19 Search Results for "Perkins, Will"

Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.39
Planting and MCMC Sampling from the Potts Model

Authors: Andreas Galanis, Leslie Ann Goldberg, and Paulina Smolarova

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 364, 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)

Abstract
We consider the problem of sampling from the ferromagnetic q-state Potts model on the random d-regular graph with parameter β > 0. A key difficulty that arises in sampling from the model is the existence of a "metastability" window β ∈ (β_u,β_u'), where roughly the distribution has two competing modes, the so-called disordered and ordered phases. This causes classical Markov-chain algorithms to be slow mixing from worst-case initialisations. Nevertheless, Helmuth, Jenssen and Perkins (SODA '19) designed a sampling algorithm that works for all β, when d ≥ 5 and q = d^{Ω(d)}, using polymers and cluster expansion methods; more recently, their analysis technique has been adapted to show that a Markov chain (random-cluster dynamics) mixes fast when initialised appropriately, in the same regime of q,d,β. Despite these positive algorithmic results, a well-known bottleneck behind cluster-expansion arguments is that they inherently only work for large q, whereas it is widely conjectured that sampling on the random d-regular graph is possible for all q,d ≥ 3. The only result so far that applies to general q,d ≥ 3 is by Blanca and Gheissari who showed that the random-cluster dynamics mixes fast in the "uniqueness" regime β < β_u where roughly only the disordered mode exists. For β ≥ β_u however, a second subdominant mode emerges creating bottlenecks and giving rise to correlations which have been hard to handle, especially for small values of q and d. Our main contribution is to perform a delicate analysis of the Potts distribution and the random-cluster dynamics that goes beyond the threshold β_u. We use planting as the main tool, a technique used in the analysis of random CSPs to capture how the space of solutions is correlated with the structure of the random instance. While planting arguments provide only weak sampling guarantees generically, here we instead combine planting with the analysis of random-cluster dynamics to obtain significantly stronger guarantees. We are thus able to show that the random-cluster dynamics initialised from all-out mixes fast for all integers q,d ≥ 3 beyond the uniqueness threshold β_u, all the way to the optimal threshold β_c ∈ (β_u,β_u') where the dominant mode switches from disordered to ordered. A more involved analysis also applies to the ordered regime β > β_c where we obtain an algorithm for all d ≥ 3 and q ≥ (5d)⁵, improving significantly upon the previous range of q,d by Carlson, Davies, Fraiman, Kolla, Potukuchi, and Yap (FOCS'22).
Cite as

Andreas Galanis, Leslie Ann Goldberg, and Paulina Smolarova. Planting and MCMC Sampling from the Potts Model. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 39:1-39:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{galanis_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.39,
  author =	{Galanis, Andreas and Goldberg, Leslie Ann and Smolarova, Paulina},
  title =	{{Planting and MCMC Sampling from the Potts Model}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{39:1--39:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-412-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{364},
  editor =	{Mahajan, Meena and Manea, Florin and McIver, Annabelle 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.2026.39},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255280},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.39},
  annote =	{Keywords: approximate sampling, Glauber dynamics, Potts model, random cluster model}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.17
Cutoff for the Swendsen–Wang Dynamics on the Complete Graph

Authors: Antonio Blanca and Zhezheng Song

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 360, 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)

Abstract
We study the speed of convergence of the Swendsen-Wang (SW) dynamics for the q-state ferromagnetic Potts model on the n-vertex complete graph, known as the mean-field model. The SW dynamics was introduced as an attractive alternative to the local Glauber dynamics, often offering faster convergence rates to stationarity in a variety of settings. A series of works have characterized the asymptotic behavior of the speed of convergence of the mean-field SW dynamics for all q ≥ 2 and all values of the inverse temperature parameter β > 0. In particular, it is known that when β > q the mixing time of the SW dynamics is Θ(log n). We strengthen this result by showing that for all β > q, there exists a constant c(β,q) > 0 such that the mixing time of the SW dynamics is c(β,q) log n + Θ(1). This implies that the mean-field SW dynamics exhibits the cutoff phenomenon in this temperature regime, demonstrating that this Markov chain undergoes a sharp transition from "far from stationarity" to "well-mixed" within a narrow Θ(1) time window. The presence of cutoff is algorithmically significant, as simulating the chain for fewer steps than its mixing time could lead to highly biased samples.
Cite as

