Related papers: The Unique Games Conjecture, Integrality Gap for C…

We reduce the problem of proving a "Boolean Unique Games Conjecture" (with gap 1-delta vs. 1-C*delta, for any C> 1, and sufficiently small delta>0) to the problem of proving a PCP Theorem for a certain non-unique game. In a previous work,…

Goemans showed that any $n$ points $x_1, \dotsc x_n$ in $d$-dimensions satisfying $\ell_2^2$ triangle inequalities can be embedded into $\ell_{1}$, with worst-case distortion at most $\sqrt{d}$. We extend this to the case when the points…

The Unique Games Conjecture (UGC) constitutes a highly dynamic subarea within computational complexity theory, intricately linked to the outstanding P versus NP problem. Despite multiple insightful results in the past few years, a proof for…

We consider the problem of embedding a finite set of points $\{x_1, \ldots, x_n\} \in \mathbb{R}^d$ that satisfy $\ell_2^2$ triangle inequalities into $\ell_1$, when the points are approximately low-dimensional. Goemans (unpublished,…

The results of Raghavendra (2008) show that assuming Khot's Unique Games Conjecture (2002), for every constraint satisfaction problem there exists a generic semi-definite program that achieves the optimal approximation factor. This result…

In this paper, the author defines Generalized Unique Game Problem (GUGP), where weights of the edges are allowed to be negative. Two special types of GUGP are illuminated, GUGP-NWA, where the weights of all edges are negative, and…

In this paper, we prove an almost-optimal hardness for Max $k$-CSP$_R$ based on Khot's Unique Games Conjecture (UGC). In Max $k$-CSP$_R$, we are given a set of predicates each of which depends on exactly $k$ variables. Each variable can…

The Small-Set Expansion Hypothesis (Raghavendra, Steurer, STOC 2010) is a natural hardness assumption concerning the problem of approximating the edge expansion of small sets in graphs. This hardness assumption is closely connected to the…

The long code is a central tool in hardness of approximation, especially in questions related to the unique games conjecture. We construct a new code that is exponentially more efficient, but can still be used in many of these applications.…

We prove the endpoint case of a conjecture of Khot and Moshkovitz related to the Unique Games Conjecture, less a small error. Let $n\geq2$. Suppose a subset $\Omega$ of $n$-dimensional Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^{n}$ satisfies…

In this paper, we investigate the validity of the Unique Games Conjecture when the constraint graph is the boolean hypercube. We construct an almost optimal integrality gap instance on the Hypercube for the Goemans-Williamson semidefinite…

The UNIQUE GAMES problem is a central problem in algorithms and complexity theory. Given an instance of UNIQUE GAMES, the STRONG UNIQUE GAMES problem asks to find the largest subset of vertices, such that the UNIQUE GAMES instance induced…

We study the extent to which it is possible to approximate the optimal value of a Unique Games instance in Fixed-Point Logic with Counting (FPC). Formally, we prove lower bounds against the accuracy of FPC-interpretations that map Unique…

We introduce a new technique for designing fixed-parameter algorithms for cut problems, namely randomized contractions. We apply our framework to obtain the first FPT algorithm for the Unique Label Cover problem and new FPT algorithms with…

The planar embedding conjecture asserts that any planar metric admits an embedding into L_1 with constant distortion. This is a well-known open problem with important algorithmic implications, and has received a lot of attention over the…

Covering spaces of graphs have long been useful for studying expanders (as "graph lifts") and unique games (as the "label-extended graph"). In this paper we advocate for the thesis that there is a much deeper relationship between…

Assuming the Unique Games Conjecture, we show strong inapproximability results for two natural vertex deletion problems on directed graphs: for any integer $k\geq 2$ and arbitrary small $\epsilon > 0$, the Feedback Vertex Set problem and…

We consider one-round games between a classical verifier and two provers who share entanglement. We show that when the constraints enforced by the verifier are `unique' constraints (i.e., permutations), the value of the game can be well…

Austrin showed that the approximation ratio $\beta\approx 0.94016567$ obtained by the MAX 2-SAT approximation algorithm of Lewin, Livnat and Zwick (LLZ) is optimal modulo the Unique Games Conjecture (UGC) and modulo a Simplicity Conjecture…

In this paper, we continue the study of robust satisfiability of promise CSPs (PCSPs), initiated in (Brakensiek, Guruswami, Sandeep, STOC 2023 / Discrete Analysis 2025), and obtain the following results: For the PCSP 1-in-3-SAT vs NAE-SAT…