DROPS

Volume

LIPIcs, Volume 65

36th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2016)

FSTTCS 2016, December 13-15, 2016, Chennai, India

Editors: Akash Lal, S. Akshay, Saket Saurabh, and Sandeep Sen

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.WG.2026.18

Polynomial Kernels for Spanning Tree with Diversity Requirements

Authors: Petr A. Golovach, Diptapriyo Majumdar, and Saket Saurabh

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 376, 52nd International Workshop on Graph-Theoretic Concepts in Computer Science (WG 2026)

Abstract

Given a connected undirected graph G, a spanning tree is a subgraph T of G such that V(T) = V(G) and T is a tree. A collection of 𝓁 spanning trees T₁,…,T_{𝓁} is {{pairwise k-diverse}} if for every i ≠ j, |E(T_i) △ E(T_j)| ≥ k. Given a connected undirected graph G and integers p, q, k, 𝓁, {Leaf&Internal-Constrained Diverse Spanning Trees} asks whether there are 𝓁 distinct spanning trees T₁,…,T_{𝓁} of G that are {{pairwise k-diverse}} such that each tree has at least p leaves and at least q internal vertices. Similarly, {Leaf&Non-terminal-Constrained Diverse Spanning Trees} takes a connected undirected graph G, V_NT ⊆ V(G), and three integers p, k, 𝓁, and asks if G has 𝓁 spanning trees that are {{pairwise k-diverse}}, and each has at least p leaves and contains the vertices of V_NT as internal. We consider these two problems from the kernelization perspective and provide polynomial kernels for {Leaf&Internal-Constrained Diverse Spanning Trees} and {Leaf&Non-terminal-Constrained Diverse Spanning Trees}, when parameterized by p + q + k + 𝓁 and p + |V_NT| + k + 𝓁, respectively.

Cite as

Petr A. Golovach, Diptapriyo Majumdar, and Saket Saurabh. Polynomial Kernels for Spanning Tree with Diversity Requirements. In 52nd International Workshop on Graph-Theoretic Concepts in Computer Science (WG 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 376, pp. 18:1-18:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{golovach_et_al:LIPIcs.WG.2026.18,
  author =	{Golovach, Petr A. and Majumdar, Diptapriyo and Saurabh, Saket},
  title =	{{Polynomial Kernels for Spanning Tree with Diversity Requirements}},
  booktitle =	{52nd International Workshop on Graph-Theoretic Concepts in Computer Science (WG 2026)},
  pages =	{18:1--18:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-430-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{376},
  editor =	{Goedgebeur, Jan and Rz\k{a}\.{z}ewski, Pawe{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.WG.2026.18},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-261840},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.WG.2026.18},
  annote =	{Keywords: Parameterized Complexity, Kernelization, Diverse Solutions, Diverse Spanning Trees}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CPM.2026.12

Maximizing Diversity in (Near-)Median String Selection

Authors: Diptarka Chakraborty, Rudrayan Kundu, Nidhi Purohit, and Aravinda Kanchana Ruwanpathirana

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 369, 37th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2026)

Abstract

Given a set of strings over a specified alphabet, identifying a median or consensus string that minimizes the total distance to all input strings is a fundamental data aggregation problem. When the Hamming distance is considered as the underlying metric, this problem has extensive applications, ranging from bioinformatics to pattern recognition. However, modern applications often require the generation of multiple (near-)optimal yet diverse median strings to enhance flexibility and robustness in decision-making. In this study, we address this need by focusing on two prominent diversity measures: sum dispersion and min dispersion. We first introduce an exact algorithm for the diameter variant of the problem, which identifies pairs of near-optimal medians that are maximally diverse. Subsequently, we propose a (1-ε)-approximation algorithm (for any ε > 0) for sum dispersion, as well as a bi-criteria approximation algorithm for the more challenging min dispersion case, allowing the generation of multiple (more than two) diverse near-optimal Hamming medians. Our approach primarily leverages structural insights into the Hamming median space and also draws on techniques from error-correcting code construction to establish these results.

