent set is asymptotically stable in the sense that the independence number of a random subgraph is asymptotically equal to that of the initial graph G(n, r, s). This gives rise to the question of how small p must be for asymptotic stability to cease. The main result of this paper is the answer to this question.

     

On random subgraphs of Kneser graphs and their generalizations

A series of results are obtained on the stability of the independence number of random subgraphs of distance graphs, which are natural generalizations of the classical Kneser graphs.     

Independence numbers of random subgraphs of a distance graph

We consider the so-called distance graph G(n, 3, 1), whose vertices can be identified with three-element subsets of the set {1, 2,..., n}, two vertices being joined by an edge if and only if the corresponding subsets have exactly one common element. We study some properties of random subgraphs of G(n, 3, 1) in the Erd?s–Rényi model, in which each edge is included in the subgraph with some given probability p independently of the other edges. We find the asymptotics of the independence number of a random subgraph of G(n, 3, 1).     

Independence numbers of random subgraphs of distance graphs

We consider the distance graph G(n, r, s), whose vertices can be identified with r-element subsets of the set {1, 2,..., n}, two arbitrary vertices being joined by an edge if and only if the cardinality of the intersection of the corresponding subsets is s. For s = 0, such graphs are known as Kneser graphs. These graphs are closely related to the Erd?s–Ko–Rado problem and also play an important role in combinatorial geometry and coding theory. We study some properties of random subgraphs of G(n, r, s) in the Erd?s–Rényi model, in which every edge occurs in the subgraph with some given probability p independently of the other edges. We find the asymptotics of the independence number of a random subgraph of G(n, r, s) for the case of constant r and s. The independence number of a random subgraph is Θ(log₂n) times as large as that of the graph G(n, r, s) itself for r ≤ 2s + 1, while for r > 2s + 1 one has asymptotic stability: the two independence numbers asymptotically coincide.