7 Search Results for "Grelier, Nicolas"

Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.20
Near-Linear and Parameterized Approximations for Maximum Cliques in Disk Graphs

Authors: Jie Gao, Paweł Gawrychowski, Panos Giannopoulos, Wolfgang Mulzer, Satyam Singh, Frank Staals, and Meirav Zehavi

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 370, 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)

Abstract
A disk graph is the intersection graph of (closed) disks in the plane. We consider the classic problem of finding a maximum clique in a disk graph. For general disk graphs, the complexity of this problem is still open, but for unit disk graphs, it is well known to be in P. The currently fastest algorithm runs in time O(n^{7/3+ o(1)}), where n denotes the number of disks [Jared Espenant et al., 2023; J. Mark Keil and Debajyoti Mondal, 2025]. Moreover, for the case of disk graphs with t distinct radii, the problem has also recently been shown to be in XP. More specifically, it is solvable in time O^*(n^{2t}) [J. Mark Keil and Debajyoti Mondal, 2025]. In this paper, we present algorithms with improved running times by allowing for approximate solutions and by using randomization: [(i)] 1) for unit disk graphs, we give an algorithm that, with constant success probability, computes a (1-ε)-approximate maximum clique in expected time Õ(n/ε²); and 2) for disk graphs with t distinct radii, we give a parameterized approximation scheme that, with a constant success probability, computes a (1-ε)-approximate maximum clique in expected time Õ(f(t)⋅ (1/ε)^{O(t)} ⋅ n), for some (exponential) function f(t).
Cite as

Jie Gao, Paweł Gawrychowski, Panos Giannopoulos, Wolfgang Mulzer, Satyam Singh, Frank Staals, and Meirav Zehavi. Near-Linear and Parameterized Approximations for Maximum Cliques in Disk Graphs. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 20:1-20:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{gao_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.20,
  author =	{Gao, Jie and Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Giannopoulos, Panos and Mulzer, Wolfgang and Singh, Satyam and Staals, Frank and Zehavi, Meirav},
  title =	{{Near-Linear and Parameterized Approximations for Maximum Cliques in Disk Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{20:1--20:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-421-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{370},
  editor =	{Fraigniaud, Pierre},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.20},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260563},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.20},
  annote =	{Keywords: Maximum Clique, Disk Graphs, Unit Disk Graphs, FPT Approximation}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2025.63
The Maximum Clique Problem in a Disk Graph Made Easy

Authors: J. Mark Keil and Debajyoti Mondal

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 332, 41st International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2025)

Abstract
A disk graph is an intersection graph of disks in ℝ². Determining the computational complexity of finding a maximum clique in a disk graph is a long-standing open problem. In 1990, Clark, Colbourn, and Johnson gave a polynomial-time algorithm for computing a maximum clique in a unit disk graph. However, finding a maximum clique when disks are of arbitrary size is widely believed to be a challenging open problem. In this paper, we provide a new perspective to examine adjacencies in a disk graph that helps obtain the following results. - We design an 𝒪^*(n^{2k})-time algorithm, where 𝒪^* hides a polynomial factor, to find a maximum clique in a n-vertex disk graph with k different sizes of radii. This is polynomial for every fixed k, and thus settles the open question for the case when k = 2. - Given a set of n unit disks, we show how to compute a maximum clique inside each possible axis-aligned rectangle determined by the disk centers in O(n⁵log n)-time. This is at least a factor of n^{4/3} faster than applying the fastest known algorithm for finding a maximum clique in a unit disk graph for each rectangle independently. - We give an 𝒪^*(n^{2rk})-time algorithm to find a maximum clique in a n-vertex ball graph with k different sizes of radii where the ball centers lie on r parallel planes. This is polynomial for every fixed k and r, and thus contrasts the previously known NP-hardness result for finding a maximum clique in an arbitrary ball graph. - We design an 𝒪^*(n^{2k})-time algorithm to find a maximum clique in the intersection graph of a set S of n L-visible convex polygons, where k is the number of distinct shapes in S. This contrasts the known hardness result on finding a maximum clique in the intersection graph of unit disks and axis-aligned rectangles.
Cite as

