A Note on Embedding Hypertrees

Abstract

A classical result from graph theory is that every graph with chromatic number $\chi > t$ contains a subgraph with all degrees at least $t$, and therefore contains a copy of every $t$-edge tree. Bohman, Frieze, and Mubayi recently posed this problem for $r$-uniform hypergraphs. An $r$-tree is a connected $r$-uniform hypergraph with no pair of edges intersecting in more than one vertex, and no sequence of distinct vertices and edges $(v_1, e_1, \ldots, v_k, e_k)$ with all $e_i \ni \{v_i, v_{i+1}\}$, where we take $v_{k+1}$ to be $v_1$. Bohman, Frieze, and Mubayi proved that $\chi > 2rt$ is sufficient to embed every $r$-tree with $t$ edges, and asked whether the dependence on $r$ was necessary. In this note, we completely solve their problem, proving the tight result that $\chi > t$ is sufficient to embed any $r$-tree with $t$ edges.