1,063 research outputs found
Lossy Kernelization
In this paper we propose a new framework for analyzing the performance of
preprocessing algorithms. Our framework builds on the notion of kernelization
from parameterized complexity. However, as opposed to the original notion of
kernelization, our definitions combine well with approximation algorithms and
heuristics. The key new definition is that of a polynomial size
-approximate kernel. Loosely speaking, a polynomial size
-approximate kernel is a polynomial time pre-processing algorithm that
takes as input an instance to a parameterized problem, and outputs
another instance to the same problem, such that . Additionally, for every , a -approximate solution
to the pre-processed instance can be turned in polynomial time into a
-approximate solution to the original instance .
Our main technical contribution are -approximate kernels of
polynomial size for three problems, namely Connected Vertex Cover, Disjoint
Cycle Packing and Disjoint Factors. These problems are known not to admit any
polynomial size kernels unless . Our approximate
kernels simultaneously beat both the lower bounds on the (normal) kernel size,
and the hardness of approximation lower bounds for all three problems. On the
negative side we prove that Longest Path parameterized by the length of the
path and Set Cover parameterized by the universe size do not admit even an
-approximate kernel of polynomial size, for any , unless
. In order to prove this lower bound we need to combine
in a non-trivial way the techniques used for showing kernelization lower bounds
with the methods for showing hardness of approximationComment: 58 pages. Version 2 contain new results: PSAKS for Cycle Packing and
approximate kernel lower bounds for Set Cover and Hitting Set parameterized
by universe siz
Embedding Stacked Polytopes on a Polynomial-Size Grid
A stacking operation adds a -simplex on top of a facet of a simplicial
-polytope while maintaining the convexity of the polytope. A stacked
-polytope is a polytope that is obtained from a -simplex and a series of
stacking operations. We show that for a fixed every stacked -polytope
with vertices can be realized with nonnegative integer coordinates. The
coordinates are bounded by , except for one axis, where the
coordinates are bounded by . The described realization can be
computed with an easy algorithm.
The realization of the polytopes is obtained with a lifting technique which
produces an embedding on a large grid. We establish a rounding scheme that
places the vertices on a sparser grid, while maintaining the convexity of the
embedding.Comment: 22 pages, 10 Figure
Packing Topological Minors Half-Integrally
The packing problem and the covering problem are two of the most general
questions in graph theory. The Erd\H{o}s-P\'{o}sa property characterizes the
cases when the optimal solutions of these two problems are bounded by functions
of each other. Robertson and Seymour proved that when packing and covering
-minors for any fixed graph , the planarity of is equivalent with the
Erd\H{o}s-P\'{o}sa property. Thomas conjectured that the planarity is no longer
required if the solution of the packing problem is allowed to be half-integral.
In this paper, we prove that this half-integral version of Erd\H{o}s-P\'{o}sa
property holds with respect to the topological minor containment, which easily
implies Thomas' conjecture. Indeed, we prove an even stronger statement in
which those subdivisions are rooted at any choice of prescribed subsets of
vertices. Precisely, we prove that for every graph , there exists a function
such that for every graph , every sequence of
subsets of and every integer , either there exist subgraphs
of such that every vertex of belongs to at most two
of and each is isomorphic to a subdivision of whose
branch vertex corresponding to belongs to for each , or
there exists a set with size at most intersecting all
subgraphs of isomorphic to a subdivision of whose branch vertex
corresponding to belongs to for each .
Applications of this theorem include generalizations of algorithmic
meta-theorems and structure theorems for -topological minor free (or
-minor free) graphs to graphs that do not half-integrally pack many
-topological minors (or -minors)
Improved approximation for 3-dimensional matching via bounded pathwidth local search
One of the most natural optimization problems is the k-Set Packing problem,
where given a family of sets of size at most k one should select a maximum size
subfamily of pairwise disjoint sets. A special case of 3-Set Packing is the
well known 3-Dimensional Matching problem. Both problems belong to the Karp`s
list of 21 NP-complete problems. The best known polynomial time approximation
ratio for k-Set Packing is (k + eps)/2 and goes back to the work of Hurkens and
Schrijver [SIDMA`89], which gives (1.5 + eps)-approximation for 3-Dimensional
Matching. Those results are obtained by a simple local search algorithm, that
uses constant size swaps.
The main result of the paper is a new approach to local search for k-Set
Packing where only a special type of swaps is considered, which we call swaps
of bounded pathwidth. We show that for a fixed value of k one can search the
space of r-size swaps of constant pathwidth in c^r poly(|F|) time. Moreover we
present an analysis proving that a local search maximum with respect to O(log
|F|)-size swaps of constant pathwidth yields a polynomial time (k + 1 +
eps)/3-approximation algorithm, improving the best known approximation ratio
for k-Set Packing. In particular we improve the approximation ratio for
3-Dimensional Matching from 3/2 + eps to 4/3 + eps.Comment: To appear in proceedings of FOCS 201
A generalization of Voronoi's reduction theory and its application
We consider Voronoi's reduction theory of positive definite quadratic forms
which is based on Delone subdivision. We extend it to forms and Delone
subdivisions having a prescribed symmetry group. Even more general, the theory
is developed for forms which are restricted to a linear subspace in the space
of quadratic forms. We apply the new theory to complete the classification of
totally real thin algebraic number fields which was recently initiated by
Bayer-Fluckiger and Nebe. Moreover, we apply it to construct new best known
sphere coverings in dimensions 9,..., 15.Comment: 31 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, (v4) minor changes, to appear in Duke
Math.
- …