54 research outputs found
Approximating Non-Uniform Sparsest Cut via Generalized Spectra
We give an approximation algorithm for non-uniform sparsest cut with the
following guarantee: For any , given cost and demand
graphs with edge weights respectively, we can find a set
with at most
times the optimal non-uniform sparsest cut value,
in time 2^{r/(\delta\epsilon)}\poly(n) provided . Here is the 'th smallest generalized
eigenvalue of the Laplacian matrices of cost and demand graphs; (resp. ) is the weight of edges crossing the
cut in cost (resp. demand) graph and is the
sparsity of the optimal cut. In words, we show that the non-uniform sparsest
cut problem is easy when the generalized spectrum grows moderately fast. To the
best of our knowledge, there were no results based on higher order spectra for
non-uniform sparsest cut prior to this work.
Even for uniform sparsest cut, the quantitative aspects of our result are
somewhat stronger than previous methods. Similar results hold for other
expansion measures like edge expansion, normalized cut, and conductance, with
the 'th smallest eigenvalue of the normalized Laplacian playing the role of
in the latter two cases.
Our proof is based on an l1-embedding of vectors from a semi-definite program
from the Lasserre hierarchy. The embedded vectors are then rounded to a cut
using standard threshold rounding. We hope that the ideas connecting
-embeddings to Lasserre SDPs will find other applications. Another
aspect of the analysis is the adaptation of the column selection paradigm from
our earlier work on rounding Lasserre SDPs [GS11] to pick a set of edges rather
than vertices. This feature is important in order to extend the algorithms to
non-uniform sparsest cut.Comment: 16 page
A New Regularity Lemma and Faster Approximation Algorithms for Low Threshold Rank Graphs
Kolla and Tulsiani [KT07,Kolla11} and Arora, Barak and Steurer [ABS10]
introduced the technique of subspace enumeration, which gives approximation
algorithms for graph problems such as unique games and small set expansion; the
running time of such algorithms is exponential in the threshold-rank of the
graph.
Guruswami and Sinop [GS11,GS12], and Barak, Raghavendra, and Steurer [BRS11]
developed an alternative approach to the design of approximation algorithms for
graphs of bounded threshold-rank, based on semidefinite programming relaxations
in the Lassere hierarchy and on novel rounding techniques. These algorithms are
faster than the ones based on subspace enumeration and work on a broad class of
problems.
In this paper we develop a third approach to the design of such algorithms.
We show, constructively, that graphs of bounded threshold-rank satisfy a weak
Szemeredi regularity lemma analogous to the one proved by Frieze and Kannan
[FK99] for dense graphs. The existence of efficient approximation algorithms is
then a consequence of the regularity lemma, as shown by Frieze and Kannan.
Applying our method to the Max Cut problem, we devise an algorithm that is
faster than all previous algorithms, and is easier to describe and analyze
Sum-of-squares lower bounds for planted clique
Finding cliques in random graphs and the closely related "planted" clique
variant, where a clique of size k is planted in a random G(n, 1/2) graph, have
been the focus of substantial study in algorithm design. Despite much effort,
the best known polynomial-time algorithms only solve the problem for k ~
sqrt(n).
In this paper we study the complexity of the planted clique problem under
algorithms from the Sum-of-squares hierarchy. We prove the first average case
lower bound for this model: for almost all graphs in G(n,1/2), r rounds of the
SOS hierarchy cannot find a planted k-clique unless k > n^{1/2r} (up to
logarithmic factors). Thus, for any constant number of rounds planted cliques
of size n^{o(1)} cannot be found by this powerful class of algorithms. This is
shown via an integrability gap for the natural formulation of maximum clique
problem on random graphs for SOS and Lasserre hierarchies, which in turn follow
from degree lower bounds for the Positivestellensatz proof system.
We follow the usual recipe for such proofs. First, we introduce a natural
"dual certificate" (also known as a "vector-solution" or "pseudo-expectation")
for the given system of polynomial equations representing the problem for every
fixed input graph. Then we show that the matrix associated with this dual
certificate is PSD (positive semi-definite) with high probability over the
choice of the input graph.This requires the use of certain tools. One is the
theory of association schemes, and in particular the eigenspaces and
eigenvalues of the Johnson scheme. Another is a combinatorial method we develop
to compute (via traces) norm bounds for certain random matrices whose entries
are highly dependent; we hope this method will be useful elsewhere
New Dependencies of Hierarchies in Polynomial Optimization
We compare four key hierarchies for solving Constrained Polynomial
Optimization Problems (CPOP): Sum of Squares (SOS), Sum of Diagonally Dominant
Polynomials (SDSOS), Sum of Nonnegative Circuits (SONC), and the Sherali Adams
(SA) hierarchies. We prove a collection of dependencies among these hierarchies
both for general CPOPs and for optimization problems on the Boolean hypercube.
Key results include for the general case that the SONC and SOS hierarchy are
polynomially incomparable, while SDSOS is contained in SONC. A direct
consequence is the non-existence of a Putinar-like Positivstellensatz for
SDSOS. On the Boolean hypercube, we show as a main result that Schm\"udgen-like
versions of the hierarchies SDSOS*, SONC*, and SA* are polynomially equivalent.
Moreover, we show that SA* is contained in any Schm\"udgen-like hierarchy that
provides a O(n) degree bound.Comment: 26 pages, 4 figure
Approximation Limits of Linear Programs (Beyond Hierarchies)
We develop a framework for approximation limits of polynomial-size linear
programs from lower bounds on the nonnegative ranks of suitably defined
matrices. This framework yields unconditional impossibility results that are
applicable to any linear program as opposed to only programs generated by
hierarchies. Using our framework, we prove that O(n^{1/2-eps})-approximations
for CLIQUE require linear programs of size 2^{n^\Omega(eps)}. (This lower bound
applies to linear programs using a certain encoding of CLIQUE as a linear
optimization problem.) Moreover, we establish a similar result for
approximations of semidefinite programs by linear programs. Our main ingredient
is a quantitative improvement of Razborov's rectangle corruption lemma for the
high error regime, which gives strong lower bounds on the nonnegative rank of
certain perturbations of the unique disjointness matrix.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figure
Directed Steiner Tree and the Lasserre Hierarchy
The goal for the Directed Steiner Tree problem is to find a minimum cost tree
in a directed graph G=(V,E) that connects all terminals X to a given root r. It
is well known that modulo a logarithmic factor it suffices to consider acyclic
graphs where the nodes are arranged in L <= log |X| levels. Unfortunately the
natural LP formulation has a |X|^(1/2) integrality gap already for 5 levels. We
show that for every L, the O(L)-round Lasserre Strengthening of this LP has
integrality gap O(L log |X|). This provides a polynomial time
|X|^{epsilon}-approximation and a O(log^3 |X|) approximation in O(n^{log |X|)
time, matching the best known approximation guarantee obtained by a greedy
algorithm of Charikar et al.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figur
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