Cite as

Diptarka Chakraborty, Rudrayan Kundu, Nidhi Purohit, and Aravinda Kanchana Ruwanpathirana. Maximizing Diversity in (Near-)Median String Selection. In 37th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 369, pp. 12:1-12:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{chakraborty_et_al:LIPIcs.CPM.2026.12,
  author =	{Chakraborty, Diptarka and Kundu, Rudrayan and Purohit, Nidhi and Ruwanpathirana, Aravinda Kanchana},
  title =	{{Maximizing Diversity in (Near-)Median String Selection}},
  booktitle =	{37th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2026)},
  pages =	{12:1--12:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-420-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{369},
  editor =	{Bille, Philip and Prezza, Nicola},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CPM.2026.12},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-259382},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CPM.2026.12},
  annote =	{Keywords: Diversity maximization, Hamming median, diameter, dispersion, approximation algorithms}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.39

Faster Approximate Linear Matroid Intersection

Authors: Tatsuya Terao

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

Abstract

We consider a fast approximation algorithm for the linear matroid intersection problem. In this problem, we are given two r × n matrices M₁ and M₂, and the objective is to find a largest set of columns that are linearly independent in both M₁ and M₂. We design a (1 - ε)-approximation algorithm with time complexity Õ_{ε}(nnz(M₁) + nnz(M₂) + r_{*}^{ω}), where nnz(M_i) denotes the number of nonzero entries in M_i for i = 1, 2, r_{*} denotes the maximum size of a common independent set, and ω < 2.372 denotes the matrix multiplication exponent. Our approximation algorithm is faster than the exact algorithm by Harvey [FOCS'06 & SICOMP'09] and Cheung-Kwok-Lau [STOC'12 & JACM'13], which runs in Õ(nnz(M₁) + nnz(M₂) + n r_{*}^{ω - 1}) time. We also develop a fast (1 - ε)-approximation algorithm for the weighted version of the linear matroid intersection problem. In fact, we design a (1 - ε)-approximation algorithm for weighted linear matroid intersection with time complexity Õ_{ε}(nnz(M₁) + nnz(M₂) + r_{*}^{ω}). Our algorithm improves upon the (1 - ε)-approximation algorithm by Huang-Kakimura-Kamiyama [SODA'16 & Math. Program.'19], which runs in Õ_{ε}(nnz(M₁) + nnz(M₂) + nr_{*}^{ω - 1}) time. To obtain these results, we combine Quanrud’s adaptive sparsification framework [ICALP'24] with a simple yet effective method for efficiently checking whether a given vector lies in the linear span of a subset of vectors, which is of independent interest.

Cite as

Tatsuya Terao. Faster Approximate Linear Matroid Intersection. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 39:1-39:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{terao:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.39,
  author =	{Terao, Tatsuya},
  title =	{{Faster Approximate Linear Matroid Intersection}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{39:1--39:19},
  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.2026.39},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260756},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.39},
  annote =	{Keywords: Linear matroid intersection, fast approximation algorithm}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.9

QPTAS for MWIS and Finding Large Sparse Induced Subgraphs in Graphs with Few Independent Long Holes

Authors: Édouard Bonnet, Jadwiga Czyżewska, Tomáš Masařík, Marcin Pilipczuk, and Paweł Rzążewski

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

Abstract

We present a quasipolynomial-time approximation scheme (QPTAS) for the Maximum Independent Set (MWIS) in graphs with a bounded number of pairwise vertex-disjoint and non-adjacent long induced cycles. More formally, for every fixed s and t, we show a QPTAS for MWIS in graphs that exclude sC_t as an induced minor. Combining this with known results, we obtain a QPTAS for the problem of finding a largest induced subgraph of bounded treewidth with given hereditary property definable in Counting Monadic Second Order Logic, in the same classes of graphs. This is a step towards a conjecture of Gartland and Lokshtanov which asserts that for any planar graph H, graphs that exclude H as an induced minor admit a polynomial-time algorithm for the latter problem. This conjecture is notoriously open and even its weaker variants are confirmed only for very restricted graphs H.

