Related papers: Deriving differential approximation results for $k…
This paper considers approximation algorithms for generalized $k$-median problems. This class of problems can be informally described as $k$-median with a constant number of extra constraints, and includes $k$-median with outliers, and…
We consider the question of approximating Max 2-CSP where each variable appears in at most $d$ constraints (but with possibly arbitrarily large alphabet). There is a simple $(\frac{d+1}{2})$-approximation algorithm for the problem. We prove…
We examine directed spanners through flow-based linear programming relaxations. We design an $\~O(n^{2/3})$-approximation algorithm for the directed $k$-spanner problem that works for all $k\geq 1$, which is the first sublinear…
An important result in discrepancy due to Banaszczyk states that for any set of $n$ vectors in $\mathbb{R}^m$ of $\ell_2$ norm at most $1$ and any convex body $K$ in $\mathbb{R}^m$ of Gaussian measure at least half, there exists a $\pm 1$…
We study a family of (potentially non-convex) constrained optimization problems with convex composite structure. Through a novel analysis of non-smooth geometry, we show that proximal-type algorithms applied to exact penalty formulations of…
The problem of identifying the satisfiability threshold of random $3$-SAT formulas has received a lot of attention during the last decades and has inspired the study of other threshold phenomena in random combinatorial structures. The…
Hybrid $k$-Clustering is a model of clustering that generalizes two of the most widely studied clustering objectives: $k$-Center and $k$-Median. In this model, given a set of $n$ points $P$, the goal is to find $k$ centers such that the sum…
Random unitaries are useful in quantum information and related fields, but hard to generate with limited resources. An approximate unitary $k$-design is an ensemble of unitaries with an underlying measure over which the average is close to…
Adjiashvili introduced network design in a non-uniform fault model: the edge set of a given graph is partitioned into safe and unsafe edges. A vertex pair $(s,t)$ is $(p,q)$-flex-connected if $s$ and $t$ have $p$ edge-connectivity even…
In stochastic combinatorial optimization, algorithms differ in their adaptivity: whether or not they query realized randomness and adapt to it. Dean et al. (FOCS '04) formalize the adaptivity gap, which compares the performance of fully…
In the Euclidean TSP with neighborhoods (TSPN), we are given a collection of n regions (neighborhoods) and we seek a shortest tour that visits each region. As a generalization of the classical Euclidean TSP, TSPN is also NP-hard. In this…
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…
A $\mu$-constrained Boolean Max-CSP$(\psi)$ instance is a Boolean Max-CSP instance on predicate $\psi:\{0,1\}^r \to \{0,1\}$ where the objective is to find a labeling of relative weight exactly $\mu$ that maximizes the fraction of satisfied…
Solutions to many important partial differential equations satisfy bounds constraints, but approximations computed by finite element or finite difference methods typically fail to respect the same conditions. Chang and Nakshatrala enforce…
Combinatorial reconfiguration is a growing research field studying problems on the transformability between a pair of solutions of a search problem. We consider the approximability of optimization variants of reconfiguration problems; e.g.,…
In the Max-k-diameter problem, we are given a set of points in a metric space, and the goal is to partition the input points into k parts such that the maximum pairwise distance between points in the same part of the partition is minimized.…
Mixture distributions arise in many parametric and non-parametric settings -- for example, in Gaussian mixture models and in non-parametric estimation. It is often necessary to compute the entropy of a mixture, but, in most cases, this…
We resolve a long-standing open question, about the existence of a constant-factor approximation algorithm for the average-case \textsc{Decision Tree} problem with uniform probability distribution over the hypotheses. We answer the question…
In this paper, we present a new iterative rounding framework for many clustering problems. Using this, we obtain an $(\alpha_1 + \epsilon \leq 7.081 + \epsilon)$-approximation algorithm for $k$-median with outliers, greatly improving upon…
A (q,k,t)-design matrix is an m x n matrix whose pattern of zeros/non-zeros satisfies the following design-like condition: each row has at most q non-zeros, each column has at least k non-zeros and the supports of every two columns…