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Sub-Exponential Time Lower Bounds for #VC and #Matching on 3-Regular Graphs

Authors Ying Liu , Shiteng Chen

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LIPIcs.STACS.2024.49.pdf
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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Theory of computation → Computational complexity and cryptography
Keywords
  • computational complexity
  • planar Holant
  • polynomial interpolation
  • rETH
  • sub-exponential
  • #ETH
  • #Matching
  • #VC

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Abstract

This article focuses on the sub-exponential time lower bounds for two canonical #P-hard problems: counting the vertex covers of a given graph (#VC) and counting the matchings of a given graph (#Matching), under the well-known counting exponential time hypothesis (#ETH). 
Interpolation is an essential method to build reductions in this article and in the literature. We use the idea of block interpolation to prove that both #VC and #Matching have no 2^{o(N)} time deterministic algorithm, even if the given graph with N vertices is a 3-regular graph. However, when it comes to proving the lower bounds for #VC and #Matching on planar graphs, both block interpolation and polynomial interpolation do not work. We prove that, for any integer N > 0, we can simulate N pairwise linearly independent unary functions by gadgets with only O(log N) size in the context of #VC and #Matching. Then we use log-size gadgets in the polynomial interpolation to prove that planar #VC and planar #Matching have no 2^{o(√{N/(log N)})} time deterministic algorithm. The lower bounds hold even if the given graph with N vertices is a 3-regular graph. 
Based on a stronger hypothesis, randomized exponential time hypothesis (rETH), we can avoid using interpolation. We prove that if rETH holds, both planar #VC and planar #Matching have no 2^{o(√N)} time randomized algorithm, even that the given graph with N vertices is a planar 3-regular graph. The 2^{Ω(√N)} time lower bounds are tight, since there exist 2^{O(√N)} time algorithms for planar #VC and planar #Matching.
We also develop a fine-grained dichotomy for a class of counting problems, symmetric Holant*.

Cite As Get BibTex

Ying Liu and Shiteng Chen. Sub-Exponential Time Lower Bounds for #VC and #Matching on 3-Regular Graphs. In 41st International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 289, pp. 49:1-49:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024) https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2024.49

Author Details

Ying Liu
  • State Key Laboratory of Computer Science, Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
  • University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Shiteng Chen
  • State Key Laboratory of Computer Science, Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
  • University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Funding

  • Liu, Ying: Supported by NSFC 61932002 and NSFC 62272448.
  • Chen, Shiteng: Supported by National Key R&D Program of China (2023YFA1009500), NSFC 61932002 and NSFC 62272448

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to Prof. Mingji Xia for his beneficial guidance and advice.

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