Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 October 2020
Let
$\gamma(G)$
and
$${\gamma _ \circ }(G)$$
denote the sizes of a smallest dominating set and smallest independent dominating set in a graph G, respectively. One of the first results in probabilistic combinatorics is that if G is an n-vertex graph of minimum degree at least d, then
In this paper the main result is that if G is any n-vertex d-regular graph of girth at least five, then
Furthermore, if G is a disjoint union of ${n}/{(2d)}$ complete bipartite graphs $K_{d,d}$ , then ${\gamma_\circ}(G) = \frac{n}{2}$ . We also prove that there are n-vertex graphs G of minimum degree d and whose maximum degree grows not much faster than d log d such that ${\gamma_\circ}(G) \sim {n}/{2}$ as $d \rightarrow \infty$ . Therefore both the girth and regularity conditions are required for the main result.
Research supported by an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and NSF grant DMS 0800704.