3 research outputs found
Algorithmic Interpretations of Fractal Dimension
We study algorithmic problems on subsets of Euclidean space of low fractal dimension. These spaces are the subject of intensive study in various branches of mathematics, including geometry, topology, and measure theory. There are several well-studied notions of fractal dimension for sets and measures in Euclidean space. We consider a definition of fractal dimension for finite metric spaces which agrees with standard notions used to empirically estimate the fractal dimension of various sets. We define the fractal dimension of some metric space to be the infimum delta>0, such that for any eps>0, for any ball B of radius r >= 2eps, and for any eps-net N, we have |B cap N|=O((r/eps)^delta).
Using this definition we obtain faster algorithms for a plethora of classical problems on sets of low fractal dimension in Euclidean space. Our results apply to exact and fixed-parameter algorithms, approximation schemes, and spanner constructions. Interestingly, the dependence of the performance of these algorithms on the fractal dimension nearly matches the currently best-known dependence on the standard Euclidean dimension. Thus, when the fractal dimension is strictly smaller than the ambient dimension, our results yield improved solutions in all of these settings.
We remark that our definition of fractal definition is equivalent up to constant factors to the well-studied notion of doubling dimension.
However, in the problems that we consider, the dimension appears in the exponent of the running time, and doubling dimension is not precise enough for capturing the best possible such exponent for subsets of Euclidean space. Thus our work is orthogonal to previous results on spaces of low doubling dimension; while algorithms on spaces of low doubling dimension seek to extend results from the case of low dimensional Euclidean spaces to more general metric spaces, our goal is to obtain faster algorithms for special pointsets in Euclidean space
Optimal Euclidean spanners: really short, thin and lanky
In a seminal STOC'95 paper, titled "Euclidean spanners: short, thin and
lanky", Arya et al. devised a construction of Euclidean (1+\eps)-spanners
that achieves constant degree, diameter , and weight , and has running time . This construction
applies to -point constant-dimensional Euclidean spaces. Moreover, Arya et
al. conjectured that the weight bound can be improved by a logarithmic factor,
without increasing the degree and the diameter of the spanner, and within the
same running time.
This conjecture of Arya et al. became a central open problem in the area of
Euclidean spanners.
In this paper we resolve the long-standing conjecture of Arya et al. in the
affirmative. Specifically, we present a construction of spanners with the same
stretch, degree, diameter, and running time, as in Arya et al.'s result, but
with optimal weight .
Moreover, our result is more general in three ways. First, we demonstrate
that the conjecture holds true not only in constant-dimensional Euclidean
spaces, but also in doubling metrics. Second, we provide a general tradeoff
between the three involved parameters, which is tight in the entire range.
Third, we devise a transformation that decreases the lightness of spanners in
general metrics, while keeping all their other parameters in check. Our main
result is obtained as a corollary of this transformation.Comment: A technical report of this paper was available online from April 4,
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