Dirac-type results for tilings and coverings in ordered graphs

Abstract

Abstract A recent paper of Balogh, Li and Treglown [3] initiated the study of Dirac-type problems for ordered graphs. In this paper, we prove a number of results in this area. In particular, we determine asymptotically the minimum degree threshold for forcing (i) a perfect H-tiling in an ordered graph, for any fixed ordered graph H of interval chromatic number at least $3$ ; (ii) an H-tiling in an ordered graph G covering a fixed proportion of the vertices of G (for any fixed ordered graph H); (iii) an H-cover in an ordered graph (for any fixed ordered graph H). The first two of these results resolve questions of Balogh, Li and Treglown, whilst (iii) resolves a question of Falgas-Ravry. Note that (i) combined with a result from [3] completely determines the asymptotic minimum degree threshold for forcing a perfect H-tiling. Additionally, we prove a result that, combined with a theorem of Balogh, Li and Treglown, asymptotically determines the minimum degree threshold for forcing an almost perfect H-tiling in an ordered graph (for any fixed ordered graph H). Our work therefore provides ordered graph analogues of the seminal tiling theorems of Kühn and Osthus [Combinatorica 2009] and of Komlós [Combinatorica 2000]. Each of our results exhibits some curious, and perhaps unexpected, behaviour. Our solution to (i) makes use of a novel absorbing argument.