Antonio Blanca and Zhezheng Song. Cutoff for the Swendsen–Wang Dynamics on the Complete Graph. In 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 360, pp. 17:1-17:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{blanca_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.17,
  author =	{Blanca, Antonio and Song, Zhezheng},
  title =	{{Cutoff for the Swendsen–Wang Dynamics on the Complete Graph}},
  booktitle =	{45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)},
  pages =	{17:1--17:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-406-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{360},
  editor =	{Aiswarya, C. and Mehta, Ruta and Roy, Subhajit},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.17},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-250987},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.17},
  annote =	{Keywords: Markov chains, mixing times, cutoff phenomenon, Potts model, mean-field}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.33
Coloring Reconfiguration Under Color Swapping

Authors: Janosch Fuchs, Rin Saito, Tatsuhiro Suga, Takahiro Suzuki, and Yuma Tamura

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 359, 36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025)

Abstract
In the Coloring Reconfiguration problem, we are given two proper k-colorings of a graph and asked to decide whether one can be transformed into the other by repeatedly applying a specified recoloring rule, while maintaining a proper coloring throughout. For this problem, two recoloring rules have been widely studied: single-vertex recoloring and Kempe chain recoloring. In this paper, we introduce a new rule, called color swapping, where two adjacent vertices may exchange their colors, so that the resulting coloring remains proper, and study the computational complexity of the problem under this rule. We first establish a complexity dichotomy with respect to k: the problem is solvable in polynomial time for k ≤ 2, and is PSPACE-complete for k ≥ 3. We further show that the problem remains PSPACE-complete even on restricted graph classes, including bipartite graphs, split graphs, and planar graphs of bounded degree. In contrast, we present polynomial-time algorithms for several graph classes: for paths when k = 3, for split graphs when k is fixed, and for cographs when k is arbitrary.
Cite as

Janosch Fuchs, Rin Saito, Tatsuhiro Suga, Takahiro Suzuki, and Yuma Tamura. Coloring Reconfiguration Under Color Swapping. In 36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 359, pp. 33:1-33:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{fuchs_et_al:LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.33,
  author =	{Fuchs, Janosch and Saito, Rin and Suga, Tatsuhiro and Suzuki, Takahiro and Tamura, Yuma},
  title =	{{Coloring Reconfiguration Under Color Swapping}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025)},
  pages =	{33:1--33:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-408-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{359},
  editor =	{Chen, Ho-Lin and Hon, Wing-Kai and Tsai, Meng-Tsung},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.33},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-249411},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.33},
  annote =	{Keywords: Combinatorial reconfiguration, graph coloring, PSPACE-complete, graph algorithm}
}
Document
RANDOM
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.68
Rapid Mixing via Coupling Independence for Spin Systems with Unbounded Degree

Authors: Xiaoyu Chen and Weiming Feng

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 353, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)

Abstract
We develop a new framework to prove the mixing or relaxation time for the Glauber dynamics on spin systems with unbounded degree. It works for general spin systems including both 2-spin and multi-spin systems. As applications for this approach: - We prove the optimal O(n) relaxation time for the Glauber dynamics of random q-list-coloring on an n-vertices triangle-tree graph with maximum degree Δ such that q/Δ > α^⋆, where α^⋆ ≈ 1.763 is the unique positive solution of the equation α = exp(1/α). This improves the n^{1+o(1)} relaxation time for Glauber dynamics obtained by the previous work of Jain, Pham, and Vuong (2022). Besides, our framework can also give a near-linear time sampling algorithm under the same condition. - We prove the optimal O(n) relaxation time and near-optimal Õ(n) mixing time for the Glauber dynamics on hardcore models with parameter λ in balanced bipartite graphs such that λ < λ_c(Δ_L) for the max degree Δ_L in left part and the max degree Δ_R of right part satisfies Δ_R = O(Δ_L). This improves the previous result by Chen, Liu, and Yin (2023). At the heart of our proof is the notion of coupling independence which allows us to consider multiple vertices as a huge single vertex with exponentially large domain and do a "coarse-grained" local-to-global argument on spin systems. The technique works for general (multi) spin systems and helps us obtain some new comparison results for Glauber dynamics.
Cite as

