Spanning trees of 3-uniform hypergraphs

Masbaum and Vaintrob's "Pfaffian matrix tree theorem" implies that counting spanning trees of a 3-uniform hypergraph (abbreviated to 3-graph) can be done in polynomial time for a class of "3-Pfaffian" 3-graphs, comparable to and related to the class of Pfaffian graphs. We prove a complexity result for recognizing a 3-Pfaffian 3-graph and describe two large classes of 3-Pfaffian 3-graphs -- one of these is given by a forbidden subgraph characterization analogous to Little's for bipartite Pfaffian graphs, and the other consists of a class of partial Steiner triple systems for which the property of being 3-Pfaffian can be reduced to the property of an associated graph being Pfaffian. We exhibit an infinite set of partial Steiner triple systems that are not 3-Pfaffian, none of which can be reduced to any other by deletion or contraction of triples. We also find some necessary or sufficient conditions for the existence of a spanning tree of a 3-graph (much more succinct than can be obtained by the currently fastest polynomial-time algorithm of Gabow and Stallmann for finding a spanning tree) and a superexponential lower bound on the number of spanning trees of a Steiner triple system.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figure

A greedy approximation algorithm for the group Steiner problem

AbstractIn the group Steiner problem we are given an edge-weighted graph G=(V,E,w) and m subsets of vertices {gi}i=1m. Each subset gi is called a group and the vertices in ⋃igi are called terminals. It is required to find a minimum weight tree that contains at least one terminal from every group.We present a poly-logarithmic ratio approximation for this problem when the input graph is a tree. Our algorithm is a recursive greedy algorithm adapted from the greedy algorithm for the directed Steiner tree problem [Approximating the weight of shallow Steiner trees, Discrete Appl. Math. 93 (1999) 265–285, Approximation algorithms for directed Steiner problems, J. Algorithms 33 (1999) 73–91]. This is in contrast to earlier algorithms that are based on rounding a linear programming based relaxation for the problem [A polylogarithmic approximation algorithm for the Group Steiner tree problem, J. Algorithms 37 (2000) 66–84, preliminary version in Proceedings of SODA, 1998 pp. 253–259, On directed Steiner trees, Proceedings of SODA, 2002, pp. 59–63]. We answer in positive a question posed in [A polylogarithmic approximation algorithm for the Group Steiner tree problem, J. Algorithms 37 (2000) 66–84, preliminary version in Proceedings of SODA, 1998 pp. 253–259] on whether there exist good approximation algorithms for the group Steiner problem that are not based on rounding linear programs. For every fixed constant ε>0, our algorithm gives an O((log∑i|gi|)1+ε·logm) approximation in polynomial time. Approximation algorithms for trees can be extended to arbitrary undirected graphs by probabilistically approximating the graph by a tree. This results in an additional multiplicative factor of O(log|V|) in the approximation ratio, where |V| is the number of vertices in the graph. The approximation ratio of our algorithm on trees is slightly worse than the ratio of O(log(maxi|gi|)·logm) provided by the LP based approaches

Exact algorithms for the Steiner tree problem

In this thesis, the exact algorithms for the Steiner tree problem have been investigated. The Dreyfus-Wagner algorithm is a well-known dynamic programming method for computing minimum Steiner trees in general weighted graphs in time O(3k), where k is the number of the terminals. Firstly, two exact algorithms for the Steiner tree problem will be presented. The first one improves the running time of algorithm to O(2.684k) by showing that the optimum Steiner tree T can be partitioned into T = T1 [ T2 [ T3 in a certain way such that each Ti is a minimum Steiner tree in a suitable contracted graph Gi with less than k 2 terminals. The second algorithm is in time O((2 + )k) for any > 0. Every rectilinear Steiner tree problem admits an optimal tree T which is composed of tree stars. Moreover, the currently fastest algorithm for the rectilinear Steiner tree problem proceeds by composing an optimum tree T from tree star components in the cheapest way. F¨oßmeier and Kaufmann showed that any problem instance with k terminals has a number of tree stars in between 1.32k and 1.38k. We also present additional conditions on tree stars which allow us to further reduce the number of candidate components building the optimum Steiner tree to O(1.337k)

