# Vertex Cover Reconfiguration and Beyond

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1402.4926 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1402.4926/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 20 Feb 2014.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Reconfiguring Shortest Paths in Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.07499/) (2021)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In the Vertex Cover Reconfiguration (VCR) problem, given a graph G, positive integers k and ℓ and two vertex covers S and T of G of size at most k, we determine whether S can be transformed into T by a sequence of at most ℓ vertex additions or removals such that every operation results in a vertex cover of size at most k. Motivated by results establishing the W[1]-hardness of VCR when parameterized by ℓ, we delineate the complexity of the problem restricted to various graph classes. In particular, we show that VCR remains W[1]-hard on bipartite graphs, is NP-hard, but fixed-parameter tractable on (regular) graphs of bounded degree and more generally on nowhere dense graphs and is solvable in polynomial time on trees and (with some additional restrictions) on cactus graphs.