Cite as

Édouard Bonnet, Jadwiga Czyżewska, Tomáš Masařík, Marcin Pilipczuk, and Paweł Rzążewski. QPTAS for MWIS and Finding Large Sparse Induced Subgraphs in Graphs with Few Independent Long Holes. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 9:1-9:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bonnet_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.9,
  author =	{Bonnet, \'{E}douard and Czy\.{z}ewska, Jadwiga and Masa\v{r}{\'\i}k, Tom\'{a}\v{s} and Pilipczuk, Marcin and Rz\k{a}\.{z}ewski, Pawe{\l}},
  title =	{{QPTAS for MWIS and Finding Large Sparse Induced Subgraphs in Graphs with Few Independent Long Holes}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{9:1--9:14},
  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.2026.9},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260454},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.9},
  annote =	{Keywords: independent set, long holes, QPTAS, induced subgraphs}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.10

Robotic Arm Rotation: Standing up Is Harder Than You Think

Authors: Nicolas Bousquet, Frank Connor, Remy El Sabeh, Louis-Roy Langevin, Amer E. Mouawad, Naomi Nishimura, and Agnes Totschnig

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

Abstract

We study motion-planning problems for planar robotic arms that rotate around fixed centers while avoiding collisions. In the SM-RAMP model, each unit-length arm may rotate at most once; the question is whether all arms can be rotated to the vertical position. We resolve an open problem of Bousquet et al. [Bousquet et al., 2026] by proving that SM-RAMP is NP-complete, even in the horizontal-to-vertical setting. Our hardness proof uses a structural analysis of rotation-propagation chains and introduces a combinatorial abstraction of independent interest, the Lighthouse Propagation problem, which we show is itself NP-complete. We then consider the multi-move variant MM-RAMP, where each arm may rotate multiple times among a fixed set of allowed angles (or orientations). We prove that MM-RAMP is PSPACE-complete even when each arm has only a few allowed angles, in sharp contrast with the single-move case. Finally, we give two fixed-parameter tractable algorithms: for MAX-SM-RAMP parameterized by the number k of arms to be made vertical, and for 2A-MM-RAMP (restricted to horizontal and vertical) parameterized by the number 𝓁 of allowed rotations.

Cite as

Nicolas Bousquet, Frank Connor, Remy El Sabeh, Louis-Roy Langevin, Amer E. Mouawad, Naomi Nishimura, and Agnes Totschnig. Robotic Arm Rotation: Standing up Is Harder Than You Think. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 10:1-10:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bousquet_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.10,
  author =	{Bousquet, Nicolas and Connor, Frank and El Sabeh, Remy and Langevin, Louis-Roy and Mouawad, Amer E. and Nishimura, Naomi and Totschnig, Agnes},
  title =	{{Robotic Arm Rotation: Standing up Is Harder Than You Think}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{10:1--10:17},
  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.2026.10},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260467},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.10},
  annote =	{Keywords: search, optimization, robotics, robotic arms, parameterized complexity, computational geometry, combinatorial reconfiguration}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.22

Search-Space Reduction for Boolean MinCSPs via Essential Constraints

Authors: Bart M. P. Jansen and Ruben F. A. Verhaegh

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

Abstract

For a fixed set ℱ of Boolean constraint types, a MinCSP(ℱ)-instance consists of a formula F that applies m constraints from ℱ to a set of n Boolean variables. The goal is to remove a minimum subset of constraint applications from F to make the remaining formula satisfiable. Previous work characterized how the choice of ℱ affects its polynomial-time solvability and approximability. We extend a recently introduced preprocessing framework for graph problems to the problem above. Rephrased in the context of CSPs, this framework defines a constraint application from a given formula F as c-essential if it is contained in all c-approximate solutions to F. Being able to efficiently detect these essential parts of a solution reduces the search space of any follow-up FPT algorithms parameterized by the solution size and yields an immediate asymptotic improvement to the runtime of such algorithms. In this work, we present a dichotomy theorem that distinguishes constraint sets ℱ for which c_ℱ-essential constraint applications can be detected efficiently for some c_{ℱ} ∈ 𝒪(1), from those for which this task is intractable under established complexity-theoretic conjectures. Our results show that for any set ℱ of bijunctive constraints, there is a polynomial-time algorithm that detects 𝒪(1)-essential constraint applications. This contrasts the fact that constant-factor approximating a bijunctive MinCSP(ℱ)-problem is intractable under the Unique Games Conjecture.

