Colouring graphs with bounded generalized colouring number

Given a graph G and a positive integer p, χ_p(G) is the minimum number of colours needed to colour the vertices of G so that for any i≤p, any subgraph H of G of tree-depth i gets at least i colours. This paper proves an upper bound for χ_p(G) in terms of the k-colouring number of G for k=2^p−2. Conversely, for each integer k, we also prove an upper bound for in terms of χ_k+2(G). As a consequence, for a class K of graphs, the following two statements are equivalent:

(a)

For every positive integer p, χ_p(G) is bounded by a constant for all G∈K.

(b)

For every positive integer k, is bounded by a constant for all G∈K.

It was proved by Nešet?il and Ossona de Mendez that (a) is equivalent to the following:

(c)

For every positive integer q, ∇_q(G) (the greatest reduced average density of G with rank q) is bounded by a constant for all G∈K.

Therefore (b) and (c) are also equivalent. We shall give a direct proof of this equivalence, by introducing ∇_q−(1/2)(G) and by showing that there is a function F_k such that . This gives an alternate proof of the equivalence of (a) and (c).