= Solution
Write $K_s(t)$ for a <balanced complete multipartite blow-up> with $s$ classes of size $t$. In the nonvacuous range $0<\varepsilon<1/r$, the answer is
$$
\boxed{t(r,\varepsilon,n)=\Theta_{r,\varepsilon}(\log n).}
$$
We prove both bounds, including the quantitative lower bound.
First, suppose a <bipartite graph> with parts $A,B$, of sizes $m,N$, has at least $pmN$ <edges>. For any <integer> $s\le pm/2$, counting pairs consisting of an $s$-subset of $A$ and a <common neighbour> in $B$ gives
$$
\sum_{S\in\binom As}|N(S)|=\sum_{v\in B}\binom{d_A(v)}s\ge N\binom{\lfloor pm\rfloor}s.
$$
The inequality follows from discrete <convexity>: $\binom{x+1}s-\binom xs=\binom{x}{s-1}$ is nondecreasing, so balancing <integer> <degrees of vertices> minimizes their sum. Consequently some $S$ has
$$
|N(S)|\ge N\frac{\binom{\lfloor pm\rfloor}s}{\binom ms}
\ge N\left(\frac{pm-s}{m}\right)^s\ge N(p/2)^s.
$$
The product estimate uses $\lfloor pm\rfloor-j\ge pm-s$ for $0\le j<s$. This is a <common neighbourhood from bipartite density> bound.
We next prove by <induction> on $q\ge1$ that, for every fixed $\alpha>0$, a <graph> $J$ of order $N$ with <minimum degree> at least $(1-1/q+\alpha)N$ contains $K_{q+1}(\lfloor c\log N\rfloor)$, for some $c=c(q,\alpha)>0$ and all sufficiently large $N$. Impossible minimum-<vertex degree> parameters need no argument. For $q=1$, take two copies of $V(J)$ with adjacency given by $J$. The preceding count with $p=\alpha$ and $s=\lfloor c\log N\rfloor$, where $c\log(2/\alpha)<1/2$, gives at least $\sqrt N$ <common neighbours>. The selected <vertices> and their <common neighbours> are disjoint in $J$, since a <vertex> is not its own <neighbour>. Selecting $s$ <common neighbours> gives $K_2(s)$.
For $q\ge2$, the <minimum degree> hypothesis implies the <induction> hypothesis for $q-1$, for example with excess $1/[q(q-1)]$. Thus $J$ contains $K_q(m)$ with $m=\lfloor a\log N\rfloor$ for a positive constant $a$. Pair the <vertices> in its classes into $m$ disjoint transversal <cliques> $C_1,\ldots,C_m$, each of order $q$. By the <union bound>, every $C_i$ has at least
$$
N-q\bigl(N-\delta(J)\bigr)\ge q\alpha N
$$
<common neighbours>. Form an auxiliary <bipartite graph> between these $m$ <cliques> and the $N$ <vertices>, using common-neighbour incidence, and put $p=q\alpha$. Choose $c>0$ small enough that $c<pa/3$ and $c\log(2/p)<1/2$. The count above, with $s=\lfloor c\log N\rfloor$, gives $s$ <cliques> with at least $\sqrt N$ simultaneous <common neighbours>. Their <vertices> form $q$ classes of size $s$, and $s$ of those <common neighbours> form the last class. None of the <common neighbours> belongs to a selected <clique>, because that would require a loop. This proves the <logarithmic clique blow-up from minimum degree> assertion.
To pass from an <edge> count to <minimum degree>, put $b=1-1/r+\varepsilon$ and $a=b-\varepsilon/2$. Repeatedly remove a <vertex> whose current <degree of a vertex> is below $a$ times the current order. If the process reaches order $m$, its deleted <edges> and remaining <edges> give
$$
b\binom n2\le e(G)\le a\sum_{j=m+1}^n j+\binom m2
=\frac a2(n^2+n-m^2-m)+\frac12(m^2-m).
$$
Thus $(1-a)m^2\ge (\varepsilon/2)n^2-O(n)$. In particular, for a fixed sufficiently small $\gamma>0$, the process cannot reach $m=\lfloor\gamma n\rfloor$: the displayed inequality would fail. It stops earlier with a subgraph of order $N\ge\gamma n$ and <minimum degree> at least $(1-1/r+\varepsilon/2)N$. The <induction> just proved supplies $K_{r+1}(\lfloor c\log N\rfloor)$, hence a lower bound $c'\log n$ on $t(r,\varepsilon,n)$. In particular, \b[the guaranteed part size tends to infinity].
For the upper bound, choose a fixed $p$ with $b<p<1$ and take a <binomial random graph> $G(n,p)$. Its <edge> count has <expectation> $p\binom n2$ and <variance> $p(1-p)\binom n2$. The <Chebyshev inequality> shows that $e(G)\ge b\binom n2$ with <probability> tending to one. The expected number of labeled copies of $K_{r+1}(t)$ is at most
$$
n^{(r+1)t}p^{\binom{r+1}2t^2}.
$$
For $t=\lceil C\log n\rceil$ and $C>2/[r\log(1/p)]$, this tends to zero. The <Markov inequality> therefore shows that with positive <probability> both the required <edge> density holds and there is no such copy. This proves $t(r,\varepsilon,n)=O(\log n)$ and completes the <random obstruction to larger clique blow-ups> argument.
There is a necessary qualification to the density parameter. If $\varepsilon=1/r$, the only eligible <graph> is the <complete graph>, and \b[$t(r,1/r,n)=\lfloor n/(r+1)\rfloor$]. If $\varepsilon>1/r$ and $n\ge2$, there are no eligible simple <graphs>; the universal assertion is vacuous for every $t$, so the printed maximum has no finite value in that range.
Back to article page