DROPS

Volume

LIPIcs, Volume 330

4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

SAND 2025, June 9-11, 2025, Liverpool, GB

Editors: Kitty Meeks and Christian Scheideler

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2025.96

Counting Small Induced Subgraphs: Scorpions Are Easy but Not Trivial

Authors: Radu Curticapean, Simon Döring, and Daniel Neuen

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 351, 33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025)

Abstract

In the parameterized problem #IndSub(Φ) for fixed graph properties Φ, given as input a graph G and an integer k, the task is to compute the number of induced k-vertex subgraphs satisfying Φ. Dörfler et al. [Algorithmica 2022] and Roth et al. [SICOMP 2024] conjectured that #IndSub(Φ) is #W[1]-hard for all non-meager properties Φ, i.e., properties that are nontrivial for infinitely many k. This conjecture has been confirmed for several restricted types of properties, including all hereditary properties [STOC 2022] and all edge-monotone properties [STOC 2024]. We refute this conjecture by showing that induced k-vertex graphs that are scorpions can be counted in time O(n⁴) for all k. Scorpions were introduced more than 50 years ago in the context of the evasiveness conjecture. A simple variant of this construction results in graph properties that achieve arbitrary intermediate complexity assuming ETH. Moreover, we formulate an updated conjecture on the complexity of #IndSub(Φ) that correctly captures the complexity status of scorpions and related constructions.

Cite as

Radu Curticapean, Simon Döring, and Daniel Neuen. Counting Small Induced Subgraphs: Scorpions Are Easy but Not Trivial. In 33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 351, pp. 96:1-96:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{curticapean_et_al:LIPIcs.ESA.2025.96,
  author =	{Curticapean, Radu and D\"{o}ring, Simon and Neuen, Daniel},
  title =	{{Counting Small Induced Subgraphs: Scorpions Are Easy but Not Trivial}},
  booktitle =	{33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025)},
  pages =	{96:1--96:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-395-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{351},
  editor =	{Benoit, Anne and Kaplan, Haim and Wild, Sebastian and Herman, Grzegorz},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2025.96},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-245651},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2025.96},
  annote =	{Keywords: induced subgraphs, counting complexity, parameterized complexity, scorpions}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2025.93

Recognizing and Realizing Temporal Reachability Graphs

Authors: Thomas Erlebach, Othon Michail, and Nils Morawietz

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 351, 33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025)

Abstract

A temporal graph 𝒢 = (G,λ) can be represented by an underlying graph G = (V,E) together with a function λ that assigns to each edge e ∈ E the set of time steps during which e is present. The reachability graph of 𝒢 is the directed graph D = (V,A) with (u,v) ∈ A if and only if there is a temporal path from u to v. We study the Reachability Graph Realizability (RGR) problem that asks whether a given directed graph D = (V,A) is the reachability graph of some temporal graph. The question can be asked for undirected or directed temporal graphs, for reachability defined via strict or non-strict temporal paths, and with or without restrictions on λ (simple, proper, or both). Answering an open question posed by Casteigts et al. (TCS 2024), we show that all variants of the problem are NP-complete, except for two variants that become trivial in the directed case. For undirected temporal graphs, we consider the complexity of the problem with respect to the solid graph, that is, the graph containing all edges that could potentially receive a label in any realization. We show that the RGR problem is fixed-parameter tractable for the feedback edge set number of the solid graph. As we show, the latter parameter can presumably not be replaced by smaller parameters like feedback vertex set number or treedepth, since the problem is W[2]-hard for them.

