We consider a bipartite stochastic block model on vertex sets V1 and
V2, with planted partitions in each, and ask at what densities efficient
algorithms can recover the partition of the smaller vertex set.
When ∣V2∣≫∣V1∣, multiple thresholds emerge. We first locate a sharp
threshold for detection of the partition, in the sense of the results of
\cite{mossel2012stochastic,mossel2013proof} and \cite{massoulie2014community}
for the stochastic block model. We then show that at a higher edge density, the
singular vectors of the rectangular biadjacency matrix exhibit a localization /
delocalization phase transition, giving recovery above the threshold and no
recovery below. Nevertheless, we propose a simple spectral algorithm, Diagonal
Deletion SVD, which recovers the partition at a nearly optimal edge density.
The bipartite stochastic block model studied here was used by
\cite{feldman2014algorithm} to give a unified algorithm for recovering planted
partitions and assignments in random hypergraphs and random k-SAT formulae
respectively. Our results give the best known bounds for the clause density at
which solutions can be found efficiently in these models as well as showing a
barrier to further improvement via this reduction to the bipartite block model.Comment: updated version, will appear in COLT 201