Distributed near-optimal matching

Massively Parallel Computation (MPC) is an emerging model which distills core aspects of distributed and parallel computation. It was developed as a tool to solve (typically graph) problems in systems where input is distributed over many machines with limited space. Recent work has focused on the regime in which machines have sublinear (in n, number of nodes in the input graph) space, with randomized algorithms presented for the fundamental problems of Maximal Matching and Maximal Independent Set. There are, however, no prior corresponding deterministic algorithms. A major challenge in the sublinear space setting is that the local space of each machine may be too small to store all the edges incident to a single node. To overcome this barrier we introduce a new graph sparsification technique that deterministically computes a low-degree subgraph with additional desired properties: degrees in the subgraph are sufficiently small that nodes' neighborhoods can be stored on single machines, and solving the problem on the subgraph provides significant global progress towards solving the problem for the original input graph. Using this framework to derandomize the well-known randomized algorithm of Luby [SICOMP'86], we obtain O(log Δ+log log n)$-round deterministic MPC algorithms for solving the fundamental problems of Maximal Matching and Maximal Independent Set with O(ne) space on each machine for any constant e > 0. Based on the recent work of Ghaffari et al. [FOCS'18], this additive O(log log n) factor is conditionally essential. These algorithms can also be shown to run in O(log Δ) rounds in the closely related model of CONGESTED CLIQUE, improving upon the state-of-the-art bound of O(log2 Δ) rounds by Censor-Hillel et al. [DISC'17].

In this paper, we deal with both the complexity and the approximability of the labeled perfect matching problem in bipartite graphs. Given a simple graph G = (V,E) with n vertices with a color (or label) function L : E→ {c1,...,cq}, the labeled maximum matching problem consists in finding a maximum matching on G that uses a minimum or a maximum number of colors.

Online request server matching

Matchability and [formula omitted]-maximal matchings

We resolve a number of long-standing open problems in online graph coloring. More specifically, we develop tight lower bounds on the performance of online algorithms for fundamental graph classes. An important contribution is that our bounds also hold for randomized online algorithms, for which hardly any results were known. Technically, we construct lower bounds for chordal graphs. The constructions then allow us to derive results on the performance of randomized online algorithms for the following further graph classes: trees, planar, bipartite, inductive, bounded-treewidth and disk graphs. It shows that the best competitive ratio of both deterministic and randomized online algorithms is Theta(log n), where n is the number of vertices of a graph. Furthermore, we prove that this guarantee cannot be improved if an online algorithm has a lookahead of size O(n/log n) or access to a reordering buffer of size n^(1-epsilon), for any 0 < epsilon <= 1. A consequence of our results is that, for all of the above mentioned graph classes except bipartite graphs, the natural First Fit coloring algorithm achieves an optimal performance, up to constant factors, among deterministic and randomized online algorithms.

Motivated by an application in controllability we consider maximum matchings in random bipartite graphs G = (A, B). First we analyse Karp–Sipser's algorithm to determine the asymptotic size of maximum matchings in random bipartite graphs with a fixed degree distribution. We then allow an adversary to delete one edge adjacent to every vertex in A in the more restricted model where each vertex in A chooses d neighbours uniformly at random from B.

Dominating induced matching in some subclasses of bipartite graphs

The Combinatorial Nullstellensatz can be used to solve certain problems in combinatorics. However, one of the major complications in using the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz is ensuring that there exists a nonzero monomial. This dissertation looks at applying the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz to finding perfect matchings in bipartite graphs. The first two chapters provide background material covering topics such as linear algebra, group theory, graph theory and even the discrete Fourier transform. New results start in the third chapter, showing that the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz can be used to solve the problem of finding perfect matchings in bipartite graphs. Using the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz also allows for a vice use of matroid intersection to find the nonzero monomial. By also applying the uncertainty principle, the number of perfect matchings in a bipartite graph can be bound. The fourth chapter examines properties of the polynomials created in the use of the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz to find perfect matchings in bipartite graphs. Many of the properties of the polynomials have analogous properties for the transforms of the polynomials, which are also examined. These properties often relate back to the structure of the graph which gave rise to the polynomial. The fifth chapter provides an application of the results. Since finding a nonzero monomial can be difficult and the polynomials created in this dissertation give polynomials with such a nonzero monomial the application shows how certain polynomials can be rewritten in terms of the matching polynomials. Such a rewriting may permit an easy method to find a nonzero monomial so that the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz can be applied to the polynomial. Finally, the fifth chapter concludes with some open problems that may be areas of further research.