Xiaoyu Chen and Weiming Feng. Rapid Mixing via Coupling Independence for Spin Systems with Unbounded Degree. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 353, pp. 68:1-68:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{chen_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.68,
  author =	{Chen, Xiaoyu and Feng, Weiming},
  title =	{{Rapid Mixing via Coupling Independence for Spin Systems with Unbounded Degree}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)},
  pages =	{68:1--68:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-397-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{353},
  editor =	{Ene, Alina and Chattopadhyay, Eshan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.68},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-244345},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.68},
  annote =	{Keywords: coupling independence, Glauber dynamics, mixing times, relaxation times, spin systems}
}
Document
RANDOM
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.48
Sharp Thresholds for the Overlap Gap Property: Ising p-Spin Glass and Random k-SAT

Authors: Eren C. Kızıldağ

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 353, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)

Abstract
The Ising p-spin glass and random k-SAT are two canonical examples of disordered systems that play a central role in understanding the link between geometric features of optimization landscapes and computational tractability. Both models exhibit hard regimes where all known polynomial-time algorithms fail and possess the multi Overlap Gap Property (m-OGP), an intricate geometrical property that rigorously rules out a broad class of algorithms exhibiting input stability. We establish that, in both models, the symmetric m-OGP undergoes a sharp phase transition, and we pinpoint its exact threshold. For the Ising p-spin glass, our results hold for all sufficiently large p; for the random k-SAT, they apply to all k growing mildly with the number of Boolean variables. Notably, our findings yield qualitative insights into the power of OGP-based arguments. A particular consequence for the Ising p-spin glass is that the strength of the m-OGP in establishing algorithmic hardness grows without bound as m increases. These are the first sharp threshold results for the m-OGP. Our analysis hinges on a judicious application of the second moment method, enhanced by concentration. While a direct second moment calculation fails, we overcome this via a refined approach that leverages an argument of Frieze [Frieze, 1990] and exploiting concentration properties of carefully constructed random variables.
Cite as

Eren C. Kızıldağ. Sharp Thresholds for the Overlap Gap Property: Ising p-Spin Glass and Random k-SAT. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 353, pp. 48:1-48:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{kizildag:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.48,
  author =	{K{\i}z{\i}lda\u{g}, Eren C.},
  title =	{{Sharp Thresholds for the Overlap Gap Property: Ising p-Spin Glass and Random k-SAT}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)},
  pages =	{48:1--48:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-397-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{353},
  editor =	{Ene, Alina and Chattopadhyay, Eshan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.48},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-244147},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.48},
  annote =	{Keywords: spin glasses, p-spin model, random constraint satisfaction problems, overlap gap property, phase transitions, computational complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.GIScience.2025.13
Assessing Map Reproducibility with Visual Question-Answering: An Empirical Evaluation

Authors: Eftychia Koukouraki, Auriol Degbelo, and Christian Kray

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 346, 13th International Conference on Geographic Information Science (GIScience 2025)

Abstract
Reproducibility is a key principle of the modern scientific method. Maps, as an important means of communicating scientific results in GIScience and across disciplines, should be reproducible. Currently, map reproducibility assessment is done manually, which makes the assessment process tedious and time-consuming, ultimately limiting its efficiency. Hence, this work explores the extent to which Visual Question-Answering (VQA) can be used to automate some tasks relevant to map reproducibility assessment. We selected five state-of-the-art vision language models (VLMs) and followed a three-step approach to evaluate their ability to discriminate between maps and other images, interpret map content, and compare two map images using VQA. Our results show that current VLMs already possess map-reading capabilities and demonstrate understanding of spatial concepts, such as cardinal directions, geographic scope, and legend interpretation. Our paper demonstrates the potential of using VQA to support reproducibility assessment and highlights the outstanding issues that need to be addressed to achieve accurate, trustworthy map descriptions, thereby reducing the time and effort required by human evaluators.
Cite as