Cite as

Bart M. P. Jansen and Ruben F. A. Verhaegh. Search-Space Reduction for Boolean MinCSPs via Essential Constraints. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 22:1-22:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{jansen_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.22,
  author =	{Jansen, Bart M. P. and Verhaegh, Ruben F. A.},
  title =	{{Search-Space Reduction for Boolean MinCSPs via Essential Constraints}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{22:1--22:17},
  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.2026.22},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260586},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.22},
  annote =	{Keywords: fixed-parameter tractability, constraint satisfaction problems}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.26

On the Parameterized Complexity of Min-Sum-Radii

Authors: Pankaj Kumar, Haiko Müller, Sebastian Ordyniak, and Melanie Schmidt

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

Abstract

In the Min-Sum-Radii (MSR) clustering problem, we are given a finite set X of n points in a metric space. The objective is to find at most k clusters centered at a subset of these points such that every point of X is assigned to one of the clusters, minimizing the sum of the radii of the clusters. The problem is known to be NP-hard even on metrics induced by weighted planar graphs and metrics with constant doubling dimension, as shown by Gibson et al. (SWAT 2008). In this work, we investigate the parameterized complexity of MSR on metrics induced by undirected graphs. We distinguish between weighted graph metrics (with positive edge weights) and unweighted graph metrics (where all edges have unit weight). Weighted Graph Metrics. We show that MSR is W[1]-hard on metrics induced by weighted bipartite graphs, when parameterized by the combined parameter k the number of clusters and Δ the cost of the clustering. We then investigate the structural parameterized complexity of the problem. Drexler et al. [doi:10.48550/arXiv.2310.02130] showed that the MSR problem admits an XP algorithm on metrics induced by weighted graphs when parameterized by treewidth, and asked whether this can be improved to fixed-parameter tractability. We first answer their question in the negative, and more strongly show that MSR stays W[1]-hard on metrics induced by undirected weighted bipartite graphs when parameterized by the vertex cover number plus k. We then turn our attention to parameters for dense graphs and show that MSR remains W[1]-hard when parameterized by k+Δ even on cliques and complete bipartite graphs. On the positive side, we employ the known XP algorithm parameterized by treewidth, to show that the MSR problem is FPT when parameterized by the parameter treewidth plus Δ. Together, these results provide a complete picture of the parameterized complexity of MSR with respect to any combination of parameters k, Δ, as well as structural parameters for sparse graphs above vertex cover and known parameters for dense graphs (such as neighborhood diversity and modular width). Unweighted Graph Metrics. The story is rather different for unweighted graphs, since it is a long standing open question whether MSR on metrics induced by undirected graphs is solvable in polynomial-time. Although we cannot answer this question, we provide classical and parameterized hardness results for two very closely related problems, namely Exact-MSR (MSR and one wants to find exactly k clusters) and Allowed-Centers-MSR (MSR with an additional set of allowed cluster centers). We also show that MSR as well as these two problems are fixed-parameter tractable parameterized by the treedepth of the input graph.