Cite as

Thomas Erlebach, Othon Michail, and Nils Morawietz. Recognizing and Realizing Temporal Reachability Graphs. In 33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 351, pp. 93:1-93:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{erlebach_et_al:LIPIcs.ESA.2025.93,
  author =	{Erlebach, Thomas and Michail, Othon and Morawietz, Nils},
  title =	{{Recognizing and Realizing Temporal Reachability Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{33rd Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2025)},
  pages =	{93:1--93:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-395-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{351},
  editor =	{Benoit, Anne and Kaplan, Haim and Wild, Sebastian and Herman, Grzegorz},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2025.93},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-245627},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2025.93},
  annote =	{Keywords: parameterized complexity, temporal graphs, FPT algorithm, feedback edge set, directed graph recognition}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.WADS.2025.15

Enumerating Minimal Dominating Sets and Variants in Chordal Bipartite Graphs

Authors: Emanuel Castelo, Oscar Defrain, and Guilherme C. M. Gomes

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 349, 19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025)

Abstract

Enumerating minimal dominating sets with polynomial delay in bipartite graphs is a long-standing open problem. To date, even the subcase of chordal bipartite graphs is open, with the best known algorithm due to Golovach, Heggernes, Kanté, Kratsch, Sæther, and Villanger running in incremental-polynomial time. We improve on this result by providing a polynomial delay and space algorithm enumerating minimal dominating sets in chordal bipartite graphs. Additionally, we show that the total and connected variants admit polynomial and incremental-polynomial delay algorithms, respectively, within the same class. This provides an alternative proof of a result by Golovach et al. for total dominating sets, and answers an open question for the connected variant. Finally, we give evidence that the techniques used in this paper cannot be generalized to bipartite graphs for (total) minimal dominating sets, unless P = NP, and show that enumerating minimal connected dominating sets in bipartite graphs is harder than enumerating minimal transversals in general hypergraphs.

Cite as

Emanuel Castelo, Oscar Defrain, and Guilherme C. M. Gomes. Enumerating Minimal Dominating Sets and Variants in Chordal Bipartite Graphs. In 19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 349, pp. 15:1-15:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{castelo_et_al:LIPIcs.WADS.2025.15,
  author =	{Castelo, Emanuel and Defrain, Oscar and C. M. Gomes, Guilherme},
  title =	{{Enumerating Minimal Dominating Sets and Variants in Chordal Bipartite Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{19th International Symposium on Algorithms and Data Structures (WADS 2025)},
  pages =	{15:1--15:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-398-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{349},
  editor =	{Morin, Pat and Oh, Eunjin},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.WADS.2025.15},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-242467},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.WADS.2025.15},
  annote =	{Keywords: algorithmic enumeration, minimal dominating sets, connected dominating sets, total dominating sets, chordal bipartite graphs, sequential method, polynomial delay}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.75

Temporal Graph Realization with Bounded Stretch

Authors: George B. Mertzios, Hendrik Molter, Nils Morawietz, and Paul G. Spirakis

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 345, 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)

Abstract

A periodic temporal graph, in its simplest form, is a graph in which every edge appears exactly once in the first Δ time steps, and then it reappears recurrently every Δ time steps, where Δ is a given period length. This model offers a natural abstraction of transportation networks where each transportation link connects two destinations periodically. From a network design perspective, a crucial task is to assign the time-labels on the edges in a way that optimizes some criterion. In this paper we introduce a very natural optimality criterion that captures how the temporal distances of all vertex pairs are "stretched", compared to their physical distances, i.e. their distances in the underlying static (non-temporal) graph. Given a static graph G, the task is to assign to each edge one time-label between 1 and Δ such that, in the resulting periodic temporal graph with period Δ, the duration of the fastest temporal path from any vertex u to any other vertex v is at most α times the distance between u and v in G. Here, the value of α measures how much the shortest paths are allowed to be stretched once we assign the periodic time-labels. Our results span three different directions: First, we provide a series of approximation and NP-hardness results. Second, we provide approximation and fixed-parameter algorithms. Among them, we provide a simple polynomial-time algorithm (the radius-algorithm) which always guarantees an approximation strictly smaller than Δ, and which also computes the optimum stretch in some cases. Third, we consider a parameterized local search extension of the problem where we are given the temporal labeling of the graph, but we are allowed to change the time-labels of at most k edges; for this problem we prove that it is W[2]-hard but admits an XP algorithm with respect to k.

