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Documents authored by Stimpert, Ronja

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Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2026.42
Classification of Local Optimization Problems in Directed Cycles

Authors: Thomas Boudier, Fabian Kuhn, Augusto Modanese, Ronja Stimpert, and Jukka Suomela

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 374, 53rd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2026)

Abstract
We present a complete classification of the distributed computational complexity of local optimization problems in directed cycles for both the deterministic and the randomized LOCAL model. We show that for any local optimization problem Π (that can be of the form min-sum, max-sum, min-max, or max-min, for any local cost or utility function over some finite alphabet), and for any constant approximation ratio α, the task of finding an α-approximation of Π in directed cycles has one of the following complexities: 1) O(1) rounds in deterministic LOCAL, O(1) rounds in randomized LOCAL, 2) Θ(log^* n) rounds in deterministic LOCAL, O(1) rounds in randomized LOCAL, 3) Θ(log^* n) rounds in deterministic LOCAL, Θ(log^* n) rounds in randomized LOCAL, 4) Θ(n) rounds in deterministic LOCAL, Θ(n) rounds in randomized LOCAL. Moreover, for any given Π and α, we can determine the complexity class automatically, with an efficient (centralized, sequential) meta-algorithm, and we can also efficiently synthesize an asymptotically optimal distributed algorithm. Before this work, similar results were only known for local search problems (e.g., locally checkable labeling problems). The family of local optimization problems is a strict generalization of local search problems, and it contains numerous commonly studied distributed tasks, such as the problems of finding approximations of the maximum independent set, minimum vertex cover, minimum dominating set, and minimum vertex coloring.
Cite as

Thomas Boudier, Fabian Kuhn, Augusto Modanese, Ronja Stimpert, and Jukka Suomela. Classification of Local Optimization Problems in Directed Cycles. In 53rd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 374, pp. 42:1-42:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{boudier_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2026.42,
  author =	{Boudier, Thomas and Kuhn, Fabian and Modanese, Augusto and Stimpert, Ronja and Suomela, Jukka},
  title =	{{Classification of Local Optimization Problems in Directed Cycles}},
  booktitle =	{53rd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2026)},
  pages =	{42:1--42:23},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-428-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{374},
  editor =	{Bhattacharya, Sayan and Nanongkai, Danupon and Benedikt, Michael and Puppis, Gabriele},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2026.42},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-264317},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2026.42},
  annote =	{Keywords: LOCAL model, optimization, cycles, meta-algorithms}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2025.19
Orientation Does Not Help with 3-Coloring a Grid in Online-LOCAL

Authors: Thomas Boudier, Filippo Casagrande, Avinandan Das, Massimo Equi, Henrik Lievonen, Augusto Modanese, and Ronja Stimpert

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 361, 29th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2025)

Abstract
The online-LOCAL and SLOCAL models are extensions of the LOCAL model where nodes are processed in a sequential but potentially adversarial order. So far, the only problem we know of where the global memory of the online-LOCAL model has an advantage over SLOCAL is 3-coloring bipartite graphs. Recently, Chang et al. [PODC 2024] showed that even in grids, 3-coloring requires Ω(log n) locality in deterministic online-LOCAL. This result was subsequently extended by Akbari et al. [STOC 2025] to also hold in randomized online-LOCAL. However, both proofs heavily rely on the assumption that the algorithm does not have access to the orientation of the underlying grid. In this paper, we show how to lift this requirement and obtain the same lower bound (against either model) even when the algorithm is explicitly given a globally consistent orientation of the grid.
Cite as

Thomas Boudier, Filippo Casagrande, Avinandan Das, Massimo Equi, Henrik Lievonen, Augusto Modanese, and Ronja Stimpert. Orientation Does Not Help with 3-Coloring a Grid in Online-LOCAL. In 29th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 361, pp. 19:1-19:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{boudier_et_al:LIPIcs.OPODIS.2025.19,
  author =	{Boudier, Thomas and Casagrande, Filippo and Das, Avinandan and Equi, Massimo and Lievonen, Henrik and Modanese, Augusto and Stimpert, Ronja},
  title =	{{Orientation Does Not Help with 3-Coloring a Grid in Online-LOCAL}},
  booktitle =	{29th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2025)},
  pages =	{19:1--19:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-409-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{361},
  editor =	{Arusoaie, Andrei and Onica, Emanuel and Spear, Michael and Tucci-Piergiovanni, Sara},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2025.19},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-251925},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2025.19},
  annote =	{Keywords: coloring, locally checkable labeling problems, online algorithms}
}
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