Related papers: A tight example for approximation ratio 5 for cove…
In the Cover Small Cuts problem, we are given a capacitated (undirected) graph $G=(V,E,u)$ and a threshold value $\lambda$, as well as a set of links $L$ with end-nodes in $V$ and a non-negative cost for each link $\ell\in L$; the goal is…
A classic result of Williamson, Goemans, Mihail, and Vazirani [STOC 1993: 708-717] states that the problem of covering an uncrossable set family by a min-cost edge set admits approximation ratio $2$, by a primal-dual algorithm with a…
A classic result of Williamson, Goemans, Mihail, and Vazirani [STOC 1993: 708-717] states that the problem of covering an uncrossable set family by a min-cost edge set admits approximation ratio $2$, by a primal-dual algorithm with a…
We address long-standing open questions raised by Williamson, Goemans, Vazirani and Mihail pertaining to the design of approximation algorithms for problems in network design via the primal-dual method (Combinatorica 15(3):435-454, 1995).…
We present experimental work on a primal-dual framework simultaneously approximating maximum cut and weighted fractional cut-covering instances. In this primal-dual framework, we solve a semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation to either…
We present a new approximation algorithm for the minimum 2-edge-connected spanning subgraph problem. Its approximation ratio is $\frac{4}{3}$, which matches the current best ratio. The approximation ratio of the algorithm is $\frac{6}{5}$…
We study a weighted generalization of the fractional cut-covering problem, which we relate to the maximum cut problem via antiblocker and gauge duality. This relationship allows us to introduce a semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation…
A set family ${\cal F}$ is $uncrossable$ if $A \cap B,A \cup B \in {\cal F}$ or $A \setminus B,B \setminus A \in {\cal F}$ for any $A,B \in {\cal F}$. A classic result of Williamson, Goemans, Mihail, and Vazirani [STOC 1993:708-717] states…
Goemans and Williamson proposed a randomized rounding algorithm for the MAX-CUT problem with a 0.878 approximation bound in expectation. The 0.878 approximation bound remains the best-known approximation bound for this APX-hard problem.…
We use semidefinite programming to bound the fractional cut-cover parameter of graphs in association schemes in terms of their smallest eigenvalue. We also extend the equality cases of a primal-dual inequality involving the…
We design and analyse approximation algorithms for the minimum-cost connected T-join problem: given an undirected graph G = (V;E) with nonnegative costs on the edges, and a subset of nodes T, find (if it exists) a spanning connected…
Goemans and Williamson designed a 0.878-approximation algorithm for Max-Cut in undirected graphs [JACM'95]. Khot, Kindler, Mosel, and O'Donnel showed that the approximation ratio of the Goemans-Williamson algorithm is optimal assuming…
We propose a simple and natural approximation algorithm for the problem of finding a 2-edge-connected spanning subgraph of minimum total edge cost in a graph. The algorithm maintains a spanning forest starting with an empty edge set. In…
The vertex cover problem is a famous combinatorial problem, and its complexity has been heavily studied. While a 2-approximation can be trivially obtained for it, researchers have not been able to approximate it better than 2-\textit{o}(1).…
For an edge-weighted connected undirected graph, the minimum $k$-way cut problem is to find a subset of edges of minimum total weight whose removal separates the graph into $k$ connected components. The problem is NP-hard when $k$ is part…
Trevisan [SICOMP 2012] presented an algorithm for Max-Cut based on spectral partitioning techniques. This is the first algorithm for Max-Cut with an approximation guarantee strictly larger than 1/2 that is not based on semidefinite…
We study the approximability of the maximum size independent set (MIS) problem in bounded degree graphs. This is one of the most classic and widely studied NP-hard optimization problems. We focus on the well known minimum degree greedy…
There is a strong interest in finding challenging instances of NP-hard problems, from the perspective of showing quantum advantage. Due to the limits of near-term NISQ devices, it is moreover useful if these instances are small. In this…
Given an edge weighted graph and a forest $F$, the $\textit{2-edge connectivity augmentation problem}$ is to pick a minimum weighted set of edges, $E'$, such that every connected component of $E'\cup F$ is 2-edge connected. Williamson et…
We study the MaxCut problem for graphs $G=(V,E)$. The problem is NP-hard, there are two main approximation algorithms with theoretical guarantees: (1) the Goemans \& Williamson algorithm uses semi-definite programming to provide a…