Cite as

George B. Mertzios, Hendrik Molter, Nils Morawietz, and Paul G. Spirakis. Temporal Graph Realization with Bounded Stretch. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 75:1-75:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{mertzios_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.75,
  author =	{Mertzios, George B. and Molter, Hendrik and Morawietz, Nils and Spirakis, Paul G.},
  title =	{{Temporal Graph Realization with Bounded Stretch}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{75:1--75:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-388-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{345},
  editor =	{Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Mazowiecki, Filip and Skrzypczak, Micha{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.75},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241829},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.75},
  annote =	{Keywords: Temporal graph, periodic temporal labeling, fastest temporal path, graph realization, temporal connectivity, stretch}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.23

Which Graph Motif Parameters Count?

Authors: Markus Bläser, Radu Curticapean, Julian Dörfler, and Christian Ikenmeyer

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 345, 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)

Abstract

For a fixed graph H, the function #Ind(H → ⋆) maps graphs G to the count of induced H-copies in G; this function obviously "counts something" in that it has a combinatorial interpretation. Linear combinations of such functions are called graph motif parameters and have recently received significant attention in counting complexity after a seminal paper by Curticapean, Dell and Marx (STOC'17). We show that, among linear combinations of functions #Ind(H → ⋆) involving only graphs H without isolated vertices, precisely those with positive integer coefficients maintain a combinatorial interpretation. It is important to note that graph motif parameters can be nonnegative for all inputs G, even when some coefficients are negative. Formally, we show that evaluating any graph motif parameter with a negative coefficient is impossible in an oracle variant of #P, where an implicit graph is accessed by oracle queries. Our proof follows the classification of the relativizing closure properties of #P by Hertrampf, Vollmer, and Wagner (SCT'95) and the framework developed by Ikenmeyer and Pak (STOC'22), but our application of the required Ramsey theorem turns out to be more subtle, as graphs do not have the required Ramsey property. Our techniques generalize from graphs to relational structures, including colored graphs. Vastly generalizing this, we introduce motif parameters over categories that count occurrences of sub-objects in the category. We then prove a general dichotomy theorem that characterizes which such parameters have a combinatorial interpretation. Using known results in Ramsey theory for categories, we obtain a dichotomy for motif parameters of finite vector spaces as well as parameter sets.

Cite as

Markus Bläser, Radu Curticapean, Julian Dörfler, and Christian Ikenmeyer. Which Graph Motif Parameters Count?. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 23:1-23:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{blaser_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.23,
  author =	{Bl\"{a}ser, Markus and Curticapean, Radu and D\"{o}rfler, Julian and Ikenmeyer, Christian},
  title =	{{Which Graph Motif Parameters Count?}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{23:1--23:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-388-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{345},
  editor =	{Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Mazowiecki, Filip and Skrzypczak, Micha{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.23},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241307},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.23},
  annote =	{Keywords: Graph motif parameters, Combinatorics, Combinatorial Interpretability}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.7

Temporal Explorability Games

Authors: Pete Austin, Sougata Bose, Nicolas Mazzocchi, and Patrick Totzke

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 348, 36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025)

Abstract

Temporal graphs extend ordinary graphs with discrete time that affects the availability of edges. We consider solving games played on temporal graphs where one player aims to explore the graph, i.e., visit all vertices. The complexity depends majorly on two factors: the presence of an adversary and how edge availability is specified. We demonstrate that on static graphs, where edges are always available, solving explorability games is just as hard as solving reachability games. In contrast, on temporal graphs, the complexity of explorability coincides with generalized reachability (NP-complete for one-player and PSPACE-complete for two player games). We show that if temporal graphs are given symbolically, even one-player reachability (and thus explorability and generalized reachability) games are PSPACE-hard. For one player, all these are also solvable in PSPACE and for two players, they are in PSPACE, EXP and EXP, respectively.

