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"path": "/abs/2602.07982v1",
"publishedAt": "2026-02-10T01:00:00.000Z",
"site": "https://arxiv.org",
"tags": [
"Sandip Das",
"Sk Samim Islam",
"Daniel Lokshtanov"
],
"textContent": "**Authors:** Sandip Das, Sk Samim Islam, Daniel Lokshtanov\n\nA multipacking in an undirected graph $G=(V,E)$ is a set $M\\subseteq V$ such that for every vertex $v\\in V$ and for every integer $r\\geq 1$, the ball of radius $r$ around $v$ contains at most $r$ vertices of $M$, that is, there are at most $r$ vertices in $M$ at a distance at most $r$ from $v$ in $G$. The Multipacking problem asks whether a graph contains a multipacking of size at least $k$. For more than a decade, it remained an open question whether the Multipacking problem is NP-complete or solvable in polynomial time. Whereas the problem is known to be polynomial-time solvable for certain graph classes (e.g., strongly chordal graphs, grids, etc). Foucaud, Gras, Perez, and Sikora [Algorithmica 2021] made a step towards solving the open question by showing that the Multipacking problem is NP-complete for directed graphs and it is W[1]-hard when parameterized by the solution size. In this paper, we prove that the Multipacking problem is NP-complete for undirected graphs, which answers the open question. Moreover, the problem is W[2]-hard for undirected graphs when parameterized by the solution size. Furthermore, we have shown that the problem is NP-complete and W[2]-hard (when parameterized by the solution size) even for various subclasses: chordal, bipartite, and claw-free graphs. Whereas, it is NP-complete for regular, and CONV graphs (intersection graphs of convex sets in the plane). Additionally, the problem is NP-complete and W[2]-hard (when parameterized by the solution size) for chordal $\\cap$ $\\frac{1}{2}$-hyperbolic graphs, which is a superclass of strongly chordal graphs where the problem is polynomial-time solvable. On the positive side, we present an exact exponential-time algorithm for the Multipacking problem on $n$-vertex general graphs, which breaks the $2^n$ barrier by achieving a running time of $O^*(1.58^n)$.",
"title": "On the complexity of Multipacking"
}