Informative labeling schemes for graphs

AbstractThis paper introduces the notion of informative labeling schemes for arbitrary graphs. Let f(W) be a function on subsets of vertices W. An f labeling scheme labels the vertices of a weighted graph G in such a way that f(W) can be inferred (or at least approximated) efficiently for any vertex subset W of G by merely inspecting the labels of the vertices of W, without having to use any additional information sources.A number of results illustrating this notion are presented in the paper. We begin by developing f labeling schemes for three functions f over the class of n-vertex trees. The first function, SepLevel, gives the separation level of any two vertices in the tree, namely, the depth of their least common ancestor. The second, LCA, provides the least common ancestor of any two vertices. The third, Center, yields the center of any three given vertices v1,v2,v3 in the tree, namely, the unique vertex z connected to them by three edge-disjoint paths. All of these three labeling schemes use O(log2n)-bit labels, which is shown to be asymptotically optimal.Our main results concern the function Steiner(W), defined for weighted graphs. For any vertex subset W in the weighted graph G, Steiner(W) represents the weight of the Steiner tree spanning the vertices of W in G. Considering the class of n-vertex trees with M-bit edge weights, it is shown that for this class there exists a Steiner labeling scheme using O((M+logn)logn) bit labels, which is asymptotically optimal. It is then shown that for the class of arbitrary n-vertex graphs with M-bit edge weights, there exists an approximate-Steiner labeling scheme, providing an estimate (up to a factor of O(logn)) for the Steiner weight Steiner(W) of a given set of vertices W, using O((M+logn)log2n) bit labels

Approximation algorithms for network design and cut problems in bounded-treewidth

This thesis explores two optimization problems, the group Steiner tree and firefighter problems, which are known to be NP-hard even on trees. We study the approximability of these problems on trees and bounded-treewidth graphs. In the group Steiner tree, the input is a graph and sets of vertices called groups; the goal is to choose one representative from each group and connect all the representatives with minimum cost. We show an O(log^2 n)-approximation algorithm for bounded-treewidth graphs, matching the known lower bound for trees, and improving the best possible result using previous techniques. We also show improved approximation results for group Steiner forest, directed Steiner forest, and a fault-tolerant version of group Steiner tree. In the firefighter problem, we are given a graph and a vertex which is burning. At each time step, we can protect one vertex that is not burning; fire then spreads to all unprotected neighbors of burning vertices. The goal is to maximize the number of vertices that the fire does not reach. On trees, a classic (1-1/e)-approximation algorithm is known via LP rounding. We prove that the integrality gap of the LP matches this approximation, and show significant evidence that additional constraints may improve its integrality gap. On bounded-treewidth graphs, we show that it is NP-hard to find a subpolynomial approximation even on graphs of treewidth 5. We complement this result with an O(1)-approximation on outerplanar graphs.Diese Arbeit untersucht zwei Optimierungsprobleme, von welchen wir wissen, dass sie selbst in Bäumen NP-schwer sind. Wir analysieren Approximationen für diese Probleme in Bäumen und Graphen mit begrenzter Baumweite. Im Gruppensteinerbaumproblem, sind ein Graph und Mengen von Knoten (Gruppen) gegeben; das Ziel ist es, einen Knoten von jeder Gruppe mit minimalen Kosten zu verbinden. Wir beschreiben einen O(log^2 n)-Approximationsalgorithmus für Graphen mit beschränkter Baumweite, dies entspricht der zuvor bekannten unteren Schranke für Bäume und ist zudem eine Verbesserung über die bestmöglichen Resultate die auf anderen Techniken beruhen. Darüber hinaus zeigen wir verbesserte Approximationsresultate für andere Gruppensteinerprobleme. Im Feuerwehrproblem sind ein Graph zusammen mit einem brennenden Knoten gegeben. In jedem Zeitschritt können wir einen Knoten der noch nicht brennt auswählen und diesen vor dem Feuer beschützen. Das Feuer breitet sich anschließend zu allen Nachbarn aus. Das Ziel ist es die Anzahl der Knoten die vom Feuer unberührt bleiben zu maximieren. In Bäumen existiert ein lang bekannter (1-1/e)-Approximationsalgorithmus der auf LP Rundung basiert. Wir zeigen, dass die Ganzzahligkeitslücke des LP tatsächlich dieser Approximation entspricht, und dass weitere Einschränkungen die Ganzzahligkeitslücke möglicherweise verbessern könnten. Für Graphen mit beschränkter Baumweite zeigen wir, dass es NP-schwer ist, eine sub-polynomielle Approximation zu finden

A Constant Factor Approximation for Capacitated Min-Max Tree Cover

Given a graph G = (V,E) with non-negative real edge lengths and an integer parameter k, the (uncapacitated) Min-Max Tree Cover problem seeks to find a set of at most k trees which together span V and each tree is a subgraph of G. The objective is to minimize the maximum length among all the trees. In this paper, we consider a capacitated generalization of the above and give the first constant factor approximation algorithm. In the capacitated version, there is a hard uniform capacity (?) on the number of vertices a tree can cover. Our result extends to the rooted version of the problem, where we are given a set of k root vertices, R and each of the covering trees is required to include a distinct vertex in R as the root. Prior to our work, the only result known was a (2k-1)-approximation algorithm for the special case when the total number of vertices in the graph is k? [Guttmann-Beck and Hassin, J. of Algorithms, 1997]. Our technique circumvents the difficulty of using the minimum spanning tree of the graph as a lower bound, which is standard for the uncapacitated version of the problem [Even et al.,OR Letters 2004] [Khani et al.,Algorithmica 2010]. Instead, we use Steiner trees that cover ? vertices along with an iterative refinement procedure that ensures that the output trees have low cost and the vertices are well distributed among the trees

