Supersaturation beyond color-critical graphs

Abstract

The supersaturation problem for a given graph $F$ asks for the minimum number $h_F(n,q)$ of copies of $F$ in an $n$-vertex graph with $ex(n,F)+q$ edges. Subsequent works by Rademacher, Erdős, and Lovász and Simonovits determine the optimal range of $q$ (which is linear in $n$) for cliques $F$ such that $h_F(n,q)$ equals the minimum number $t_F(n,q)$ of copies of $F$ obtained from a maximum $F$-free $n$-vertex graph by adding $q$ new edges. A breakthrough result of Mubayi extends this line of research from cliques to color-critical graphs $F$, and this was further strengthened by Pikhurko and Yilma who established the equality $h_F(n,q)=t_F(n,q)$ for $1\leq q\leq ε_F n$ and sufficiently large $n$. In this paper, we present several results on the supersaturation problem that extend beyond the existing framework. Firstly, we explicitly construct infinitely many graphs $F$ with restricted properties for which $h_F(n,q)<q\cdot t_F(n,1)$ holds when $n\gg q\geq 4$, thus refuting a conjecture of Mubayi. Secondly, we extend the result of Pikhurko-Yilma by showing the equality $h_F(n,q)=t_F(n,q)$ in the range $1\leq q\leq ε_F n$ for any member $F$ in a diverse and abundant graph family (which includes color-critical graphs, disjoint unions of cliques $K_r$, and the Petersen graph). Lastly, we prove the existence of a graph $F$ for any positive integer $s$ such that $h_F(n,q)=t_F(n,q)$ holds when $1\leq q\leq ε_F n^{1-1/s}$, and $h_F(n,q)<t_F(n,q)$ when $n^{1-1/s}/ε_F\leq q\leq ε_F n$, indicating that $q=Θ(n^{1-1/s})$ serves as the threshold for the equality $h_F(n,q)=t_F(n,q)$. We also discuss some additional remarks and related open problems.