Eftychia Koukouraki, Auriol Degbelo, and Christian Kray. Assessing Map Reproducibility with Visual Question-Answering: An Empirical Evaluation. In 13th International Conference on Geographic Information Science (GIScience 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 346, pp. 13:1-13:12, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{koukouraki_et_al:LIPIcs.GIScience.2025.13,
  author =	{Koukouraki, Eftychia and Degbelo, Auriol and Kray, Christian},
  title =	{{Assessing Map Reproducibility with Visual Question-Answering: An Empirical Evaluation}},
  booktitle =	{13th International Conference on Geographic Information Science (GIScience 2025)},
  pages =	{13:1--13:12},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-378-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{346},
  editor =	{Sila-Nowicka, Katarzyna and Moore, Antoni and O'Sullivan, David and Adams, Benjamin and Gahegan, Mark},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.GIScience.2025.13},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-238426},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.GIScience.2025.13},
  annote =	{Keywords: map comparison, computational reproducibility, visual question answering, large language models, GeoAI}
}
Document
Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.83
Low-Temperature Sampling on Sparse Random Graphs

Authors: Andreas Galanis, Leslie Ann Goldberg, and Paulina Smolarova

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 334, 52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025)

Abstract
We consider sampling in the so-called low-temperature regime, which is typically characterised by non-local behaviour and strong global correlations. Canonical examples include sampling independent sets on bipartite graphs and sampling from the ferromagnetic q-state Potts model. Low-temperature sampling is computationally intractable for general graphs, but recent advances based on the polymer method have made significant progress for graph families that exhibit certain expansion properties that reinforce the correlations, including for example expanders, lattices and dense graphs. One of the most natural graph classes that has so far escaped this algorithmic framework is the class of sparse Erdős-Rényi random graphs whose expansion only manifests for sufficiently large subsets of vertices; small sets of vertices on the other hand have vanishing expansion which makes them behave independently from the bulk of the graph and therefore weakens the correlations. At a more technical level, the expansion of small sets is crucial for establishing the Kotecky-Priess condition which underpins the applicability of the framework. Our main contribution is to develop the polymer method in the low-temperature regime for sparse random graphs. As our running example, we use the Potts and random-cluster models on G(n,d/n) for d = Θ(1), where we show a polynomial-time sampling algorithm for all sufficiently large q and d, at all temperatures. Our approach applies more generally for models that are monotone. Key to our result is a simple polymer definition that blends easily with the connectivity properties of the graph and allows us to show that polymers have size at most O(log n).
Cite as

Andreas Galanis, Leslie Ann Goldberg, and Paulina Smolarova. Low-Temperature Sampling on Sparse Random Graphs. In 52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 334, pp. 83:1-83:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{galanis_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.83,
  author =	{Galanis, Andreas and Goldberg, Leslie Ann and Smolarova, Paulina},
  title =	{{Low-Temperature Sampling on Sparse Random Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025)},
  pages =	{83:1--83:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-372-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{334},
  editor =	{Censor-Hillel, Keren and Grandoni, Fabrizio and Ouaknine, Jo\"{e}l 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.2025.83},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-234606},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.83},
  annote =	{Keywords: approximate counting, Glauber dynamics, random cluster model, approximate sampling, Erd\H{o}s-R\'{e}nyi Graphs}
}
Document
Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.38
Optimal Inapproximability of Promise Equations over Finite Groups

Authors: Silvia Butti, Alberto Larrauri, and Stanislav Živný

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 334, 52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025)

Abstract
A celebrated result of Håstad established that, for any constant ε > 0, it is NP-hard to find an assignment satisfying a (1/|G|+ε)-fraction of the constraints of a given 3-LIN instance over an Abelian group G even if one is promised that an assignment satisfying a (1-ε)-fraction of the constraints exists. Engebretsen, Holmerin, and Russell showed the same result for 3-LIN instances over any finite (not necessarily Abelian) group. In other words, for almost-satisfiable instances of 3-LIN the random assignment achieves an optimal approximation guarantee. We prove that the random assignment algorithm is still best possible under a stronger promise that the 3-LIN instance is almost satisfiable over an arbitrarily more restrictive group.
Cite as

