Feedback vertex sets of digraphs with bounded maximum degree

A digraph $D$ is an oriented graph if $D$ does not have a pair of opposite arcs. The degree of a vertex $v$ of $D$ is the sum of the in-degree and out-degree of $v.$ Let $fvs(D)$ be the minimum number of vertices whose deletion from $D$ makes it acyclic. Let $D$ be a digraph with $n$ vertices and maximum degree $Δ$. We prove the following bounds. If $D$ is an oriented graph, then $fvs(D)\leq \frac{3n}{7}$ when $Δ\le 4$ and $fvs(D)\leq \frac{n}{2}$ when $Δ\le 5$. If $D$ is a connected digraph, $Δ\le 4$ and $D$ is not obtained from an odd undirected cycle by replacing every edge with the pair of opposite arcs with the same endvertices, then $fvs(D)\leq \frac{n}{2}$. If $D$ is an arbitrary digraph with $Δ\le 5$ then $fvs(D)\leq \frac{2n}{3}.$ Note that all the above bounds are tight.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Discrete Mathematics
Published
2026-08-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.disc.2026.115390
Primary Topic
Advanced Graph Theory Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Feedback vertex sets of digraphs with bounded maximum degree

Anders Yeo, Gregory Gutin, Yacong Zhou, Jiangdong Ai et al.
Discrete Mathematics
Advanced Graph Theory Research
article

Feedback vertex sets of digraphs with bounded maximum degree

Anders Yeo, Gregory Gutin, Yacong Zhou, Jiangdong Ai, Xiangzhou Liu
article en

Abstract

A digraph $D$ is an oriented graph if $D$ does not have a pair of opposite arcs. The degree of a vertex $v$ of $D$ is the sum of the in-degree and out-degree of $v.$ Let $fvs(D)$ be the minimum number of vertices whose deletion from $D$ makes it acyclic. Let $D$ be a digraph with $n$ vertices and maximum degree $Δ$. We prove the following bounds. If $D$ is an oriented graph, then $fvs(D)\leq \frac{3n}{7}$ when $Δ\le 4$ and $fvs(D)\leq \frac{n}{2}$ when $Δ\le 5$. If $D$ is a connected digraph, $Δ\le 4$ and $D$ is not obtained from an odd undirected cycle by replacing every edge with the pair of opposite arcs with the same endvertices, then $fvs(D)\leq \frac{n}{2}$. If $D$ is an arbitrary digraph with $Δ\le 5$ then $fvs(D)\leq \frac{2n}{3}.$ Note that all the above bounds are tight.

Discrete MathematicsVol. 350(2)
Openalex Percentile: Top 95%
Advanced Graph Theory Research
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.