Cite as

Pete Austin, Sougata Bose, Nicolas Mazzocchi, and Patrick Totzke. Temporal Explorability Games. In 36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 348, pp. 7:1-7:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{austin_et_al:LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.7,
  author =	{Austin, Pete and Bose, Sougata and Mazzocchi, Nicolas and Totzke, Patrick},
  title =	{{Temporal Explorability Games}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025)},
  pages =	{7:1--7:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-389-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{348},
  editor =	{Bouyer, Patricia and van de Pol, Jaco},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.7},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-239575},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.7},
  annote =	{Keywords: Temporal Graphs, Explorability, Reachability, Games}
}

Document

Complete Volume

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025

LIPIcs, Volume 330, SAND 2025, Complete Volume

Authors: Kitty Meeks and Christian Scheideler

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

Abstract

LIPIcs, Volume 330, SAND 2025, Complete Volume

Cite as

4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 1-342, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@Proceedings{meeks_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025,
  title =	{{LIPIcs, Volume 330, SAND 2025, Complete Volume}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{1--342},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-232691},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025},
  annote =	{Keywords: LIPIcs, Volume 330, SAND 2025, Complete Volume}
}

Document

Front Matter

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.0

Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization

Authors: Kitty Meeks and Christian Scheideler

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

Abstract

Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization

Cite as

4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 0:i-0:viii, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{meeks_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.0,
  author =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  title =	{{Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{0:i--0:viii},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.0},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-232686},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.0},
  annote =	{Keywords: Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.1

The Expressive Power of Uniform Population Protocols with Logarithmic Space

Authors: Philipp Czerner, Vincent Fischer, and Roland Guttenberg

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

Abstract

Population protocols are a model of computation in which indistinguishable mobile agents interact in pairs to decide a property of their initial configuration. Originally introduced by Angluin et. al. in 2004 with a constant number of states, research nowadays focuses on protocols where the space usage depends on the number of agents. The expressive power of population protocols has so far however only been determined for protocols using o(log n) states, which compute only semilinear predicates, and for Ω(n) states. This leaves a significant gap, particularly concerning protocols with Θ(log n) or Θ(polylog n) states, which are the most common constructions in the literature. In this paper we close the gap and prove that for any ε > 0 and f ∈ Ω(log n)∩𝒪(n^{1-ε}), both uniform and non-uniform population protocols with Θ(f(n)) states can decide exactly those predicates, whose unary encoding lies in NSPACE(f(n) log n).

Cite as

Philipp Czerner, Vincent Fischer, and Roland Guttenberg. The Expressive Power of Uniform Population Protocols with Logarithmic Space. In 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 1:1-1:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{czerner_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.1,
  author =	{Czerner, Philipp and Fischer, Vincent and Guttenberg, Roland},
  title =	{{The Expressive Power of Uniform Population Protocols with Logarithmic Space}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{1:1--1:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230540},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: Population Protocols, Uniform, Expressive Power}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.7

Better Late, Then? The Hardness of Choosing Delays to Meet Passenger Demands in Temporal Graphs

Authors: David C. Kutner and Anouk Sommer

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

Abstract

In train networks, carefully-chosen delays may be beneficial for certain passengers, who would otherwise miss some connection. Given a simple (directed or undirected) temporal graph and a set of passengers (each specifying a starting vertex, an ending vertex, and a desired arrival time), we ask whether it is possible to delay some of the edges of the temporal graph to realize all the passengers' demands. We call this problem DelayBetter (DB), and study it along with two variants: in δ-DelayBetter, each delay must be of at most δ; in (δ-)Path DB, passengers also fully specify the vertices they should visit on their journey. On the positive side, we give a polynomial-time algorithm for Path DB and δ-Path DB, and obtain as a corollary a polynomial-time algorithm for DB and δ-DB on trees. We also provide an fpt algorithm for both problems parameterized by the size of the graph’s Feedback Edge Set together with the number of passengers. On the negative side, we show NP-completeness of (1-)DB on bounded-degree temporal graphs even when the lifetime is 2, and of (10-)DB on bounded-degree planar temporal graphs of lifetime 19. Our results complement previous work studying reachability problems in temporal graphs with delaying operations. This is to our knowledge the first such problem in which the aim is to facilitate travel between specific points (as opposed to facilitating or impeding a broadcast from one or many sources).

