LIFO-search on digraphs: A searching game for cycle-rank

Abstract

We consider the extension of the last-in-first-out graph searching game of Giannopoulou and Thilikos to digraphs. We show that all common variations of the game require the same number of searchers, and the minimal number of searchers required is one more than the cycle-rank of the digraph. We also obtain a tight duality theorem, giving a precise min-max characterization of obstructions for cycle-rank.