240,481 research outputs found
General Bounds for Incremental Maximization
We propose a theoretical framework to capture incremental solutions to
cardinality constrained maximization problems. The defining characteristic of
our framework is that the cardinality/support of the solution is bounded by a
value that grows over time, and we allow the solution to be
extended one element at a time. We investigate the best-possible competitive
ratio of such an incremental solution, i.e., the worst ratio over all
between the incremental solution after steps and an optimum solution of
cardinality . We define a large class of problems that contains many
important cardinality constrained maximization problems like maximum matching,
knapsack, and packing/covering problems. We provide a general
-competitive incremental algorithm for this class of problems, and show
that no algorithm can have competitive ratio below in general.
In the second part of the paper, we focus on the inherently incremental
greedy algorithm that increases the objective value as much as possible in each
step. This algorithm is known to be -competitive for submodular objective
functions, but it has unbounded competitive ratio for the class of incremental
problems mentioned above. We define a relaxed submodularity condition for the
objective function, capturing problems like maximum (weighted) (-)matching
and a variant of the maximum flow problem. We show that the greedy algorithm
has competitive ratio (exactly) for the class of problems that satisfy
this relaxed submodularity condition.
Note that our upper bounds on the competitive ratios translate to
approximation ratios for the underlying cardinality constrained problems.Comment: fixed typo
Spin-directed network model for the surface states of weak three-dimensional topological insulators
A two-dimensional spin-directed network model is
constructed that describes the combined effects of dimerization and disorder
for the surface states of a weak three-dimensional
topological insulator. The network model consists of helical edge states of
two-dimensional layers of topological insulators which
are coupled by time-reversal symmetric interlayer tunneling. It is argued that,
without dimerization of interlayer couplings, the network model has no
insulating phase for any disorder strength. However, a sufficiently strong
dimerization induces a transition from a metallic phase to an insulating phase.
The critical exponent for the diverging localization length at
metal-insulator transition points is obtained by finite-size scaling analysis
of numerical data from simulations of this network model. It is shown that the
phase transition belongs to the two-dimensional symplectic universality class
of Anderson transition.Comment: 36 pages and 27 figures, plus Supplemental Materia
Directed and elliptic flow in heavy ion collisions from MeV/nucleon to GeV/nucleon
Recent data from the NA49 experiment on directed and elliptic flow for Pb+Pb
reactions at CERN-SPS are compared to calculations with a hadron-string
transport model, the Ultra-relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD)
model.
The rapidity and transverse momentum dependence of the directed and elliptic
flow, i.e. and , are investigated. The flow results are compared to
data at three different centrality bins. Generally, a reasonable agreement
between the data and the calculations is found. Furthermore, the energy
excitation functions of and from MeV to GeV are explored within the UrQMD framework and discussed in the
context of the available data. It is found that, in the energy regime below
GeV, the inclusion of nuclear potentials is necessary to
describe the data. Above GeV beam energy, the UrQMD model starts to
underestimate the elliptic flow. Around the same energy the slope of the
rapidity spectra of the proton directed flow develops negative values. This
effect is known as the third flow component ("antiflow") and cannot be
reproduced by the transport model. These differences can possibly be explained
by assuming a phase transition from hadron gas to quark gluon plasma at about
GeV.Comment: 19 pages, minor changes and modified title as published in PR
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