Cite as

David C. Kutner and Anouk Sommer. Better Late, Then? The Hardness of Choosing Delays to Meet Passenger Demands in Temporal Graphs. In 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 7:1-7:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{kutner_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.7,
  author =	{Kutner, David C. and Sommer, Anouk},
  title =	{{Better Late, Then? The Hardness of Choosing Delays to Meet Passenger Demands in Temporal Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{7:1--7:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.7},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230604},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.7},
  annote =	{Keywords: Temporal Graphs, Computational Complexity, Delay Management, Train Networks}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.6

Dismountability in Temporal Cliques Revisited

Authors: Daniele Carnevale, Arnaud Casteigts, and Timothée Corsini

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

Abstract

A temporal graph is a graph whose edges are available only at certain points in time. It is temporally connected if the nodes can reach each other by paths that traverse the edges chronologically (temporal paths). Unlike static graphs, temporal graphs do not always admit small subsets of edges that preserve connectivity (temporal spanners) - there exist temporal graphs with Θ(n²) edges, all of which are critical. In the case of temporal cliques (the underlying graph is complete), spanners of size O(nlog n) are guaranteed. The original proof of this result by Casteigts et al. [ICALP 2019] combines a number of techniques, one of which is called dismountability. In a recent work, Angrick et al. [ESA 2024] simplified the proof and showed, among other things, that a one-sided version of dismountability can replace elegantly the second part of the proof. In this paper, we revisit methodically the dismountability principle. We start by characterizing the structure that a temporal clique must have if it is non 1-hop dismountable, then neither 1-hop nor 2-hop (i.e. non {1,2}-hop) dismountable, and finally non {1,2,3}-hop dismountable. It turns out that if a clique is k-hop dismountable for any other k, then it must also be {1,2,3}-hop dismountable, thus no additional structure can be obtained beyond this point. Interestingly, excluding 1-hop and 2-hop dismountability is already sufficient for reducing the spanner problem from cliques to extremally matched bicliques, where the O(nlog n) result is subsequently obtained. Put together with the strategy of Angrick et al., this entire result can now be recovered using only dismountability. An interesting by-product of our analysis is that any minimal counter-example to the existence of 4n spanners must satisfy the properties of non {1,2,3}-hop dismountable cliques. In the second part, we discuss further connections between dismountability and another technique called pivotability. In particular, we show that if a temporal clique is recursively k-hop dismountable, then it is also pivotable (and thus admits a 2n spanner, whatever k). We also study a family of labelings called full-range that forces both dismountability and pivotability. The latter gives some evidence that large lifetimes could be exploited more generally for the construction of spanners.

Cite as

Daniele Carnevale, Arnaud Casteigts, and Timothée Corsini. Dismountability in Temporal Cliques Revisited. In 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 6:1-6:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{carnevale_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.6,
  author =	{Carnevale, Daniele and Casteigts, Arnaud and Corsini, Timoth\'{e}e},
  title =	{{Dismountability in Temporal Cliques Revisited}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{6:1--6:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.6},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230591},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.6},
  annote =	{Keywords: Dynamic networks, Temporal graphs, Reachability, Dismountability, Pivotability, Temporal spanners, Full-range graphs}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.3

Temporal Connectivity Augmentation

Authors: Thomas Bellitto, Jules Bouton Popper, and Bruno Escoffier

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

Abstract

Connectivity in temporal graphs relies on the notion of temporal paths, in which edges follow a chronological order (either strict or non-strict). In this work, we investigate the question of how to make a temporal graph connected. More precisely, we tackle the problem of finding, among a set of proposed temporal edges, the smallest subset such that its addition makes the graph temporally connected (TCA). We study the complexity of this problem and variants, under restricted lifespan of the graph, i.e. the maximum time step in the graph. Our main result on TCA is that for any fixed lifespan at least 2, it is NP-complete in both the strict and non-strict setting. We additionally provide a set of restrictions in the non-strict setting which makes the problem solvable in polynomial time and design an algorithm achieving this complexity. Interestingly, we prove that the source variant (making a given vertex a source in the augmented graph) is as difficult as TCA. On the opposite, we prove that the version where a list of connectivity demands has to be satisfied is solvable in polynomial time, when the size of the list is fixed. Finally, we highlight a variant of the previous case for which even with two pairs the problem is already NP-hard.

