In this paper, we determine upper and lower bounds for the number of independent sets in a bicyclic graph in terms of its order. This
gives an upper bound for the total number of independent sets in a connected graph which contains at least two cycles. In each case, we characterize the extremal graphs.
Citation
Wei Jing, Shuchao Li. The Number of Independent Sets in Bicyclic Graphs[J], Ars Combinatoria, Volume 108. 465-479. .