Complexity and computation of connected zero forcing

Abstract

Zero forcing is an iterative graph coloring process whereby a colored vertex with a single uncolored neighbor forces that neighbor to be colored. It is NP-hard to find a minimum zero forcing set – a smallest set of initially colored vertices which forces the entire graph to be colored. We show that the problem remains NP-hard when the initially colored set induces a connected subgraph. We also give structural results about the connected zero forcing sets of a graph related to the graph’s density, separating sets, and certain induced subgraphs. Finally, we give efficient algorithms to find minimum connected zero forcing sets of unicyclic graphs and variants of cactus and block graphs.