A Quasi-Polynomial Time Partition Oracle for Graphs with an Excluded Minor

Motivated by the problem of testing planarity and related properties, we study the problem of designing efficient {\em partition oracles}. A {\em partition oracle} is a procedure that, given access to the incidence lists representation of a bounded-degree graph $G= (V,E)$ and a parameter \eps, when queried on a vertex $v\in V$, returns the part (subset of vertices) which $v$ belongs to in a partition of all graph vertices. The partition should be such that all parts are small, each part is connected, and if the graph has certain properties, the total number of edges between parts is at most \eps |V|. In this work we give a partition oracle for graphs with excluded minors whose query complexity is quasi-polynomial in 1/\eps, thus improving on the result of Hassidim et al. ({\em Proceedings of FOCS 2009}) who gave a partition oracle with query complexity exponential in 1/\eps. This improvement implies corresponding improvements in the complexity of testing planarity and other properties that are characterized by excluded minors as well as sublinear-time approximation algorithms that work under the promise that the graph has an excluded minor.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur

Node Labels in Local Decision

The role of unique node identifiers in network computing is well understood as far as symmetry breaking is concerned. However, the unique identifiers also leak information about the computing environment - in particular, they provide some nodes with information related to the size of the network. It was recently proved that in the context of local decision, there are some decision problems such that (1) they cannot be solved without unique identifiers, and (2) unique node identifiers leak a sufficient amount of information such that the problem becomes solvable (PODC 2013). In this work we give study what is the minimal amount of information that we need to leak from the environment to the nodes in order to solve local decision problems. Our key results are related to scalar oracles $f$ that, for any given $n$, provide a multiset $f(n)$ of $n$ labels; then the adversary assigns the labels to the $n$ nodes in the network. This is a direct generalisation of the usual assumption of unique node identifiers. We give a complete characterisation of the weakest oracle that leaks at least as much information as the unique identifiers. Our main result is the following dichotomy: we classify scalar oracles as large and small, depending on their asymptotic behaviour, and show that (1) any large oracle is at least as powerful as the unique identifiers in the context of local decision problems, while (2) for any small oracle there are local decision problems that still benefit from unique identifiers.Comment: Conference version to appear in the proceedings of SIROCCO 201

Non-Local Probes Do Not Help with Graph Problems

This work bridges the gap between distributed and centralised models of computing in the context of sublinear-time graph algorithms. A priori, typical centralised models of computing (e.g., parallel decision trees or centralised local algorithms) seem to be much more powerful than distributed message-passing algorithms: centralised algorithms can directly probe any part of the input, while in distributed algorithms nodes can only communicate with their immediate neighbours. We show that for a large class of graph problems, this extra freedom does not help centralised algorithms at all: for example, efficient stateless deterministic centralised local algorithms can be simulated with efficient distributed message-passing algorithms. In particular, this enables us to transfer existing lower bound results from distributed algorithms to centralised local algorithms

Distributed Dominating Set Approximations beyond Planar Graphs

The Minimum Dominating Set (MDS) problem is one of the most fundamental and challenging problems in distributed computing. While it is well-known that minimum dominating sets cannot be approximated locally on general graphs, over the last years, there has been much progress on computing local approximations on sparse graphs, and in particular planar graphs. In this paper we study distributed and deterministic MDS approximation algorithms for graph classes beyond planar graphs. In particular, we show that existing approximation bounds for planar graphs can be lifted to bounded genus graphs, and present (1) a local constant-time, constant-factor MDS approximation algorithm and (2) a local $\mathcal{O}(\log^*{n})$-time approximation scheme. Our main technical contribution is a new analysis of a slightly modified variant of an existing algorithm by Lenzen et al. Interestingly, unlike existing proofs for planar graphs, our analysis does not rely on direct topological arguments.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1602.0299