Secluded Connectivity Problems

Consider a setting where possibly sensitive information sent over a path in a network is visible to every {neighbor} of the path, i.e., every neighbor of some node on the path, thus including the nodes on the path itself. The exposure of a path $P$ can be measured as the number of nodes adjacent to it, denoted by $N[P]$. A path is said to be secluded if its exposure is small. A similar measure can be applied to other connected subgraphs, such as Steiner trees connecting a given set of terminals. Such subgraphs may be relevant due to considerations of privacy, security or revenue maximization. This paper considers problems related to minimum exposure connectivity structures such as paths and Steiner trees. It is shown that on unweighted undirected $n$-node graphs, the problem of finding the minimum exposure path connecting a given pair of vertices is strongly inapproximable, i.e., hard to approximate within a factor of $O(2^{\log^{1-\epsilon}n})$ for any $\epsilon>0$ (under an appropriate complexity assumption), but is approximable with ratio $\sqrt{\Delta}+3$, where $\Delta$ is the maximum degree in the graph. One of our main results concerns the class of bounded-degree graphs, which is shown to exhibit the following interesting dichotomy. On the one hand, the minimum exposure path problem is NP-hard on node-weighted or directed bounded-degree graphs (even when the maximum degree is 4). On the other hand, we present a polynomial algorithm (based on a nontrivial dynamic program) for the problem on unweighted undirected bounded-degree graphs. Likewise, the problem is shown to be polynomial also for the class of (weighted or unweighted) bounded-treewidth graphs

Shortest Paths and Steiner Trees in VLSI Routing

Routing is one of the major steps in very-large-scale integration (VLSI) design. Its task is to find disjoint wire connections between sets of points on a chip, subject to numerous constraints. This problem is solved in a two-stage approach, which consists of so-called global and detailed routing steps. For each set of metal components to be connected, global routing reduces the search space by computing corridors in which detailed routing sequentially determines the desired connections as shortest paths. In this thesis, we present new theoretical results on Steiner trees and shortest paths, the two main mathematical concepts in routing. In the practical part, we give computational results of BonnRoute, a VLSI routing tool developed at the Research Institute for Discrete Mathematics at the University of Bonn. Interconnect signal delays are becoming increasingly important in modern chip designs. Therefore, the length of paths or direct delay measures should be taken into account when constructing rectilinear Steiner trees. We consider the problem of finding a rectilinear Steiner minimum tree (RSMT) that --- as a secondary objective --- minimizes a signal delay related objective. Given a source we derive some structural properties of RSMTs for which the weighted sum of path lengths from the source to the other terminals is minimized. Also, we present an exact algorithm for constructing RSMTs with weighted sum of path lengths as secondary objective, and a heuristic for various secondary objectives. Computational results for industrial designs are presented. We further consider the problem of finding a shortest rectilinear Steiner tree in the plane in the presence of rectilinear obstacles. The Steiner tree is allowed to run over obstacles; however, if it intersects an obstacle, then no connected component of the induced subtree must be longer than a given fixed length. This kind of length restriction is motivated by its application in VLSI routing where a large Steiner tree requires the insertion of repeaters which must not be placed on top of obstacles. We show that there are optimal length-restricted Steiner trees with a special structure. In particular, we prove that a certain graph (called augmented Hanan grid) always contains an optimal solution. Based on this structural result, we give an approximation scheme for the special case that all obstacles are of rectangular shape or are represented by at most a constant number of edges. Turning to the shortest paths problem, we present a new generic framework for Dijkstra's algorithm for finding shortest paths in digraphs with non-negative integral edge lengths. Instead of labeling individual vertices, we label subgraphs which partition the given graph. Much better running times can be achieved if the number of involved subgraphs is small compared to the order of the original graph and the shortest path problems restricted to these subgraphs is computationally easy. As an application we consider the VLSI routing problem, where we need to find millions of shortest paths in partial grid graphs with billions of vertices. Here, the algorithm can be applied twice, once in a coarse abstraction (where the labeled subgraphs are rectangles), and once in a detailed model (where the labeled subgraphs are intervals). Using the result of the first algorithm to speed up the second one via goal-oriented techniques leads to considerably reduced running time. We illustrate this with the routing program BonnRoute on leading-edge industrial chips. Finally, we present computational results of BonnRoute obtained on real-world VLSI chips. BonnRoute fulfills all requirements of modern VLSI routing and has been used by IBM and its customers over many years to produce more than one thousand different chips. To demonstrate the strength of BonnRoute as a state-of-the-art industrial routing tool, we show that it performs excellently on all traditional quality measures such as wire length and number of vias, but also on further criteria of equal importance in the every-day work of the designer