Cite as

Thomas Bellitto, Jules Bouton Popper, and Bruno Escoffier. Temporal Connectivity Augmentation. In 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 3:1-3:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bellitto_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.3,
  author =	{Bellitto, Thomas and Popper, Jules Bouton and Escoffier, Bruno},
  title =	{{Temporal Connectivity Augmentation}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{3:1--3:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.3},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230565},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.3},
  annote =	{Keywords: Temporal graph, temporal connectivity}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.2

Dynamic Debt Swapping in Financial Networks

Authors: Henri Froese, Martin Hoefer, and Lisa Wilhelmi

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

Abstract

A debt swap is an elementary edge swap in a directed, weighted graph, where two edges with the same weight swap their targets. Debt swaps are a natural and appealing operation in financial networks, in which nodes are banks and edges represent debt contracts. They can improve the clearing payments and the stability of these networks. However, their algorithmic properties are not well-understood. We analyze the computational complexity of debt swapping. Our main interest lies in semi-positive swaps, in which no creditor strictly suffers and at least one strictly profits. These swaps lead to a Pareto-improvement in the entire network. We consider network optimization via sequences of v-improving debt swaps from which a given bank v strictly profits. For ranking-based clearing, we show that every sequence of semi-positive v-improving swaps has polynomial length. In contrast, for arbitrary v-improving swaps, the problem of reaching a network configuration that allows no further swaps is PLS-complete. We identify cases in which short sequences of semi-positive swaps exist even without the v-improving property.

Cite as

Henri Froese, Martin Hoefer, and Lisa Wilhelmi. Dynamic Debt Swapping in Financial Networks. In 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 2:1-2:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{froese_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.2,
  author =	{Froese, Henri and Hoefer, Martin and Wilhelmi, Lisa},
  title =	{{Dynamic Debt Swapping in Financial Networks}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{2:1--2:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.2},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230550},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.2},
  annote =	{Keywords: Debt Swap, Financial Networks, Local Search}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.5

Undecidability of the Emptiness Problem for Weak Models of Distributed Computing

Authors: Flavio T. Principato, Javier Esparza, and Philipp Czerner

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)

Abstract

Esparza and Reiter have recently conducted a systematic comparative study of weak asynchronous models of distributed computing, in which a network of identical finite-state machines acts cooperatively to decide properties of the network’s graph. They introduced a distributed automata framework encompassing many different models, and proved that w.r.t. their expressive power (the graph properties they can decide) distributed automata collapse into seven equivalence classes. In this contribution, we turn our attention to the formal verification problem: Given a distributed automaton, does it decide a given graph property? We consider a fundamental instance of this question - the emptiness problem: Given a distributed automaton, does it accept any graph at all? Our main result is negative: the emptiness problem is undecidable for six of the seven equivalence classes, and trivially decidable for the remaining class.

Cite as

Flavio T. Principato, Javier Esparza, and Philipp Czerner. Undecidability of the Emptiness Problem for Weak Models of Distributed Computing. In 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 5:1-5:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{principato_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.5,
  author =	{Principato, Flavio T. and Esparza, Javier and Czerner, Philipp},
  title =	{{Undecidability of the Emptiness Problem for Weak Models of Distributed Computing}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{5:1--5:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.5},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230582},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.5},
  annote =	{Keywords: Undecidability, Emptiness Problem, distributed Automata}
}

45 Search Results for "Meeks, Kitty"

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Thanks for your feedback!

Could not send message