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Randomized Tree-Intersection Leader Election

Authors Yuval Emek , Shay Kutten , Ido Rafael , Gadi Taubenfeld

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LIPIcs.DISC.2026.21.pdf
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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Theory of computation β†’ Distributed computing models
  • Theory of computation β†’ Distributed algorithms
Keywords
  • Leader election
  • randomized algorithms
  • sublinear communication
  • per-node message complexity
  • CONGEST model

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Abstract

We present a randomized leader election algorithm for synchronous complete n-node graphs in the CONGEST model that introduces a highly tunable trade-off between time complexity and the per-node message complexity. By adjusting a single branching parameter, 𝓁, system designers can smoothly shift the algorithmic burden from execution time to per-node message complexity, all while maintaining a strictly sublinear total message complexity of O(√n log^{1.5} n). We achieve this by utilizing dynamically truncated 𝓁-ary tree expansions coupled with a novel "silent pulse" verification mechanism. By forcing the expansions to form exact-volume almost-complete trees, nodes can safely aggregate topological weights without overshooting the sublinear message bounds. Specifically, our algorithm achieves O(log_𝓁 √{n log n}) time (round) complexity and O(𝓁) per-node message complexity. This flexibility allows networks with tight bandwidth constraints to operate with a minimal O(1) per-node burden, while high-bandwidth environments can collapse the election into O(1) time units.

Cite As Get BibTex

Yuval Emek, Shay Kutten, Ido Rafael, and Gadi Taubenfeld. Randomized Tree-Intersection Leader Election. In 40th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 397, pp. 21:1-21:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum fΓΌr Informatik (2026) https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2026.21

Author Details

Yuval Emek
  • Technion, Haifa, Israel
Shay Kutten
  • Technion, Haifa, Israel
Ido Rafael
  • Technion, Haifa, Israel
Gadi Taubenfeld
  • Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

Funding

  • Emek, Yuval: Partially supported by an Israel Science Foundation (ISF) grant 730/24 and by The Bernard M. Gordon Center for Systems Engineering at the Technion.
  • Kutten, Shay: Partially supported by Israel Science Foundation (ISF) grant 1346/22 and by The Bernard M. Gordon Center for Systems Engineering at the Technion and by the Technion’s Grand Energy program.

References

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  3. Yuval Emek, Shay Kutten, Ido Rafael, and Gadi Taubenfeld. Randomized tree-intersection leader election, 2026. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.08817.
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