411 research outputs found
A shortcut to (sun)flowers: Kernels in logarithmic space or linear time
We investigate whether kernelization results can be obtained if we restrict
kernelization algorithms to run in logarithmic space. This restriction for
kernelization is motivated by the question of what results are attainable for
preprocessing via simple and/or local reduction rules. We find kernelizations
for d-Hitting Set(k), d-Set Packing(k), Edge Dominating Set(k) and a number of
hitting and packing problems in graphs, each running in logspace. Additionally,
we return to the question of linear-time kernelization. For d-Hitting Set(k) a
linear-time kernelization was given by van Bevern [Algorithmica (2014)]. We
give a simpler procedure and save a large constant factor in the size bound.
Furthermore, we show that we can obtain a linear-time kernel for d-Set
Packing(k) as well.Comment: 18 page
Lossy Kernelization for (Implicit) Hitting Set Problems
We re-visit the complexity of polynomial time pre-processing (kernelization) for the d-Hitting Set problem. This is one of the most classic problems in Parameterized Complexity by itself, and, furthermore, it encompasses several other of the most well-studied problems in this field, such as Vertex Cover, Feedback Vertex Set in Tournaments (FVST) and Cluster Vertex Deletion (CVD). In fact, d-Hitting Set encompasses any deletion problem to a hereditary property that can be characterized by a finite set of forbidden induced subgraphs. With respect to bit size, the kernelization complexity of d-Hitting Set is essentially settled: there exists a kernel with ?(k^d) bits (?(k^d) sets and ?(k^{d-1}) elements) and this it tight by the result of Dell and van Melkebeek [STOC 2010, JACM 2014]. Still, the question of whether there exists a kernel for d-Hitting Set with fewer elements has remained one of the most major open problems in Kernelization.
In this paper, we first show that if we allow the kernelization to be lossy with a qualitatively better loss than the best possible approximation ratio of polynomial time approximation algorithms, then one can obtain kernels where the number of elements is linear for every fixed d. Further, based on this, we present our main result: we show that there exist approximate Turing kernelizations for d-Hitting Set that even beat the established bit-size lower bounds for exact kernelizations - in fact, we use a constant number of oracle calls, each with "near linear" (?(k^{1+?})) bit size, that is, almost the best one could hope for. Lastly, for two special cases of implicit 3-Hitting set, namely, FVST and CVD, we obtain the "best of both worlds" type of results - (1+?)-approximate kernelizations with a linear number of vertices. In terms of size, this substantially improves the exact kernels of Fomin et al. [SODA 2018, TALG 2019], with simpler arguments
Streaming Kernelization
Kernelization is a formalization of preprocessing for combinatorially hard
problems. We modify the standard definition for kernelization, which allows any
polynomial-time algorithm for the preprocessing, by requiring instead that the
preprocessing runs in a streaming setting and uses
bits of memory on instances . We obtain
several results in this new setting, depending on the number of passes over the
input that such a streaming kernelization is allowed to make. Edge Dominating
Set turns out as an interesting example because it has no single-pass
kernelization but two passes over the input suffice to match the bounds of the
best standard kernelization
Hitting forbidden minors: Approximation and Kernelization
We study a general class of problems called F-deletion problems. In an
F-deletion problem, we are asked whether a subset of at most vertices can
be deleted from a graph such that the resulting graph does not contain as a
minor any graph from the family F of forbidden minors.
We obtain a number of algorithmic results on the F-deletion problem when F
contains a planar graph. We give (1) a linear vertex kernel on graphs excluding
-claw , the star with leves, as an induced subgraph, where
is a fixed integer. (2) an approximation algorithm achieving an approximation
ratio of , where is the size of an optimal solution on
general undirected graphs. Finally, we obtain polynomial kernels for the case
when F contains graph as a minor for a fixed integer . The graph
consists of two vertices connected by parallel edges. Even
though this may appear to be a very restricted class of problems it already
encompasses well-studied problems such as {\sc Vertex Cover}, {\sc Feedback
Vertex Set} and Diamond Hitting Set. The generic kernelization algorithm is
based on a non-trivial application of protrusion techniques, previously used
only for problems on topological graph classes
Hierarchies of Inefficient Kernelizability
The framework of Bodlaender et al. (ICALP 2008) and Fortnow and Santhanam
(STOC 2008) allows us to exclude the existence of polynomial kernels for a
range of problems under reasonable complexity-theoretical assumptions. However,
there are also some issues that are not addressed by this framework, including
the existence of Turing kernels such as the "kernelization" of Leaf Out
Branching(k) into a disjunction over n instances of size poly(k). Observing
that Turing kernels are preserved by polynomial parametric transformations, we
define a kernelization hardness hierarchy, akin to the M- and W-hierarchy of
ordinary parameterized complexity, by the PPT-closure of problems that seem
likely to be fundamentally hard for efficient Turing kernelization. We find
that several previously considered problems are complete for our fundamental
hardness class, including Min Ones d-SAT(k), Binary NDTM Halting(k), Connected
Vertex Cover(k), and Clique(k log n), the clique problem parameterized by k log
n
Lossy Kernelization
In this paper we propose a new framework for analyzing the performance of
preprocessing algorithms. Our framework builds on the notion of kernelization
from parameterized complexity. However, as opposed to the original notion of
kernelization, our definitions combine well with approximation algorithms and
heuristics. The key new definition is that of a polynomial size
-approximate kernel. Loosely speaking, a polynomial size
-approximate kernel is a polynomial time pre-processing algorithm that
takes as input an instance to a parameterized problem, and outputs
another instance to the same problem, such that . Additionally, for every , a -approximate solution
to the pre-processed instance can be turned in polynomial time into a
-approximate solution to the original instance .