Cite as

Pankaj Kumar, Haiko Müller, Sebastian Ordyniak, and Melanie Schmidt. On the Parameterized Complexity of Min-Sum-Radii. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 26:1-26:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{kumar_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.26,
  author =	{Kumar, Pankaj and M\"{u}ller, Haiko and Ordyniak, Sebastian and Schmidt, Melanie},
  title =	{{On the Parameterized Complexity of Min-Sum-Radii}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{26:1--26:18},
  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.2026.26},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260623},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.26},
  annote =	{Keywords: Parameterized complexity, Min-Sum-Radii clustering}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.25

Parameterized Critical Node Cut Revisited

Authors: Dušan Knop, Nikolaos Melissinos, and Manolis Vasilakis

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

Abstract

We study how to sparsify connectivity in graphs under a tight deletion budget. Given a graph G and integers k,x ≥ 0, Critical Node Cut (CNC) asks whether we can delete at most k vertices so that the number of remaining unordered pairs of connected vertices is at most x. CNC generalizes Vertex Cover (the case x = 0) and models tasks in network design, epidemiology, and social network analysis. We comprehensively map the structural parameterized complexity landscape for Critical Node Cut. First, we prove W[1]-hardness for the combined parameter k + fes + Δ + pw, where fes is the feedback edge set number, Δ the maximum degree, and pw the pathwidth of the input graph, respectively. This significantly improves over the known W[1]-hardness for k+tw, where tw denotes the treewidth, and is tight in that tree-depth together with maximum degree trivially yields FPT. Second, we give new positive results. Specifically, we identify three structural parameters-max-leaf number, vertex integrity, and modular-width-that render the problem fixed-parameter tractable, and develop a polynomial-time algorithm for graphs of constant clique-width. Third, leveraging a technique introduced by Lampis [ICALP '14], we develop an FPT approximation scheme that, for any ε > 0, computes a (1+ε)-approximate solution in time (tw / ε)^{𝒪(tw)} n^{𝒪(1)}. Finally, we show that CNC admits no polynomial kernel when parameterized by vertex cover number, unless standard assumptions fail. Together, these results substantially sharpen the known complexity landscape for CNC.

Cite as

Dušan Knop, Nikolaos Melissinos, and Manolis Vasilakis. Parameterized Critical Node Cut Revisited. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 25:1-25:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{knop_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.25,
  author =	{Knop, Du\v{s}an and Melissinos, Nikolaos and Vasilakis, Manolis},
  title =	{{Parameterized Critical Node Cut Revisited}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{25:1--25:17},
  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.2026.25},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260617},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.25},
  annote =	{Keywords: Critical Node Cut, Parameterized Complexity, Treewidth}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.28

The Parameterized Complexity of Coloring Mixed Graphs

Authors: Antonio Lauerbach, Konstanty Junosza-Szaniawski, Marie Diana Sieper, and Alexander Wolff

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

Abstract

A mixed graph contains (undirected) edges as well as (directed) arcs, thus generalizing undirected and directed graphs. A proper coloring c of a mixed graph G assigns a positive integer to each vertex such that c(u)≠c(v) for every edge {u,v} and c(u)<c(v) for every arc (u,v) of G. As in classical coloring, the objective is to minimize the number of colors. Thus, mixed (graph) coloring generalizes classical coloring of undirected graphs and allows for more general applications, such as scheduling with precedence constraints, modeling metabolic pathways, and process management in operating systems; see a survey by Sotskov [Mathematics, 2020]. We initiate the systematic study of the parameterized complexity of mixed coloring. We focus on structural graph parameters that lie between cliquewidth and vertex cover, primarily with respect to the underlying undirected graph. Unlike classical coloring, which is fixed-parameter tractable (FPT) parameterized by treewidth or neighborhood diversity, we show that mixed coloring is W[1]-hard for treewidth and even paraNP-hard for neighborhood diversity. To utilize the directedness of arcs, we introduce and analyze natural generalizations of neighborhood diversity and cliquewidth to mixed graphs, and show that mixed coloring becomes FPT when parameterized by (the generalized) mixed neighborhood diversity. Further, we investigate how these parameters are affected if we add transitive arcs, which do not affect colorings. Finally, we provide tight bounds on the chromatic number of mixed graphs, generalizing known bounds on mixed interval graphs.

