Linear extremal bounds for a family of forbidden $0$-$1$ matrices
Discrete Mathematics
Summary
The authors studied a specific 0-1 matrix pattern called L3, originally introduced by Fulek, to determine how many ones can appear in larger matrices that avoid this pattern. They proved an upper bound on the number of ones relative to the matrix dimensions, improving understanding of how large such matrices can grow. Furthermore, they extended their results to a whole family of similar matrix patterns, confirming a previous conjecture by Pettie and Tardos. Their proof uses clever connections between matrix entries and special graphs to control complexity and avoid certain configurations.
Authors
Jesse Geneson
Abstract
Fulek defined the $0$-$1$ matrix \[ L_3=\begin{pmatrix} 1&0&0&1&0\\ 0&0&0&0&1\\ 0&1&1&0&0 \end{pmatrix} \] and asked whether $\text{ex}(n,L_3) = O(n)$. We prove that every $r\times s$ $0$-$1$ matrix avoiding $L_3$ has at most $27r+2s$ $1$ entries. Fulek's general lower bound construction has $6n-8$ $1$ entries, so \[ 6n-8\leq \text{ex}(n,L_3)\leq29n \] for $n\geq5$. The same argument applies to an infinite family. If $Q_{a,b,k,\ell}$ is the light three-row matrix with column word $1^a3^k1^b2^\ell$, where $a,b,\ell\geq1$ and $k\geq2$, then \[ \text{ex}(r,s,Q_{a,b,k,\ell}) \leq\bigl(5(k-1)(4b+1)+a+b+\ell-1\bigr)r+2s. \] This verifies a conjecture of Pettie and Tardos on linear light patterns for an infinite family that includes the previously unresolved weight-five pattern $L_3$. The proof assigns matrix entries to edges of a bar $1$-visibility hypergraph, cuts gaps to control the multiplicity of these edges, and charges the cuts to a noncrossing graph on the rows.