J. Mark Keil and Debajyoti Mondal. The Maximum Clique Problem in a Disk Graph Made Easy. In 41st International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 332, pp. 63:1-63:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{keil_et_al:LIPIcs.SoCG.2025.63,
  author =	{Keil, J. Mark and Mondal, Debajyoti},
  title =	{{The Maximum Clique Problem in a Disk Graph Made Easy}},
  booktitle =	{41st International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2025)},
  pages =	{63:1--63:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-370-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{332},
  editor =	{Aichholzer, Oswin and Wang, Haitao},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2025.63},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-232155},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2025.63},
  annote =	{Keywords: Geometric Intersection Graphs, Disk Graphs, Ball Graphs, Maximum Clique}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2025.71
Unfairly Splitting Separable Necklaces

Authors: Patrick Schnider, Linus Stalder, and Simon Weber

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 327, 42nd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2025)

Abstract
The Necklace Splitting problem is a classical problem in combinatorics that has been intensively studied both from a combinatorial and a computational point of view. It is well-known that the Necklace Splitting problem reduces to the discrete Ham Sandwich problem. This reduction was crucial in the proof of PPA-completeness of the Ham Sandwich problem. Recently, Borzechowski, Schnider and Weber [ISAAC'23] introduced a variant of Necklace Splitting that similarly reduces to the α-Ham Sandwich problem, which lies in the complexity class UEOPL but is not known to be complete. To make this reduction work, the input necklace is guaranteed to be n-separable. They showed that these necklaces can be fairly split in polynomial time and thus this subproblem cannot be used to prove UEOPL-hardness for α-Ham Sandwich. We consider the more general unfair necklace splitting problem on n-separable necklaces, i.e., the problem of splitting these necklaces such that each thief gets a desired fraction of each type of jewels. This more general problem is the natural necklace-splitting-type version of α-Ham Sandwich, and its complexity status is one of the main open questions posed by Borzechowski, Schnider and Weber. We show that the unfair splitting problem is also polynomial-time solvable, and can thus also not be used to show UEOPL-hardness for α-Ham Sandwich.
Cite as

Patrick Schnider, Linus Stalder, and Simon Weber. Unfairly Splitting Separable Necklaces. In 42nd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 327, pp. 71:1-71:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{schnider_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2025.71,
  author =	{Schnider, Patrick and Stalder, Linus and Weber, Simon},
  title =	{{Unfairly Splitting Separable Necklaces}},
  booktitle =	{42nd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2025)},
  pages =	{71:1--71:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-365-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{327},
  editor =	{Beyersdorff, Olaf and Pilipczuk, Micha{\l} and Pimentel, Elaine and Thắng, Nguy\~{ê}n Kim},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2025.71},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-228963},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2025.71},
  annote =	{Keywords: Necklace splitting, n-separability, well-separation, Ham Sandwich, alpha-Ham Sandwich, unfair splitting, fair division}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2022.16
Well-Separation and Hyperplane Transversals in High Dimensions

Authors: Helena Bergold, Daniel Bertschinger, Nicolas Grelier, Wolfgang Mulzer, and Patrick Schnider

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 227, 18th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2022)

Abstract
A family of k point sets in d dimensions is well-separated if the convex hulls of any two disjoint subfamilies can be separated by a hyperplane. Well-separation is a strong assumption that allows us to conclude that certain kinds of generalized ham-sandwich cuts for the point sets exist. But how hard is it to check if a given family of high-dimensional point sets has this property? Starting from this question, we study several algorithmic aspects of the existence of transversals and separations in high-dimensions. First, we give an explicit proof that k point sets are well-separated if and only if their convex hulls admit no (k - 2)-transversal, i.e., if there exists no (k - 2)-dimensional flat that intersects the convex hulls of all k sets. It follows that the task of checking well-separation lies in the complexity class coNP. Next, we show that it is NP-hard to decide whether there is a hyperplane-transversal (that is, a (d - 1)-transversal) of a family of d + 1 line segments in ℝ^d, where d is part of the input. As a consequence, it follows that the general problem of testing well-separation is coNP-complete. Furthermore, we show that finding a hyperplane that maximizes the number of intersected sets is NP-hard, but allows for an Ω((log k)/(k log log k))-approximation algorithm that is polynomial in d and k, when each set consists of a single point. When all point sets are finite, we show that checking whether there exists a (k - 2)-transversal is in fact strongly NP-complete. Finally, we take the viewpoint of parametrized complexity, using the dimension d as a parameter: given k convex sets in ℝ^d, checking whether there is a (k-2)-transversal is FPT with respect to d. On the other hand, for k ≥ d+1 finite point sets in ℝ^d, it turns out that checking whether there is a (d-1)-transversal is W[1]-hard with respect to d.
Cite as