Cite as

Antonio Lauerbach, Konstanty Junosza-Szaniawski, Marie Diana Sieper, and Alexander Wolff. The Parameterized Complexity of Coloring Mixed Graphs. In 20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 370, pp. 28:1-28:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{lauerbach_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.28,
  author =	{Lauerbach, Antonio and Junosza-Szaniawski, Konstanty and Sieper, Marie Diana and Wolff, Alexander},
  title =	{{The Parameterized Complexity of Coloring Mixed Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{20th Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2026)},
  pages =	{28:1--28:18},
  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.2026.28},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-260644},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2026.28},
  annote =	{Keywords: Mixed Graphs, Coloring, Parameterized Complexity, Structural Graph Parameters}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FORC.2026.10

Packing Compact Subgraphs with Applications to Districting

Authors: Ho-Lin Chen, Po-Yu Chou, Prathamesh Dharangutte, Jie Gao, Shang-En Huang, and Fang-Yi Yu

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 368, 7th Symposium on Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC 2026)

Abstract

Packing disjoint subgraphs in a given graph is a fundamental problem with many applications. Motivated by political districting, we focus on connected subgraphs that are compact (e.g., having constant radius from a single center vertex) and that satisfy additional composition requirements, such as a minimum population/weight threshold or balanced weight types (e.g., political affiliations). We aim to maximize coverage by disjoint districts that meet these requirements. In this work, we present new results that substantially improve the previously known bounds on balanced star districts for planar and minor-free graphs [Prathamesh Dharangutte et al., 2025]. In particular, we improve the approximation factor from O(log n) to O(1) for packing balanced star districts using the exact same algorithm, but with a refined analysis. We also extend the results beyond planar graphs to minor-free graphs and an even broader family of graphs of bounded expansion. Additionally, we obtain an O(1) approximation for packing radius-k districts (with a constant k) in planar and apex-minor-free graphs. In order to get a (1+ε) approximation on the max coverage, we show that this can be achieved if we allow a slight relaxation of the balancedness parameters (by a factor that can be made arbitrarily close to 1), for bounded radius-k districts on planar and apex-minor-free graphs. We show that all of these results can also be obtained if we enforce a minimum weight threshold for each district as the composition requirement, rather than balancedness. We present various results on hardness and hardness of approximation for this variant, by graph and district types.

Cite as

Ho-Lin Chen, Po-Yu Chou, Prathamesh Dharangutte, Jie Gao, Shang-En Huang, and Fang-Yi Yu. Packing Compact Subgraphs with Applications to Districting. In 7th Symposium on Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 368, pp. 10:1-10:25, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{chen_et_al:LIPIcs.FORC.2026.10,
  author =	{Chen, Ho-Lin and Chou, Po-Yu and Dharangutte, Prathamesh and Gao, Jie and Huang, Shang-En and Yu, Fang-Yi},
  title =	{{Packing Compact Subgraphs with Applications to Districting}},
  booktitle =	{7th Symposium on Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC 2026)},
  pages =	{10:1--10:25},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-419-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{368},
  editor =	{Lin, Huijia (Rachel)},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FORC.2026.10},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-259820},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FORC.2026.10},
  annote =	{Keywords: Approximation algorithms, algorithmic fairness}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FORC.2026.9

Serving Clients Fairly: On Facility Location and k-Median with Fair Outliers

Authors: Rajni Dabas, Samir Khuller, and Emilie Rivkin

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 368, 7th Symposium on Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC 2026)

Abstract

Classical clustering problems such as Facility Location and k-Median aim to efficiently serve a set of clients from a subset of facilities - minimizing the total cost of facility openings and client assignments in Facility Location, and minimizing assignment (service) cost under a facility count constraint in k-Median. These problems are highly sensitive to outliers, and therefore researchers have studied variants that allow excluding a small number of clients as outliers to reduce cost. However, in many real-world settings, clients belong to different demographic or functional groups, and unconstrained outlier removal can disproportionately exclude certain groups, raising fairness concerns, especially when the facilities correspond to critically needed facilities for emergencies such as fire stations, hospitals and other emergency services. We study Facility Location with Fair Outliers, where each group is allowed a specified number of outliers, and the objective is to minimize total cost while respecting group-wise fairness constraints. We present a bicriteria approximation with a O(1/ε) approximation factor and (1+ 2ε) factor violation in outliers per group. For k-Median with Fair Outliers, we design a bicriteria approximation with a 4(1+ω/ε) approximation factor and (ω + ε) violation in outliers per group improving on prior work by avoiding dependence on k in outlier violations. We also prove that the problems are W[1]-hard parameterized by ω. We complement our algorithmic contributions with a detailed empirical analysis, demonstrating that fairness can be achieved with negligible increase in cost and that the integrality gap of the standard LP is small in practice.

