Maximum Minimal Feedback Vertex Set: A Parameterized Perspective

Abstract: In this paper we study a maximization version of the classical Feedback Vertex Set (FVS) problem, namely, the Max Min FVS problem, in the realm of parameterized complexity. In this problem, given an undirected graph $G$, a positive integer $k$, the question is to check whether $G$ has a minimal feedback vertex set of size at least $k$. We obtain following results for Max Min FVS. 1) We first design a fixed parameter tractable (FPT) algorithm for Max Min FVS running in time $10^kn^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$. 2) Next, we consider the problem parameterized by the vertex cover number of the input graph (denoted by $\mathsf{vc}(G)$), and design an algorithm with running time $2^{\mathcal{O}(\mathsf{vc}(G)\log \mathsf{vc}(G))}n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$. We complement this result by showing that the problem parameterized by $\mathsf{vc}(G)$ does not admit a polynomial compression unless coNP $\subseteq$ NP/poly. 3) Finally, we give an FPT-approximation scheme (fpt-AS) parameterized by $\mathsf{vc}(G)$. That is, we design an algorithm that for every $\epsilon >0$, runs in time $2^{\mathcal{O}\left(\frac{\mathsf{vc}(G)}{\epsilon}\right)} n^{\mathcal{O}(1)}$ and returns a minimal feedback vertex set of size at least $(1-\epsilon){\sf opt}$.