A Dichotomy Theorem for the Inverse Satisfiability Problem

The inverse satisfiability problem over a set of Boolean relations Gamma (Inv-SAT(Gamma)) is the computational decision problem of, given a set of models R, deciding whether there exists a SAT(Gamma) instance with R as its set of models. This problem is co-NP-complete in general and a dichotomy theorem for finite ? containing the constant Boolean relations was obtained by Kavvadias and Sideri. In this paper we remove the latter condition and prove that Inv-SAT(Gamma) is always either tractable or co-NP-complete for all finite sets of relations Gamma, thus solving a problem open since 1998. Very little of the techniques used by Kavvadias and Sideri are applicable and we have to turn to more recently developed algebraic approaches based on partial polymorphisms. We also consider the case when ? is infinite, where the situation differs markedly from the case of SAT. More precisely, we show that there exists infinite Gamma such that Inv-SAT(Gamma) is tractable even though there exists finite Delta is subset of Gamma such that Inv-SAT(Delta) is co-NP-complete

On the Strength of Uniqueness Quantification in Primitive Positive Formulas

Uniqueness quantification (Exists!) is a quantifier in first-order logic where one requires that exactly one element exists satisfying a given property. In this paper we investigate the strength of uniqueness quantification when it is used in place of existential quantification in conjunctive formulas over a given set of relations Gamma, so-called primitive positive definitions (pp-definitions). We fully classify the Boolean sets of relations where uniqueness quantification has the same strength as existential quantification in pp-definitions and give several results valid for arbitrary finite domains. We also consider applications of Exists!-quantified pp-definitions in computer science, which can be used to study the computational complexity of problems where the number of solutions is important. Using our classification we give a new and simplified proof of the trichotomy theorem for the unique satisfiability problem, and prove a general result for the unique constraint satisfaction problem. Studying these problems in a more rigorous framework also turns out to be advantageous in the context of lower bounds, and we relate the complexity of these problems to the exponential-time hypothesis

The Connectivity of Boolean Satisfiability: Computational and Structural Dichotomies

Boolean satisfiability problems are an important benchmark for questions about complexity, algorithms, heuristics and threshold phenomena. Recent work on heuristics, and the satisfiability threshold has centered around the structure and connectivity of the solution space. Motivated by this work, we study structural and connectivity-related properties of the space of solutions of Boolean satisfiability problems and establish various dichotomies in Schaefer's framework. On the structural side, we obtain dichotomies for the kinds of subgraphs of the hypercube that can be induced by the solutions of Boolean formulas, as well as for the diameter of the connected components of the solution space. On the computational side, we establish dichotomy theorems for the complexity of the connectivity and st-connectivity questions for the graph of solutions of Boolean formulas. Our results assert that the intractable side of the computational dichotomies is PSPACE-complete, while the tractable side - which includes but is not limited to all problems with polynomial time algorithms for satisfiability - is in P for the st-connectivity question, and in coNP for the connectivity question. The diameter of components can be exponential for the PSPACE-complete cases, whereas in all other cases it is linear; thus, small diameter and tractability of the connectivity problems are remarkably aligned. The crux of our results is an expressibility theorem showing that in the tractable cases, the subgraphs induced by the solution space possess certain good structural properties, whereas in the intractable cases, the subgraphs can be arbitrary

Fine-Grained Complexity of Constraint Satisfaction Problems through Partial Polymorphisms: A Survey (Dedicated to the memory of Professor Ivo Rosenberg)

International audienceConstraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) are combi-natorial problems with strong ties to universal algebra and clone theory. The recently proved CSP dichotomy theorem states that finite-domain CSPs are always either tractable or NP-complete. However, among the intractable cases there is a seemingly large variance in complexity, which cannot be explained by the classical algebraic approach using polymorphisms. In this contribution we will survey an alternative approach based on partial polymorphisms, which is useful for studying the fine-grained complexity of NP-complete CSPs. Moreover, we will state some challenging open problems in the research field

A Preliminary Investigation of Satisfiability Problems Not Harder than 1-in-3-SAT

The parameterized satisfiability problem over a set of Boolean relations Gamma (SAT(Gamma)) is the problem of determining whether a conjunctive formula over Gamma has at least one model. Due to Schaefer\u27s dichotomy theorem the computational complexity of SAT(Gamma), modulo polynomial-time reductions, has been completely determined: SAT(Gamma) is always either tractable or NP-complete. More recently, the problem of studying the relationship between the complexity of the NP-complete cases of SAT(Gamma) with restricted notions of reductions has attracted attention. For example, Impagliazzo et al. studied the complexity of k-SAT and proved that the worst-case time complexity increases infinitely often for larger values of k, unless 3-SAT is solvable in subexponential time. In a similar line of research Jonsson et al. studied the complexity of SAT(Gamma) with algebraic tools borrowed from clone theory and proved that there exists an NP-complete problem SAT(R^{neq,neq,neq,01}_{1/3}) such that there cannot exist any NP-complete SAT(Gamma) problem with strictly lower worst-case time complexity: the easiest NP-complete SAT(Gamma) problem. In this paper we are interested in classifying the NP-complete SAT(Gamma) problems whose worst-case time complexity is lower than 1-in-3-SAT but higher than the easiest problem SAT(R^{neq,neq,neq,01}_{1/3}). Recently it was conjectured that there only exists three satisfiability problems of this form. We prove that this conjecture does not hold and that there is an infinite number of such SAT(Gamma) problems. In the process we determine several algebraic properties of 1-in-3-SAT and related problems, which could be of independent interest for constructing exponential-time algorithms

A Survey on the Fine-grained Complexity of Constraint Satisfaction Problems Based on Partial Polymorphisms

International audienceConstraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) are combinatorial problems with strong ties to universal algebra and clone theory. The recently proved CSP dichotomy theorem states that each finite-domain CSP is either solvable in polynomial time, or that it is NP-complete. However, among the intractable CSPs there is a seemingly large variance in how fast they can be solved by exponential-time algorithms, which cannot be explained by the classical algebraic approach based on polymorphisms. In this contribution we will survey an alternative approach based on partial polymorphisms, which is useful for studying the fine-grained complexity of NP-complete CSPs. Moreover, we will state and discuss some challenging open problems in this research field

Reasoning short cuts in infinite domain constraint satisfaction: Algorithms and lower bounds for backdoors

A backdoor in a finite-domain CSP instance is a set of variables where each possible instantiation moves the instance into a polynomial-time solvable class. Backdoors have found many applications in artificial intelligence and elsewhere, and the algorithmic problem of finding such backdoors has consequently been intensively studied. Sioutis and Janhunen (KI, 2019) have proposed a generalised backdoor concept suitable for infinite-domain CSP instances over binary constraints. We generalise their concept into a large class of CSPs that allow for higher-arity constraints. We show that this kind of infinite-domain backdoors have many of the positive computational properties that finite-domain backdoors have: the associated computational problems are fixed-parameter tractable whenever the underlying constraint language is finite. On the other hand, we show that infinite languages make the problems considerably harder