Cite as

Rajni Dabas, Samir Khuller, and Emilie Rivkin. Serving Clients Fairly: On Facility Location and k-Median with Fair Outliers. In 7th Symposium on Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 368, pp. 9:1-9:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{dabas_et_al:LIPIcs.FORC.2026.9,
  author =	{Dabas, Rajni and Khuller, Samir and Rivkin, Emilie},
  title =	{{Serving Clients Fairly: On Facility Location and k-Median with Fair Outliers}},
  booktitle =	{7th Symposium on Foundations of Responsible Computing (FORC 2026)},
  pages =	{9:1--9:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-419-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{368},
  editor =	{Lin, Huijia (Rachel)},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FORC.2026.9},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-259812},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FORC.2026.9},
  annote =	{Keywords: Approximation algorithms, fairness}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.33

Near-Optimal Bounds for Parameterized Euclidean k-Means

Authors: Vincent Cohen-Addad, Karthik C. S., David Saulpic, and Chris Schwiegelshohn

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 367, 42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026)

Abstract

The k-means problem is a classic objective for modeling clustering in a metric space. Given a set of points in a metric space, the goal is to find k representative points so as to minimize the sum of the squared distances from each point to its closest representative. In this work, we study the approximability of k-means in Euclidean spaces parameterized by the number of clusters, k. In seminal works, de la Vega, Karpinski, Kenyon, and Rabani [STOC'03] and Kumar, Sabharwal, and Sen [JACM'10] showed how to obtain a (1+ε)-approximation for high-dimensional Euclidean k-means in time 2^{(k/ε)^O(1)} ⋅ dn^O(1). In this work, we introduce a new fine-grained hypothesis called Exponential Time for Expanders Hypothesis (XXH) which roughly asserts that there are no non-trivial exponential time approximation algorithms for the vertex cover problem on near perfect vertex expanders. Assuming XXH, we close the above long line of work on approximating Euclidean k-means by showing that there is no 2^{(k/ε)^{1-o(1)}} ⋅ n^O(1) time algorithm achieving a (1+ε)-approximation for k-means in Euclidean space. This lower bound is tight as it matches the algorithm given by Feldman, Monemizadeh, and Sohler [SoCG'07] whose runtime is 2^O(k/ε) + O(ndk). Furthermore, assuming XXH, we show that the seminal O(n^{kd+1}) runtime exact algorithm of Inaba, Katoh, and Imai [SoCG'94] for k-means is optimal for small values of k.

Cite as

Vincent Cohen-Addad, Karthik C. S., David Saulpic, and Chris Schwiegelshohn. Near-Optimal Bounds for Parameterized Euclidean k-Means. In 42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 367, pp. 33:1-33:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{cohenaddad_et_al:LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.33,
  author =	{Cohen-Addad, Vincent and C. S., Karthik and Saulpic, David and Schwiegelshohn, Chris},
  title =	{{Near-Optimal Bounds for Parameterized Euclidean k-Means}},
  booktitle =	{42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026)},
  pages =	{33:1--33:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-418-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{367},
  editor =	{Ahn, Hee-Kap and Hoffmann, Michael and Nayyeri, Amir},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.33},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-258391},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.33},
  annote =	{Keywords: k-means clustering, Euclidean space, Fine-Grained Complexity}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.48

FPT Approximations for Capacitated Sum of Radii and Diameters

Authors: Arnold Filtser and Ameet Gadekar

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 367, 42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026)