Silvia Butti, Alberto Larrauri, and Stanislav Živný. Optimal Inapproximability of Promise Equations over Finite Groups. In 52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 334, pp. 38:1-38:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{butti_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.38,
  author =	{Butti, Silvia and Larrauri, Alberto and \v{Z}ivn\'{y}, Stanislav},
  title =	{{Optimal Inapproximability of Promise Equations over Finite Groups}},
  booktitle =	{52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025)},
  pages =	{38:1--38:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-372-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{334},
  editor =	{Censor-Hillel, Keren and Grandoni, Fabrizio and Ouaknine, Jo\"{e}l 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.2025.38},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-234150},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.38},
  annote =	{Keywords: promise constraint satisfaction, approximation, linear equations}
}
Document
Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.102
Fourier Analysis of Iterative Algorithms

Authors: Chris Jones and Lucas Pesenti

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 334, 52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025)

Abstract
We study a general class of nonlinear iterative algorithms which includes power iteration, belief propagation and approximate message passing, and many forms of gradient descent. When the input is a random matrix with i.i.d. entries, we use Boolean Fourier analysis to analyze these algorithms as low-degree polynomials in the entries of the input matrix. Each symmetrized Fourier character represents all monomials with a certain shape as specified by a small graph, which we call a Fourier diagram. We prove fundamental asymptotic properties of the Fourier diagrams: over the randomness of the input, all diagrams with cycles are negligible; the tree-shaped diagrams form a basis of asymptotically independent Gaussian vectors; and, when restricted to the trees, iterative algorithms exactly follow an idealized Gaussian dynamic. We use this to prove a state evolution formula, giving a "complete" asymptotic description of the algorithm’s trajectory. The restriction to tree-shaped monomials mirrors the assumption of the cavity method, a 40-year-old non-rigorous technique in statistical physics which has served as one of the most important techniques in the field. We demonstrate how to implement cavity method derivations by 1) restricting the iteration to its tree approximation, and 2) observing that heuristic cavity method-type arguments hold rigorously on the simplified iteration. Our proofs use combinatorial arguments similar to the trace method from random matrix theory. Finally, we push the diagram analysis to a number of iterations that scales with the dimension n of the input matrix, proving that the tree approximation still holds for a simple variant of power iteration all the way up to n^{Ω(1)} iterations.
Cite as

Chris Jones and Lucas Pesenti. Fourier Analysis of Iterative Algorithms. In 52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 334, pp. 102:1-102:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{jones_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.102,
  author =	{Jones, Chris and Pesenti, Lucas},
  title =	{{Fourier Analysis of Iterative Algorithms}},
  booktitle =	{52nd International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2025)},
  pages =	{102:1--102:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-372-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{334},
  editor =	{Censor-Hillel, Keren and Grandoni, Fabrizio and Ouaknine, Jo\"{e}l 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.2025.102},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-234791},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2025.102},
  annote =	{Keywords: Iterative Algorithms, Message-passing Algorithms, Random Matrix Theory}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.57
Deterministic Approximation for the Volume of the Truncated Fractional Matching Polytope

Authors: Heng Guo and Vishvajeet N

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 325, 16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025)

Abstract
We give a deterministic polynomial-time approximation scheme (FPTAS) for the volume of the truncated fractional matching polytope for graphs of maximum degree Δ, where the truncation is by restricting each variable to the interval [0,(1+δ)/Δ], and δ ≤ C/Δ for some constant C > 0. We also generalise our result to the fractional matching polytope for hypergraphs of maximum degree Δ and maximum hyperedge size k, truncated by [0,(1+δ)/Δ] as well, where δ ≤ CΔ^{-(2k-3)/(k-1)}k^{-1} for some constant C > 0. The latter result generalises both the first result for graphs (when k = 2), and a result by Bencs and Regts (2024) for the truncated independence polytope (when Δ = 2). Our approach is based on the cluster expansion technique.
Cite as

