An $${\mathcal {O}}(n^2 \log {n})$$ algorithm for the weighted stable set problem in claw-free graphs

Abstract

A graph G(V, E) is claw-free if no vertex has three pairwise non-adjacent neighbours. The maximum weight stable set (MWSS) problem in a claw-free graph is a natural generalization of the matching problem and has been shown to be polynomially solvable by Minty and Sbihi in 1980. In a remarkable paper, Faenza, Oriolo and Stauffer have shown that, in a two-step procedure, a claw-free graph can be first turned into a quasi-line graph by removing strips containing all the irregular nodes and then decomposed into {claw, net}-free strips and strips with stability number at most three. Through this decomposition, the MWSS problem can be solved in $$\mathcal{O}(|V|(|V| \log |V| + |E|))$$ time. In this paper, we describe a direct decomposition of a claw-free graph into {claw, net}-free strips and strips with stability number at most three which can be performed in $$\mathcal{O}(|V|^2)$$ time. In two companion papers we showed that the MWSS problem can be solved in $$\mathcal{O}(|E| \log |V|)$$ time in claw-free graphs with $$\alpha (G) \le 3$$ and in $$\mathcal{O}(|V| \sqrt{|E|})$$ time in {claw, net}-free graphs with $$\alpha (G) \ge 4$$ . These results prove that the MWSS problem in a claw-free graph can be solved in $$\mathcal{O}(|V|^2 \log |V|)$$ time, the same complexity of the best and long standing algorithm for the MWSS problem in line graphs.