Robust randomized matchings

The following game is played on a weighted graph: Alice selects a matching $M$ and Bob selects a number $k$. Alice's payoff is the ratio of the weight of the $k$ heaviest edges of $M$ to the maximum weight of a matching of size at most $k$. If $M$ guarantees a payoff of at least $\alpha$ then it is called $\alpha$-robust. In 2002, Hassin and Rubinstein gave an algorithm that returns a $1/\sqrt{2}$-robust matching, which is best possible. We show that Alice can improve her payoff to $1/\ln(4)$ by playing a randomized strategy. This result extends to a very general class of independence systems that includes matroid intersection, b-matchings, and strong 2-exchange systems. It also implies an improved approximation factor for a stochastic optimization variant known as the maximum priority matching problem and translates to an asymptotic robustness guarantee for deterministic matchings, in which Bob can only select numbers larger than a given constant. Moreover, we give a new LP-based proof of Hassin and Rubinstein's bound

Matchings in Random Biregular Bipartite Graphs

We study the existence of perfect matchings in suitably chosen induced subgraphs of random biregular bipartite graphs. We prove a result similar to a classical theorem of Erdos and Renyi about perfect matchings in random bipartite graphs. We also present an application to commutative graphs, a class of graphs that are featured in additive number theory.Comment: 30 pages and 3 figures - Latest version has updated introduction and bibliograph

Matchings on infinite graphs

Elek and Lippner (2010) showed that the convergence of a sequence of bounded-degree graphs implies the existence of a limit for the proportion of vertices covered by a maximum matching. We provide a characterization of the limiting parameter via a local recursion defined directly on the limit of the graph sequence. Interestingly, the recursion may admit multiple solutions, implying non-trivial long-range dependencies between the covered vertices. We overcome this lack of correlation decay by introducing a perturbative parameter (temperature), which we let progressively go to zero. This allows us to uniquely identify the correct solution. In the important case where the graph limit is a unimodular Galton-Watson tree, the recursion simplifies into a distributional equation that can be solved explicitly, leading to a new asymptotic formula that considerably extends the well-known one by Karp and Sipser for Erd\"os-R\'enyi random graphs.Comment: 23 page

Percolation on sparse random graphs with given degree sequence

We study the two most common types of percolation process on a sparse random graph with a given degree sequence. Namely, we examine first a bond percolation process where the edges of the graph are retained with probability p and afterwards we focus on site percolation where the vertices are retained with probability p. We establish critical values for p above which a giant component emerges in both cases. Moreover, we show that in fact these coincide. As a special case, our results apply to power law random graphs. We obtain rigorous proofs for formulas derived by several physicists for such graphs.Comment: 20 page