Heng Guo and Vishvajeet N. Deterministic Approximation for the Volume of the Truncated Fractional Matching Polytope. In 16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 325, pp. 57:1-57:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{guo_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.57,
  author =	{Guo, Heng and N, Vishvajeet},
  title =	{{Deterministic Approximation for the Volume of the Truncated Fractional Matching Polytope}},
  booktitle =	{16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025)},
  pages =	{57:1--57:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-361-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{325},
  editor =	{Meka, Raghu},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.57},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-226858},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.57},
  annote =	{Keywords: deterministic volume computation, cluster expansion, explicit polytopes}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.61
Hardness of Sampling for the Anti-Ferromagnetic Ising Model on Random Graphs

Authors: Neng Huang, Will Perkins, and Aaron Potechin

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 325, 16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025)

Abstract
We prove a hardness of sampling result for the anti-ferromagnetic Ising model on random graphs of average degree d for large constant d, proving that when the normalized inverse temperature satisfies β > 1 (asymptotically corresponding to the condensation threshold), then w.h.p. over the random graph there is no stable sampling algorithm that can output a sample close in W₂ distance to the Gibbs measure. The results also apply to a fixed-magnetization version of the model, showing that there are no stable sampling algorithms for low but positive temperature max and min bisection distributions. These results show a gap in the tractability of search and sampling problems: while there are efficient algorithms to find near optimizers, stable sampling algorithms cannot access the Gibbs distribution concentrated on such solutions. Our techniques involve extensions of the interpolation technique relating behavior of the mean field Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model to behavior of Ising models on random graphs of average degree d for large d. While previous interpolation arguments compared the free energies of the two models, our argument compares the average energies and average overlaps in the two models.
Cite as

Neng Huang, Will Perkins, and Aaron Potechin. Hardness of Sampling for the Anti-Ferromagnetic Ising Model on Random Graphs. In 16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 325, pp. 61:1-61:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{huang_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.61,
  author =	{Huang, Neng and Perkins, Will and Potechin, Aaron},
  title =	{{Hardness of Sampling for the Anti-Ferromagnetic Ising Model on Random Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025)},
  pages =	{61:1--61:23},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-361-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{325},
  editor =	{Meka, Raghu},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.61},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-226899},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.61},
  annote =	{Keywords: Random graph, spin glass, sampling algorithm}
}
Document
RANDOM
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2024.56
Fast and Slow Mixing of the Kawasaki Dynamics on Bounded-Degree Graphs

Authors: Aiya Kuchukova, Marcus Pappik, Will Perkins, and Corrine Yap

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 317, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2024)

Abstract
We study the worst-case mixing time of the global Kawasaki dynamics for the fixed-magnetization Ising model on the class of graphs of maximum degree Δ. Proving a conjecture of Carlson, Davies, Kolla, and Perkins, we show that below the tree uniqueness threshold, the Kawasaki dynamics mix rapidly for all magnetizations. Disproving a conjecture of Carlson, Davies, Kolla, and Perkins, we show that the regime of fast mixing does not extend throughout the regime of tractability for this model: there is a range of parameters for which there exist efficient sampling algorithms for the fixed-magnetization Ising model on max-degree Δ graphs, but the Kawasaki dynamics can take exponential time to mix. Our techniques involve showing spectral independence in the fixed-magnetization Ising model and proving a sharp threshold for the existence of multiple metastable states in the Ising model with external field on random regular graphs.
Cite as

Aiya Kuchukova, Marcus Pappik, Will Perkins, and Corrine Yap. Fast and Slow Mixing of the Kawasaki Dynamics on Bounded-Degree Graphs. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 317, pp. 56:1-56:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{kuchukova_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2024.56,
  author =	{Kuchukova, Aiya and Pappik, Marcus and Perkins, Will and Yap, Corrine},
  title =	{{Fast and Slow Mixing of the Kawasaki Dynamics on Bounded-Degree Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2024)},
  pages =	{56:1--56:24},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-348-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{317},
  editor =	{Kumar, Amit and Ron-Zewi, Noga},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2024.56},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-210493},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2024.56},
  annote =	{Keywords: ferromagnetic Ising model, fixed-magnetization Ising model, Kawasaki dynamics, Glauber dynamics, mixing time}
}
Document
RANDOM
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.38
Perfect Sampling for Hard Spheres from Strong Spatial Mixing

Authors: Konrad Anand, Andreas Göbel, Marcus Pappik, and Will Perkins

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 275, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2023)

