166 research outputs found
Measured descent: A new embedding method for finite metrics
We devise a new embedding technique, which we call measured descent, based on
decomposing a metric space locally, at varying speeds, according to the density
of some probability measure. This provides a refined and unified framework for
the two primary methods of constructing Frechet embeddings for finite metrics,
due to [Bourgain, 1985] and [Rao, 1999]. We prove that any n-point metric space
(X,d) embeds in Hilbert space with distortion O(sqrt{alpha_X log n}), where
alpha_X is a geometric estimate on the decomposability of X. As an immediate
corollary, we obtain an O(sqrt{(log lambda_X) \log n}) distortion embedding,
where \lambda_X is the doubling constant of X. Since \lambda_X\le n, this
result recovers Bourgain's theorem, but when the metric X is, in a sense,
``low-dimensional,'' improved bounds are achieved.
Our embeddings are volume-respecting for subsets of arbitrary size. One
consequence is the existence of (k, O(log n)) volume-respecting embeddings for
all 1 \leq k \leq n, which is the best possible, and answers positively a
question posed by U. Feige. Our techniques are also used to answer positively a
question of Y. Rabinovich, showing that any weighted n-point planar graph
embeds in l_\infty^{O(log n)} with O(1) distortion. The O(log n) bound on the
dimension is optimal, and improves upon the previously known bound of O((log
n)^2).Comment: 17 pages. No figures. Appeared in FOCS '04. To appeaer in Geometric &
Functional Analysis. This version fixes a subtle error in Section 2.
On the 3-distortion of a path
We prove that, when a path of length n is embedded in R^2, the 3-distortion
is an Omega(n^{1/2}), and that, when embedded in R^d, the 3-distortion is an
O(n^{1/d-1})
Line-distortion, Bandwidth and Path-length of a graph
We investigate the minimum line-distortion and the minimum bandwidth problems
on unweighted graphs and their relations with the minimum length of a
Robertson-Seymour's path-decomposition. The length of a path-decomposition of a
graph is the largest diameter of a bag in the decomposition. The path-length of
a graph is the minimum length over all its path-decompositions. In particular,
we show:
- if a graph can be embedded into the line with distortion , then
admits a Robertson-Seymour's path-decomposition with bags of diameter at most
in ;
- for every class of graphs with path-length bounded by a constant, there
exist an efficient constant-factor approximation algorithm for the minimum
line-distortion problem and an efficient constant-factor approximation
algorithm for the minimum bandwidth problem;
- there is an efficient 2-approximation algorithm for computing the
path-length of an arbitrary graph;
- AT-free graphs and some intersection families of graphs have path-length at
most 2;
- for AT-free graphs, there exist a linear time 8-approximation algorithm for
the minimum line-distortion problem and a linear time 4-approximation algorithm
for the minimum bandwidth problem
Retracting Graphs to Cycles
We initiate the algorithmic study of retracting a graph into a cycle in the graph, which seeks a mapping of the graph vertices to the cycle vertices so as to minimize the maximum stretch of any edge, subject to the constraint that the restriction of the mapping to the cycle is the identity map. This problem has its roots in the rich theory of retraction of topological spaces, and has strong ties to well-studied metric embedding problems such as minimum bandwidth and 0-extension. Our first result is an O(min{k, sqrt{n}})-approximation for retracting any graph on n nodes to a cycle with k nodes. We also show a surprising connection to Sperner\u27s Lemma that rules out the possibility of improving this result using certain natural convex relaxations of the problem. Nevertheless, if the problem is restricted to planar graphs, we show that we can overcome these integrality gaps by giving an optimal combinatorial algorithm, which is the technical centerpiece of the paper. Building on our planar graph algorithm, we also obtain a constant-factor approximation algorithm for retraction of points in the Euclidean plane to a uniform cycle
Limitations to Frechet's Metric Embedding Method
Frechet's classical isometric embedding argument has evolved to become a
major tool in the study of metric spaces. An important example of a Frechet
embedding is Bourgain's embedding. The authors have recently shown that for
every e>0 any n-point metric space contains a subset of size at least n^(1-e)
which embeds into l_2 with distortion O(\log(2/e) /e). The embedding we used is
non-Frechet, and the purpose of this note is to show that this is not
coincidental. Specifically, for every e>0, we construct arbitrarily large
n-point metric spaces, such that the distortion of any Frechet embedding into
l_p on subsets of size at least n^{1/2 + e} is \Omega((\log n)^{1/p}).Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur
Approximation algorithms for low-distortion embeddings into low-dimensional spaces
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 33-35).We present several approximation algorithms for the problem of embedding metric spaces into a line, and into the two-dimensional plane. We give an O([square root] n)-approximation algorithm for the problem of finding a line embedding of a metric induced by a given unweighted graph, that minimizes the (standard) multiplicative distortion. For the same problem, we give an exact algorithm, with running-time exponential in the distortion. We complement these results by showing that the problem is NP-hard to [alpha]-approximate, for some constant [alpha] > 1. For the two-dimensional case, we show a O([square root] n) upper bound for the distortion required to embed an n-point subset of the two-dimensional sphere, into the plane. We prove that this bound is asymptotically tight, by exhibiting n-point subsets such that any embedding into the plane has distortion [omega]([square root] n). These techniques yield a O(1)-approximation algorithm for the problem of embedding an n-point subset of the sphere into the plane.by Anastasios Sidiropoulos.S.M
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