Sparse hypergraphs with low independence number

Let K (3) 4 denote the complete 3-uniform hypergraph on 4 vertices. Ajtai, Erdős, Komlós, and Szemerédi (1981) asked if there is a function ω(d) → ∞ such that every 3-uniform, K (3) 4 -free hypergraph H with N vertices and average degree d has independence number at least N d1/2 ω(d). We answer this question by constructing a 3-uniform, K (3) 4 -free hypergraph with independence number at most 2 N d1/2 . We also provide counterexamples to several related conjectures and improve the lower bound of some hypergraph Ramsey numbers.