On the Weight of Berge-$F$-Free Hypergraphs

Abstract

For a graph $F$, we say a hypergraph is a Berge-$F$ if it can be obtained from $F$ by replacing each edge of $F$ with a hyperedge containing it. A hypergraph is Berge-$F$-free if it does not contain a subhypergraph that is a Berge-$F$. The weight of a non-uniform hypergraph $\mathcal{H}$ is the quantity $\sum_{h \in E(\mathcal{H})} |h|$.

Suppose $\mathcal{H}$ is a Berge-$F$-free hypergraph on $n$ vertices. In this short note, we prove that as long as every edge of $\mathcal{H}$ has size at least the Ramsey number of $F$, the weight of $\mathcal{H}$ is $o(n^2)$. This result is best possible in some sense. Along the way, we study other weight functions, and strengthen results of Gerbner and Palmer; and Grósz, Methuku and Tompkins.