Slow graph bootstrap percolation II: Accelerating properties

Abstract

For a graph H and an n-vertex graph G, the H-bootstrap process on G is the process which starts with G and, at every time step, adds any missing edges on the vertices of G that complete a copy of H. This process eventually stabilises and we are interested in the extremal question raised by Bollobás of determining the maximum running time (number of time steps before stabilising) of this process over all possible choices of n-vertex graph G. In this paper, we initiate a systematic study of the asymptotics of this parameter, denoted $M_H\left(n\right)$, and its dependence on properties of the graph H. Our focus is on H which define relatively fast bootstrap processes, that is, with $M_H\left(n\right)$ being at most linear in n. We study the graph class of trees, showing that one can bound $M_T\left(n\right)$ by a quadratic function in $v\left(T\right)$ for all trees T and all n. We then go on to explore the relationship between the running time of the H-process and the minimum vertex degree and connectivity of H.