Orbitopal Fixing

The topic of this paper are integer programming models in which a subset of 0/1-variables encode a partitioning of a set of objects into disjoint subsets. Such models can be surprisingly hard to solve by branch-and-cut algorithms if the order of the subsets of the partition is irrelevant, since this kind of symmetry unnecessarily blows up the search tree. We present a general tool, called orbitopal fixing, for enhancing the capabilities of branch-and-cut algorithms in solving such symmetric integer programming models. We devise a linear time algorithm that, applied at each node of the search tree, removes redundant parts of the tree produced by the above mentioned symmetry. The method relies on certain polyhedra, called orbitopes, which have been introduced bei Kaibel and Pfetsch (Math. Programm. A, 114 (2008), 1-36). It does, however, not explicitly add inequalities to the model. Instead, it uses certain fixing rules for variables. We demonstrate the computational power of orbitopal fixing at the example of a graph partitioning problem.Comment: 22 pages, revised and extended version of a previous version that has appeared under the same title in Proc. IPCO 200

Structure of the Loday-Ronco Hopf algebra of trees

Loday and Ronco defined an interesting Hopf algebra structure on the linear span of the set of planar binary trees. They showed that the inclusion of the Hopf algebra of non-commutative symmetric functions in the Malvenuto-Reutenauer Hopf algebra of permutations factors through their Hopf algebra of trees, and these maps correspond to natural maps from the weak order on the symmetric group to the Tamari order on planar binary trees to the boolean algebra. We further study the structure of this Hopf algebra of trees using a new basis for it. We describe the product, coproduct, and antipode in terms of this basis and use these results to elucidate its Hopf-algebraic structure. We also obtain a transparent proof of its isomorphism with the non-commutative Connes-Kreimer Hopf algebra of Foissy, and show that this algebra is related to non-commutative symmetric functions as the (commutative) Connes-Kreimer Hopf algebra is related to symmetric functions.Comment: 32 pages, many .eps pictures in color. Minor revision