Noisy Sorting Without Searching: Data Oblivious Sorting with Comparison Errors

Abstract

We provide and study several algorithms for sorting an array of n comparable distinct elements subject to probabilistic comparison errors. In this model, the comparison of two elements returns the wrong answer according to a fixed probability, p_e < 1/2, and otherwise returns the correct answer. The dislocation of an element is the distance between its position in a given (current or output) array and its position in a sorted array. There are various algorithms that can be utilized for sorting or near-sorting elements subject to probabilistic comparison errors, but these algorithms are not data oblivious because they all make heavy use of noisy binary searching. In this paper, we provide new methods for sorting with comparison errors that are data oblivious while avoiding the use of noisy binary search methods. In addition, we experimentally compare our algorithms and other sorting algorithms