Related papers: Algorithms with Polynomially-Improved Approximatio…
We show that computing even very coarse approximations of critical points is intractable for simple classes of nonconvex functions. More concretely, we prove that if there exists a polynomial-time algorithm that takes as input a polynomial…
We give a polynomial-time approximation algorithm for the (not necessarily metric) $k$-Median problem. The algorithm is an $\alpha$-size-approximation algorithm for $\alpha < 1 + 2 \ln(n/k)$. That is, it guarantees a solution having size at…
Let $A$ be an $n\times n$ random matrix whose entries are i.i.d. with mean $0$ and variance $1$. We present a deterministic polynomial time algorithm which, with probability at least $1-2\exp(-\Omega(\epsilon n))$ in the choice of $A$,…
We study a class of combinatorial scheduling problems characterized by a particular type of constraint often associated with electrical power or gas energy. This constraint appears in several practical applications and is expressed as a sum…
We develop polynomial-time algorithms for near-optimal minimax mean estimation under $\ell_2$-squared loss in a Gaussian sequence model under convex constraints. The parameter space is an origin-symmetric, type-2 convex body $K \subset…
The problem of finding a nontrivial factor of a polynomial f(x) over a finite field F_q has many known efficient, but randomized, algorithms. The deterministic complexity of this problem is a famous open question even assuming the…
In the $d$-Scattered Set problem we are asked to select at least $k$ vertices of a given graph, so that the distance between any pair is at least $d$. We study the problem's (in-)approximability and offer improvements and extensions of…
We study a class of projective transformations of spectraplexes associated with self-dual cones and, on this basis, propose a polynomial-time algorithm for convex feasibility problems with positive definite constraints. At each iteration of…
We consider the problem of approximating certain combinatorial polynomials. First, we consider the problem of approximating the Tutte polynomial of a binary matroid with parameters q>= 2 and gamma. (Relative to the classical (x,y)…
The task of approximating a function of d variables from its evaluations at a given number of points is ubiquitous in numerical analysis and engineering applications. When d is large, this task is challenged by the so-called curse of…
Approximation algorithms for classical constraint satisfaction problems are one of the main research areas in theoretical computer science. Here we define a natural approximation version of the QMA-complete local Hamiltonian problem and…
In a previous paper, we have shown that any Boolean formula can be encoded as a linear programming problem in the framework of Bayesian probability theory. When applied to NP-complete algorithms, this leads to the fundamental conclusion…
If a two-player social welfare maximization problem does not admit a PTAS, we prove that any maximal-in-range truthful mechanism that runs in polynomial time cannot achieve an approximation factor better than 1/2. Moreover, for the k-player…
We introduce a new concept of approximation applicable to decision problems and functions, inspired by Bayesian probability. From the perspective of a Bayesian reasoner with limited computational resources, the answer to a problem that…
Computation of (approximate) polynomials common factors is an important problem in several fields of science, like control theory and signal processing. While the problem has been widely studied for scalar polynomials, the scientific…
We study partial and budgeted versions of the well studied connected dominating set problem. In the partial connected dominating set problem, we are given an undirected graph G = (V,E) and an integer n', and the goal is to find a minimum…
The (Non-Preemptive) Throughput Maximization problem is a natural and fundamental scheduling problem. We are given $n$ jobs, where each job $j$ is characterized by a processing time and a time window, contained in a global interval $[0,T)$,…
The approximate degree of a Boolean function $f(x_{1},x_{2},\ldots,x_{n})$ is the minimum degree of a real polynomial that approximates $f$ pointwise within $1/3$. Upper bounds on approximate degree have a variety of applications in…
We show an equivalence between 1-query quantum algorithms and representations by degree-2 polynomials. Namely, a partial Boolean function $f$ is computable by a 1-query quantum algorithm with error bounded by $\epsilon<1/2$ iff $f$ can be…
By assuming some widely-believed arithmetic conjectures, we show that the task of accepting a number that is representable as a sum of $d\geq2$ squares subjected to given congruence conditions is NP-complete. On the other hand, we develop…