Subgraph densities in signed graphons and the local Sidorenko conjecture

Abstract: We prove inequalities between the densities of various bipartite subgraphs in signed graphs and graphons. One of the main inequalities is that the density of any bipartite graph with girth r cannot exceed the density of the r-cycle. This study is motivated by Sidorenko's conjecture, which states that the density of a bipartite graph F with m edges in any graph G is at least the m-th power of the edge density of G. Another way of stating this is that the graph G with given edge density minimizing the number of copies of F is, asymptotically, a random graph. We prove that this is true locally, i.e., for graphs G that are "close" to a random graph.