Induced Embeddings into Hamming Graphs.

Abstract

Let d be a positive integer. Can a given graph G be realized in R^d so that vertices are mapped to distinct points, two vertices being adjacent if and only if the corresponding points lie on a common line that is parallel to some axis? Graphs admitting such realizations have been studied in the literature for decades under different names. Peterson asked in [Discrete Appl. Math., 2003] about the complexity of the recognition problem. While the two-dimensional case corresponds to the class of line graphs of bipartite graphs and is well-understood, the complexity question has remained open for all higher dimensions. In this paper, we answer this question. We establish the NP-completeness of the recognition problem for any fixed dimension, even in the class of bipartite graphs. To do this, we strengthen a characterization of induced subgraphs of 3-dimensional Hamming graphs due to Klavžar and Peterin. We complement the hardness result by showing that for some important classes of perfect graphs –including chordal graphs and distance-hereditary graphs– the minimum dimension of the Euclidean space in which the graph can be realized, or the impossibility of doing so, can be determined in linear time.