A Breezing Proof of the KMW Bound

In their seminal paper from 2004, Kuhn, Moscibroda, and Wattenhofer (KMW) proved a hardness result for several fundamental graph problems in the LOCAL model: For any (randomized) algorithm, there are input graphs with $n$ nodes and maximum degree $\Delta$ on which $\Omega(\min\{\sqrt{\log n/\log \log n},\log \Delta/\log \log \Delta\})$ (expected) communication rounds are required to obtain polylogarithmic approximations to a minimum vertex cover, minimum dominating set, or maximum matching. Via reduction, this hardness extends to symmetry breaking tasks like finding maximal independent sets or maximal matchings. Today, more than $15$ years later, there is still no proof of this result that is easy on the reader. Setting out to change this, in this work, we provide a fully self-contained and $\mathit{simple}$ proof of the KMW lower bound. The key argument is algorithmic, and it relies on an invariant that can be readily verified from the generation rules of the lower bound graphs.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure

Distributed Distance-rr Dominating Set on Sparse High-Girth Graphs

The dominating set problem and its generalization, the distance-$r$ dominating set problem, are among the well-studied problems in the sequential settings. In distributed models of computation, unlike for domination, not much is known about distance-r domination. This is actually the case for other important closely-related covering problem, namely, the distance-$r$ independent set problem. By result of Kuhn et al. we know the distributed domination problem is hard on high girth graphs; we study the problem on a slightly restricted subclass of these graphs: graphs of bounded expansion with high girth, i.e. their girth should be at least $4r + 3$. We show that in such graphs, for every constant $r$, a simple greedy CONGEST algorithm provides a constant-factor approximation of the minimum distance-$r$ dominating set problem, in a constant number of rounds. More precisely, our constants are dependent to $r$, not to the size of the graph. This is the first algorithm that shows there are non-trivial constant factor approximations in constant number of rounds for any distance $r$-covering problem in distributed settings. To show the dependency on r is inevitable, we provide an unconditional lower bound showing the same problem is hard already on rings. We also show that our analysis of the algorithm is relatively tight, that is any significant improvement to the approximation factor requires new algorithmic ideas

Distributed distance-r covering problems on sparse high-girth graphs

We prove that the distance-r dominating set, distance-r connected dominating set, distance-r vertex cover, and distance-r connected vertex cover problems admit constant factor approximations in the CONGEST model of distributed computing in a constant number of rounds on classes of sparse high-girth graphs. In this paper, sparse means bounded expansion, and high-girth means girth at least 4r + 2. Our algorithm is quite simple; however, the proof of its approximation guarantee is non-trivial. To complement the algorithmic results, we show tightness of our approximation by providing a loosely matching lower bound on rings. Our result is the first to show the existence of constant-factor approximations in a constant number of rounds in non-trivial classes of graphs for distance-r covering problems

Weak models of distributed computing, with connections to modal logic

This work presents a classification of weak models of distributed computing. We focus on deterministic distributed algorithms, and we study models of computing that are weaker versions of the widely-studied port-numbering model. In the port-numbering model, a node of degree d receives messages through d input ports and it sends messages through d output ports, both numbered with 1, 2,..., d. In this work, VVc is the class of all graph problems that can be solved in the standard port-numbering model. We study the following subclasses of VVc: VV: Input port i and output port i are not necessarily connected to the same neighbour. MV: Input ports are not numbered; algorithms receive a multiset of messages. SV: Input ports are not numbered; algorithms receive a set of messages. VB: Output ports are not numbered; algorithms send the same message to all output ports. MB: Combination of MV and VB. SB: Combination of SV and VB. Now we have many trivial containment relations, such as SB ⊆ MB ⊆ VB ⊆ VV ⊆ VVc, but it is not obvious if, e.g., either of VB ⊆ SV or SV ⊆ VB should hold. Nevertheless, it turns out that we can identify a linear order on these classes. We prove that SB � MB = VB � SV = MV = VV � VVc. The same holds for the constant-time versions of these classes. We also show that the constant-time variants of these classes can be characterised by a corresponding modal logic. Hence the linear order identified in this work has direct implications in the study of the expressibility of modal logic. Conversely, we can use tools from modal logic to study these classes