267 research outputs found
Optimality program in segment and string graphs
Planar graphs are known to allow subexponential algorithms running in time
or for most of the paradigmatic
problems, while the brute-force time is very likely to be
asymptotically best on general graphs. Intrigued by an algorithm packing curves
in by Fox and Pach [SODA'11], we investigate which
problems have subexponential algorithms on the intersection graphs of curves
(string graphs) or segments (segment intersection graphs) and which problems
have no such algorithms under the ETH (Exponential Time Hypothesis). Among our
results, we show that, quite surprisingly, 3-Coloring can also be solved in
time on string graphs while an algorithm running
in time for 4-Coloring even on axis-parallel segments (of unbounded
length) would disprove the ETH. For 4-Coloring of unit segments, we show a
weaker ETH lower bound of which exploits the celebrated
Erd\H{o}s-Szekeres theorem. The subexponential running time also carries over
to Min Feedback Vertex Set but not to Min Dominating Set and Min Independent
Dominating Set.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figure
Automating Resolution is NP-Hard
We show that the problem of finding a Resolution refutation that is at most
polynomially longer than a shortest one is NP-hard. In the parlance of proof
complexity, Resolution is not automatizable unless P = NP. Indeed, we show it
is NP-hard to distinguish between formulas that have Resolution refutations of
polynomial length and those that do not have subexponential length refutations.
This also implies that Resolution is not automatizable in subexponential time
or quasi-polynomial time unless NP is included in SUBEXP or QP, respectively
On Existential MSO and its Relation to ETH
Impagliazzo et al. proposed a framework, based on the logic fragment defining the complexity class SNP, to identify problems that are equivalent to k-CNF-Sat modulo subexponential-time reducibility (serf-reducibility). The subexponential-time solvability of any of these problems implies the failure of the Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH). In this paper, we extend the framework of Impagliazzo et al., and identify a larger set of problems that are equivalent to k-CNF-Sat modulo serf-reducibility. We propose a complexity class, referred to as Linear Monadic NP, that consists of all problems expressible in existential monadic second order logic whose expressions have a linear measure in terms of a complexity parameter, which is usually the universe size of the problem.
This research direction can be traced back to Fagin\u27s celebrated theorem stating that NP coincides with the class of problems expressible in existential second order logic. Monadic NP, a well-studied class in the literature, is the restriction of the aforementioned logic fragment to existential monadic second order logic. The proposed class Linear Monadic NP is then the restriction of Monadic NP to problems whose expressions have linear measure in the complexity parameter.
We show that Linear Monadic NP includes many natural complete problems such as the satisfiability of linear-size circuits, dominating set, independent dominating set, and perfect code. Therefore, for any of these problems, its subexponential-time solvability is equivalent to the failure of ETH. We prove, using logic games, that the aforementioned problems are inexpressible in the monadic fragment of SNP, and hence, are not captured by the framework of Impagliazzo et al. Finally, we show that Feedback Vertex Set is inexpressible in existential monadic second order logic, and hence is not in Linear Monadic NP, and investigate the existence of certain reductions between Feedback Vertex Set (and variants of it) and 3-CNF-Sat
Exponential Time Complexity of the Permanent and the Tutte Polynomial
We show conditional lower bounds for well-studied #P-hard problems:
(a) The number of satisfying assignments of a 2-CNF formula with n variables
cannot be counted in time exp(o(n)), and the same is true for computing the
number of all independent sets in an n-vertex graph.
(b) The permanent of an n x n matrix with entries 0 and 1 cannot be computed
in time exp(o(n)).
(c) The Tutte polynomial of an n-vertex multigraph cannot be computed in time
exp(o(n)) at most evaluation points (x,y) in the case of multigraphs, and it
cannot be computed in time exp(o(n/polylog n)) in the case of simple graphs.
Our lower bounds are relative to (variants of) the Exponential Time
Hypothesis (ETH), which says that the satisfiability of n-variable 3-CNF
formulas cannot be decided in time exp(o(n)). We relax this hypothesis by
introducing its counting version #ETH, namely that the satisfying assignments
cannot be counted in time exp(o(n)). In order to use #ETH for our lower bounds,
we transfer the sparsification lemma for d-CNF formulas to the counting
setting
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