A matrix-algebraic formulation of distributed-memory maximal cardinality matching algorithms in bipartite graphs

ABSTRACTI introduce a new graph‐theoretic property called abundant neighborhoods. This property is motivated by studying the thickness of economic markets. A vertex is, roughly, guaranteed to match if and only if it has an abundant neighborhood. This fact holds across numerous variants of two‐sided markets that are studied across the economics, operations research, and computer science literature. I introduce a new formalism to study these variants under a unifying framework, which I call matching rules, allowing us to study hitherto different types of markets (equivalently, graph matching problems) together. In particular, stable matchings, max‐weight matchings, and rank‐maximal matchings can be studied together as they are all surjective maximal matching rules. Lastly, the abundant neighborhood property can be used to study properties of maximal matchings: a vertex is matched in all maximal matchings if and only if it has an abundant neighborhood. With this observation, I develop a novel decomposition for studying maximal matchings. I use it to introduce a new integer programming formulation of the minimum maximal matching problem, which represents the worst‐case performance of a market. I show with experiments that using this formulation solves the problem for dense graphs with up to 500 vertices with 30%–50% less time than previous approaches from the literature and yields much tighter solutions for timed‐out instances.

Matching and packing problems have formed an important class of NP-hard problems. There have been a number of recently developed techniques for parameterized algorithms for these problems, including greedy localization, color-coding plus dynamic programming, and randomized divide-and-conquer. In this paper, we provide further theoretical study on the structures of these problems, and develop improved algorithmic methods that combine existing and new techniques to obtain improved algorithms for matching and packing problems. For the 3-set packing problem, we present a deterministic algorithm of time O *(4.613k), which significantly improves the previous best deterministic algorithm of time O *(12.83k). For the 3-d matching problem, we develop a new randomized algorithm of running time O *(2.323k) and a new deterministic algorithm of running time O *(2.773k). Our randomized algorithm improves the previous best randomized algorithm of running time O *(2.523k), and our deterministic algorithm significantly improves the previous best deterministic algorithm of running time O *(12.83k). Our results also imply improved algorithms for various triangle packing problems in graphs.KeywordsTime ComplexityDynamic ProgrammingMatch ProblemPacking ProblemDynamic Programming AlgorithmThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Maximum weight bipartite matching in matrix multiplication time

Matching algorithms are used routinely to match donors to recipients for solid organs transplantation, for the assignment of medical residents to hospitals, record linkage in databases, scheduling jobs on machines, network switching, online advertising, and image recognition, among others. Although many optimal solutions may exist to a given matching problem, when the elements that shall or not be included in a solution correspond to individuals, it becomes of paramount importance that the solution is selected fairly. In this paper we study individual fairness in matching problems. Given that many maximum matchings may exist, each one satisfying a different set of individuals, the only way to guarantee fairness is through randomization. Hence we introduce the distributional maxmin fairness framework which provides, for any given input instance, the strongest guarantee possible simultaneously for all individuals in terms of satisfaction probability (the probability of being matched in the solution). Specifically, a probability distribution over feasible solutions is maxmin-fair if it is not possible to improve the satisfaction probability of any individual without decreasing it for some other individual which is no better off. Our main contribution is a polynomial-time algorithm building on techniques from minimum cuts, and edge-coloring algorithms for regular bipartite graphs, and transversal theory. In the special case of bipartite matching, our algorithm runs in $$O((|V|^2 + |E| |V|^{2/3})\cdot (\log |V|)^2)$$ expected time. An experimental evaluation of our fair-matching algorithm shows its ability to scale to graphs with tens of millions of vertices and hundreds of millions of edges, taking only a few minutes on a simple architecture. To the best of our knowledge, this yields the first large-scale implementation of the egalitarian mechanism of Bogomolnaia and Moulin (Econometrica 72(1):257–279, 2004). Our analysis confirms that our method provides stronger satisfaction probability guarantees than non-trivial baselines.

For a graph G=(V,E), finding a set of disjoint edges that do not share any vertices is called a matching problem, and finding the maximum matching is a fundamental problem in the theory of distributed graph algorithms. Although local algorithms for the approximate maximum matching problem have been widely studied, exact algorithms has not been much studied. In fact, no exact maximum matching algorithm that is faster than the trivial upper bound of O(n^2) rounds is known for the general instance. In this paper, we propose a randomized O(s_{max}^{3/2}+log n)-round algorithm in the CONGEST model, where s_{\max} is the size of maximum matching. This is the first exact maximum matching algorithm in o(n^2) rounds for general instances in the CONGEST model. The key technical ingredient of our result is a distributed algorithms of finding an augmenting path in O(s_{\max}) rounds, which is based on a novel technique of constructing a sparse certificate of augmenting paths, which is a subgraph of the input graph preserving at least one augmenting path. To establish a highly parallel construction of sparse certificates, we also propose a new characterization of sparse certificates, which might also be of independent interest.

On the NP-completeness of the perfect matching free subgraph problem