A linear k-fold Cheeger inequality

Abstract

Given an undirected graph $G$, the classical Cheeger constant, $h_G$, measures the optimal partition of the vertices into 2 parts with relatively few edges between them based upon the sizes of the parts. The well-known Cheeger's inequality states that $2 \lambda_1 \le h_G \le \sqrt {2 \lambda_1}$ where $\lambda_1$ is the minimum nontrivial eigenvalue of the normalized Laplacian matrix. Recent work has generalized the concept of the Cheeger constant when partitioning the vertices of a graph into $k > 2$ parts. While there are several approaches, recent results have shown these higher-order Cheeger constants to be tightly controlled by $\lambda_{k-1}$, the $(k-1)$-th nontrivial eigenvalue, to within a quadratic factor. We present a new higher-order Cheeger inequality with several new perspectives. First, we use an alternative higher-order Cheeger constant which considers an "average case" approach. We show this measure is related to the average of the first $k-1$ nontrivial eigenvalues of the normalized Laplacian matrix. Further, using recent techniques, our results provide linear inequalities using the $\infty$-norms of the corresponding eigenvectors. Consequently, unlike previous results, this result is relevant even when $\lambda_{k-1} \to 1$.