Abstract

The Capacitated Sum of Radii problem involves partitioning a set of points P, where each point p ∈ P has capacity U_p, into k clusters that minimize the sum of cluster radii, such that the number of points in the cluster centered at point p is at most U_p. We begin by showing that the problem is APX-hard, and that under gap-ETH there is no parameterized approximation scheme (FPT-AS). We then construct a ≈5.83-approximation algorithm in FPT time (improving a previous ≈7.61 approximation in FPT time). Our results also hold when the objective is a general monotone symmetric norm of radii. We also improve the approximation factors for the uniform capacity case, and for the closely related problem of Capacitated Sum of Diameters.

Cite as

Arnold Filtser and Ameet Gadekar. FPT Approximations for Capacitated Sum of Radii and Diameters. In 42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 367, pp. 48:1-48:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{filtser_et_al:LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.48,
  author =	{Filtser, Arnold and Gadekar, Ameet},
  title =	{{FPT Approximations for Capacitated Sum of Radii and Diameters}},
  booktitle =	{42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026)},
  pages =	{48:1--48:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-418-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{367},
  editor =	{Ahn, Hee-Kap and Hoffmann, Michael and Nayyeri, Amir},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.48},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-258545},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.48},
  annote =	{Keywords: clustering, sum of radii, sum of diameter, capacitated clustering, fpt}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.49

Algorithms for Euclidean Distance Matrix Completion: Exploiting Proximity to Triviality

Authors: Fedor V. Fomin, Petr A. Golovach, M. S. Ramanujan, and Saket Saurabh

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 367, 42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026)

Abstract

In the d-Euclidean Distance Matrix Completion (d-EDMC) problem, one aims to determine whether a given partial matrix of pairwise distances can be extended to a full Euclidean distance matrix in d dimensions. This problem is a cornerstone of computational geometry with numerous applications. While classical work on this problem often focuses on exploiting connections to semidefinite programming typically leading to approximation algorithms, we focus on exact algorithms and propose a novel distance-from-triviality parameterization framework to obtain tractability results for d-EDMC. We identify key structural patterns in the input that capture entry density, including chordal substructures and coverability of specified entries by fully specified principal submatrices. We obtain: 1) The first fixed-parameter algorithm (FPT algorithm) for d-EDMC parameterized by d and the maximum number of unspecified entries per row/column. This is achieved through a novel compression algorithm that reduces a given instance to a submatrix on 𝒪(1) rows (for fixed values of the parameters). 2) The first FPT algorithm for d-EDMC parameterized by d and the minimum number of fully specified principal submatrices whose entries cover all specified entries of the given matrix. This result is also achieved through a compression algorithm. 3) A polynomial-time algorithm for d-EDMC when both d and the minimum fill-in of a natural graph representing the specified entries are fixed constants. This result is achieved by combining tools from distance geometry and algorithms from real algebraic geometry. Our work identifies interesting parallels between EDM completion and graph problems, with our algorithms exploiting techniques from both domains.

Cite as

Fedor V. Fomin, Petr A. Golovach, M. S. Ramanujan, and Saket Saurabh. Algorithms for Euclidean Distance Matrix Completion: Exploiting Proximity to Triviality. In 42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 367, pp. 49:1-49:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{fomin_et_al:LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.49,
  author =	{Fomin, Fedor V. and Golovach, Petr A. and Ramanujan, M. S. and Saurabh, Saket},
  title =	{{Algorithms for Euclidean Distance Matrix Completion: Exploiting Proximity to Triviality}},
  booktitle =	{42nd International Symposium on Computational Geometry (SoCG 2026)},
  pages =	{49:1--49:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-418-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{367},
  editor =	{Ahn, Hee-Kap and Hoffmann, Michael and Nayyeri, Amir},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.49},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-258552},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SoCG.2026.49},
  annote =	{Keywords: Parameterized Complexity, Euclidean Embedding, Polynomial Compression}
}

354 Search Results for "Saurabh, Saket"

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