Our main technical contribution are -approximate kernels of
polynomial size for three problems, namely Connected Vertex Cover, Disjoint
Cycle Packing and Disjoint Factors. These problems are known not to admit any
polynomial size kernels unless . Our approximate
kernels simultaneously beat both the lower bounds on the (normal) kernel size,
and the hardness of approximation lower bounds for all three problems. On the
negative side we prove that Longest Path parameterized by the length of the
path and Set Cover parameterized by the universe size do not admit even an
-approximate kernel of polynomial size, for any , unless
. In order to prove this lower bound we need to combine
in a non-trivial way the techniques used for showing kernelization lower bounds
with the methods for showing hardness of approximationComment: 58 pages. Version 2 contain new results: PSAKS for Cycle Packing and
approximate kernel lower bounds for Set Cover and Hitting Set parameterized
by universe siz
Meta-Kernelization using Well-Structured Modulators
Kernelization investigates exact preprocessing algorithms with performance
guarantees. The most prevalent type of parameters used in kernelization is the
solution size for optimization problems; however, also structural parameters
have been successfully used to obtain polynomial kernels for a wide range of
problems. Many of these parameters can be defined as the size of a smallest
modulator of the given graph into a fixed graph class (i.e., a set of vertices
whose deletion puts the graph into the graph class). Such parameters admit the
construction of polynomial kernels even when the solution size is large or not
applicable. This work follows up on the research on meta-kernelization
frameworks in terms of structural parameters.
We develop a class of parameters which are based on a more general view on
modulators: instead of size, the parameters employ a combination of rank-width
and split decompositions to measure structure inside the modulator. This allows
us to lift kernelization results from modulator-size to more general
parameters, hence providing smaller kernels. We show (i) how such large but
well-structured modulators can be efficiently approximated, (ii) how they can
be used to obtain polynomial kernels for any graph problem expressible in
Monadic Second Order logic, and (iii) how they allow the extension of previous
results in the area of structural meta-kernelization
An Approximate Kernel for Connected Feedback Vertex Set
The Feedback Vertex Set problem is a fundamental computational problem which has been the subject of intensive study in various domains of algorithmics. In this problem, one is given an undirected graph G and an integer k as input. The objective is to determine whether at most k vertices can be deleted from G such that the resulting graph is acyclic. The study of preprocessing algorithms for this problem has a long and rich history, culminating in the quadratic kernelization of Thomasse [SODA 2010].
However, it is known that when the solution is required to induce a connected subgraph (such a set is called a connected feedback vertex set), a polynomial kernelization is unlikely to exist and the problem is NP-hard to approximate below a factor of 2 (assuming the Unique Games Conjecture).
In this paper, we show that if one is interested in only preserving approximate solutions (even of quality arbitrarily close to the optimum), then there is a drastic improvement in our ability to preprocess this problem. Specifically, we prove that for every fixed 0<epsilon<1, graph G, and k in N, the following holds:
There is a polynomial time computable graph G\u27 of size k^O(1) such that for every c >= 1, any c-approximate connected feedback vertex set of G\u27 of size at most k is a c * (1+epsilon)-approximate connected feedback vertex set of G.
Our result adds to the set of approximate kernelization algorithms introduced by Lokshtanov et al. [STOC 2017]. As a consequence of our main result, we show that Connected Feedback Vertex Set can be approximated within a factor min{OPT^O(1),n^(1-delta)} in polynomial time for some delta>0
Exploiting -Closure in Kernelization Algorithms for Graph Problems
A graph is c-closed if every pair of vertices with at least c common
neighbors is adjacent. The c-closure of a graph G is the smallest number such
that G is c-closed. Fox et al. [ICALP '18] defined c-closure and investigated
it in the context of clique enumeration. We show that c-closure can be applied
in kernelization algorithms for several classic graph problems. We show that
Dominating Set admits a kernel of size k^O(c), that Induced Matching admits a
kernel with O(c^7*k^8) vertices, and that Irredundant Set admits a kernel with
O(c^(5/2)*k^3) vertices. Our kernelization exploits the fact that c-closed
graphs have polynomially-bounded Ramsey numbers, as we show
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