Random k-SAT and the Power of Two Choices

We study an Achlioptas-process version of the random k-SAT process: a bounded number of k-clauses are drawn uniformly at random at each step, and exactly one added to the growing formula according to a particular rule. We prove the existence of a rule that shifts the satisfiability threshold. This extends a well-studied area of probabilistic combinatorics (Achlioptas processes) to random CSP's. In particular, while a rule to delay the 2-SAT threshold was known previously, this is the first proof of a rule to shift the threshold of k-SAT for k >= 3. We then propose a gap decision problem based upon this semi-random model. The aim of the problem is to investigate the hardness of the random k-SAT decision problem, as opposed to the problem of finding an assignment or certificate of unsatisfiability. Finally, we discuss connections to the study of Achlioptas random graph processes.Comment: 13 page

Satisfiability threshold for random regular NAE-SAT

We consider the random regular $k$-NAE-SAT problem with $n$ variables each appearing in exactly $d$ clauses. For all $k$ exceeding an absolute constant $k_0$, we establish explicitly the satisfiability threshold $d_*=d_*(k)$. We prove that for $d<d_*$ the problem is satisfiable with high probability while for $d>d_*$ the problem is unsatisfiable with high probability. If the threshold $d_*$ lands exactly on an integer, we show that the problem is satisfiable with probability bounded away from both zero and one. This is the first result to locate the exact satisfiability threshold in a random constraint satisfaction problem exhibiting the condensation phenomenon identified by Krzakala et al. (2007). Our proof verifies the one-step replica symmetry breaking formalism for this model. We expect our methods to be applicable to a broad range of random constraint satisfaction problems and combinatorial problems on random graphs