Helena Bergold, Daniel Bertschinger, Nicolas Grelier, Wolfgang Mulzer, and Patrick Schnider. Well-Separation and Hyperplane Transversals in High Dimensions. In 18th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 227, pp. 16:1-16:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{bergold_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2022.16,
  author =	{Bergold, Helena and Bertschinger, Daniel and Grelier, Nicolas and Mulzer, Wolfgang and Schnider, Patrick},
  title =	{{Well-Separation and Hyperplane Transversals in High Dimensions}},
  booktitle =	{18th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2022)},
  pages =	{16:1--16:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-236-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{227},
  editor =	{Czumaj, Artur and Xin, Qin},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2022.16},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-161766},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2022.16},
  annote =	{Keywords: hyperplane transversal, high-dimension, hardness}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2022.21
Nearest-Neighbor Decompositions of Drawings

Authors: Jonas Cleve, Nicolas Grelier, Kristin Knorr, Maarten Löffler, Wolfgang Mulzer, and Daniel Perz

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 227, 18th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2022)

Abstract
Let 𝒟 be a set of straight-line segments in the plane, potentially crossing, and let c be a positive integer. We denote by P the union of the endpoints of the straight-line segments of 𝒟 and of the intersection points between pairs of segments. We say that 𝒟 has a nearest-neighbor decomposition into c parts if we can partition P into c point sets P₁, … , P_c such that 𝒟 is the union of the nearest neighbor graphs on P₁, … , P_c. We show that it is NP-complete to decide whether 𝒟 can be drawn as the union of c ≥ 3 nearest-neighbor graphs, even when no two segments cross. We show that for c = 2, it is NP-complete in the general setting and polynomial-time solvable when no two segments cross. We show the existence of an O(log n)-approximation algorithm running in subexponential time for partitioning 𝒟 into a minimum number of nearest-neighbor graphs. As a main tool in our analysis, we establish the notion of the conflict graph for a drawing 𝒟. The vertices of the conflict graph are the connected components of 𝒟, with the assumption that each connected component is the nearest neighbor graph of its vertices, and there is an edge between two components U and V if and only if the nearest neighbor graph of U ∪ V contains an edge between a vertex in U and a vertex in V. We show that string graphs are conflict graphs of certain planar drawings. For planar graphs and complete k-partite graphs, we give additional, more efficient constructions. We furthermore show that there are subdivisions of non-planar graphs that are not conflict graphs. Lastly, we show a separator lemma for conflict graphs.
Cite as

Jonas Cleve, Nicolas Grelier, Kristin Knorr, Maarten Löffler, Wolfgang Mulzer, and Daniel Perz. Nearest-Neighbor Decompositions of Drawings. In 18th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 227, pp. 21:1-21:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{cleve_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2022.21,
  author =	{Cleve, Jonas and Grelier, Nicolas and Knorr, Kristin and L\"{o}ffler, Maarten and Mulzer, Wolfgang and Perz, Daniel},
  title =	{{Nearest-Neighbor Decompositions of Drawings}},
  booktitle =	{18th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2022)},
  pages =	{21:1--21:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-236-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{227},
  editor =	{Czumaj, Artur and Xin, Qin},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2022.21},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-161812},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2022.21},
  annote =	{Keywords: nearest-neighbors, decompositions, drawing}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2022.45
Hardness and Approximation of Minimum Convex Partition

Authors: Nicolas Grelier

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 224, 38th International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2022)