Abstract
We provide a perfect sampling algorithm for the hard-sphere model on subsets of R^d with expected running time linear in the volume under the assumption of strong spatial mixing. A large number of perfect and approximate sampling algorithms have been devised to sample from the hard-sphere model, and our perfect sampling algorithm is efficient for a range of parameters for which only efficient approximate samplers were previously known and is faster than these known approximate approaches. Our methods also extend to the more general setting of Gibbs point processes interacting via finite-range, repulsive potentials.
Cite as

Konrad Anand, Andreas Göbel, Marcus Pappik, and Will Perkins. Perfect Sampling for Hard Spheres from Strong Spatial Mixing. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 275, pp. 38:1-38:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@InProceedings{anand_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.38,
  author =	{Anand, Konrad and G\"{o}bel, Andreas and Pappik, Marcus and Perkins, Will},
  title =	{{Perfect Sampling for Hard Spheres from Strong Spatial Mixing}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2023)},
  pages =	{38:1--38:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-296-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{275},
  editor =	{Megow, Nicole and Smith, Adam},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.38},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-188638},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.38},
  annote =	{Keywords: perfect sampling, hard-sphere model, Gibbs point processes}
}
Document
RANDOM
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2022.4
Fast and Perfect Sampling of Subgraphs and Polymer Systems

Authors: Antonio Blanca, Sarah Cannon, and Will Perkins

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 245, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2022)

Abstract
We give an efficient perfect sampling algorithm for weighted, connected induced subgraphs (or graphlets) of rooted, bounded degree graphs. Our algorithm utilizes a vertex-percolation process with a carefully chosen rejection filter and works under a percolation subcriticality condition. We show that this condition is optimal in the sense that the task of (approximately) sampling weighted rooted graphlets becomes impossible in finite expected time for infinite graphs and intractable for finite graphs when the condition does not hold. We apply our sampling algorithm as a subroutine to give near linear-time perfect sampling algorithms for polymer models and weighted non-rooted graphlets in finite graphs, two widely studied yet very different problems. This new perfect sampling algorithm for polymer models gives improved sampling algorithms for spin systems at low temperatures on expander graphs and unbalanced bipartite graphs, among other applications.
Cite as

Antonio Blanca, Sarah Cannon, and Will Perkins. Fast and Perfect Sampling of Subgraphs and Polymer Systems. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 245, pp. 4:1-4:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{blanca_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2022.4,
  author =	{Blanca, Antonio and Cannon, Sarah and Perkins, Will},
  title =	{{Fast and Perfect Sampling of Subgraphs and Polymer Systems}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2022)},
  pages =	{4:1--4:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-249-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{245},
  editor =	{Chakrabarti, Amit and Swamy, Chaitanya},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2022.4},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-171261},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2022.4},
  annote =	{Keywords: Random Sampling, perfect sampling, graphlets, polymer models, spin systems, percolation}
}
Document
RANDOM
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2021.59
On the Power of Choice for k-Colorability of Random Graphs

Authors: Varsha Dani, Diksha Gupta, and Thomas P. Hayes

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 207, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2021)

Abstract
In an r-choice Achlioptas process, random edges are generated r at a time, and an online strategy is used to select one of them for inclusion in a graph. We investigate the problem of whether such a selection strategy can shift the k-colorability transition; that is, the number of edges at which the graph goes from being k-colorable to non-k-colorable. We show that, for k ≥ 9, two choices suffice to delay the k-colorability threshold, and that for every k ≥ 2, six choices suffice.
Cite as

Varsha Dani, Diksha Gupta, and Thomas P. Hayes. On the Power of Choice for k-Colorability of Random Graphs. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 207, pp. 59:1-59:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@InProceedings{dani_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2021.59,
  author =	{Dani, Varsha and Gupta, Diksha and Hayes, Thomas P.},
  title =	{{On the Power of Choice for k-Colorability of Random Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2021)},
  pages =	{59:1--59:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-207-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{207},
  editor =	{Wootters, Mary and Sanit\`{a}, Laura},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2021.59},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-147527},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2021.59},
  annote =	{Keywords: Random graphs, Achlioptas Processes, Phase Transition, Graph Colorability}
}
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