On the equality of domination number and $ 2 $-domination number

Abstract

The 2-domination number $\gamma_2(G)$ of a graph $G$ is the minimum cardinality of a set $ D \subseteq V(G) $ for which every vertex outside $ D $ is adjacent to at least two vertices in $ D $. Clearly, $ \gamma_2(G) $ cannot be smaller than the domination number $ \gamma(G) $. We consider a large class of graphs and characterize those members which satisfy $\gamma_2=\gamma$. For the general case, we prove that it is NP-hard to decide whether $\gamma_2=\gamma$ holds. We also give a necessary and sufficient condition for a graph to satisfy the equality hereditarily.