Abstract
We consider the Minimum Convex Partition problem: Given a set P of n points in the plane, draw a plane graph G on P, with positive minimum degree, such that G partitions the convex hull of P into a minimum number of convex faces. We show that Minimum Convex Partition is NP-hard, and we give several approximation algorithms, from an 𝒪(log OPT)-approximation running in 𝒪(n⁸)-time, where OPT denotes the minimum number of convex faces needed, to an 𝒪(√nlog n)-approximation algorithm running in 𝒪(n²)-time. We say that a point set is k-directed if the (straight) lines containing at least three points have up to k directions. We present an 𝒪(k)-approximation algorithm running in n^{𝒪(k)}-time. Those hardness and approximation results also holds for the Minimum Convex Tiling problem, defined similarly but allowing the use of Steiner points. The approximation results are obtained by relating the problem to the Covering Points with Non-Crossing Segments problem. We show that this problem is NP-hard, and present an FPT algorithm. This allows us to obtain a constant-approximation FPT algorithm for the Minimum Convex Partition Problem where the parameter is the number of faces.
Cite as

Nicolas Grelier. Hardness and Approximation of Minimum Convex Partition. In 38th International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 224, pp. 45:1-45:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{grelier:LIPIcs.SoCG.2022.45,
  author =	{Grelier, Nicolas},
  title =	{{Hardness and Approximation of Minimum Convex Partition}},
  booktitle =	{38th International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2022)},
  pages =	{45:1--45:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-227-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{224},
  editor =	{Goaoc, Xavier and Kerber, Michael},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2022.45},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-160530},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2022.45},
  annote =	{Keywords: degenerate point sets, point cover, non-crossing segments, approximation algorithm, complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2020.17
Maximum Clique in Disk-Like Intersection Graphs

Authors: Édouard Bonnet, Nicolas Grelier, and Tillmann Miltzow

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 182, 40th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2020)

Abstract
We study the complexity of Maximum Clique in intersection graphs of convex objects in the plane. On the algorithmic side, we extend the polynomial-time algorithm for unit disks [Clark '90, Raghavan and Spinrad '03] to translates of any fixed convex set. We also generalize the efficient polynomial-time approximation scheme (EPTAS) and subexponential algorithm for disks [Bonnet et al. '18, Bonamy et al. '18] to homothets of a fixed centrally symmetric convex set. The main open question on that topic is the complexity of Maximum Clique in disk graphs. It is not known whether this problem is NP-hard. We observe that, so far, all the hardness proofs for Maximum Clique in intersection graph classes I follow the same road. They show that, for every graph G of a large-enough class C, the complement of an even subdivision of G belongs to the intersection class I. Then they conclude by invoking the hardness of Maximum Independent Set on the class C, and the fact that the even subdivision preserves that hardness. However there is a strong evidence that this approach cannot work for disk graphs [Bonnet et al. '18]. We suggest a new approach, based on a problem that we dub Max Interval Permutation Avoidance, which we prove unlikely to have a subexponential-time approximation scheme. We transfer that hardness to Maximum Clique in intersection graphs of objects which can be either half-planes (or unit disks) or axis-parallel rectangles. That problem is not amenable to the previous approach. We hope that a scaled down (merely NP-hard) variant of Max Interval Permutation Avoidance could help making progress on the disk case, for instance by showing the NP-hardness for (convex) pseudo-disks.
Cite as

Édouard Bonnet, Nicolas Grelier, and Tillmann Miltzow. Maximum Clique in Disk-Like Intersection Graphs. In 40th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2020). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 182, pp. 17:1-17:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)

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@InProceedings{bonnet_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2020.17,
  author =	{Bonnet, \'{E}douard and Grelier, Nicolas and Miltzow, Tillmann},
  title =	{{Maximum Clique in Disk-Like Intersection Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{40th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2020)},
  pages =	{17:1--17:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-174-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{182},
  editor =	{Saxena, Nitin and Simon, Sunil},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2020.17},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-132587},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2020.17},
  annote =	{Keywords: Disk Graphs, Intersection Graphs, Maximum Clique, Algorithms, NP-hardness, APX-hardness}
}
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