arXiv subjects

Adam Polak

Publications and source records attributed to Adam Polak.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Real-to-Integer Reduction for All-Pairs Shortest Paths

Efficient graph algorithms often use techniques that are specific to integer-valued inputs and do not work for real-valued versions of the problems. Is it a limitation of current techniques, or are the real-valued variants inherently harder? One way to study this question is through real-to-integer reductions. We give (randomized, combinatorial) subcubic real-to-integer reductions for two central graph problems in fine-grained complexity: All-Pairs Shortest Paths and Exact Triangle. That is, we show that if the integer variants of these problems can be solved in truly subcubic time, then the real variants can also be solved in truly subcubic time. Our work extends and combines techniques from three previous works: (1) our real-to-integer reduction for the 3SUM problem (Fischer, Polak, Schmidt, FOCS 2026), which itself combines the Frank--Tardos theorem from optimization with Freiman's theorem from additive combinatorics; (2) universe reduction for APSP (Fischer, STOC 2026), which we generalize to reals and use to reduce the doubling of the set of edge weights; and (3) the ``Fredman's trick meets dominance product'' technique (Chan, Vassilevska Williams, Xu, STOC 2023), which is needed to adapt the prior real-to-integer framework from equality constraints to inequalities. As a corollary, our reduction combined with Yuval's fast Integer APSP algorithm in the real RAM model with multiplication (IPL 1976) shows that the Real APSP Hypothesis is false in this model, which also follows from the very recent breakthrough by Alman and Vassilevska Williams using a very different approach.

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arXiv2026

Near-Linear Time Maximum Clique in Circular Arc Graphs

We present a near-linear time algorithm to find a maximum clique in circular arc graphs, the intersection graphs of arcs on the circumference of a circle, answering a 30-year-old open question posed by Bhattacharya and Kaller [J. Algorithms 1997] and Tiskin [CPM 2006]. Our algorithm runs in time $O(n\log^2 n)$, given $n$ circular arcs, where the graph is implicit. Previous approaches take at least quadratic time (unless the implicitly given graph is sparse). To overcome the quadratic barrier, we solve (structured and related) instances of bipartite matching by interpreting them as a single, offline 2D dominance problem, which in turn we model as a shortest paths problem in a planar grid graph. This allows for the final step, which builds on the theory of Monge matrices to obtain sparse representation and efficient distance computations in the grid graph. Additionally, we provide an observation about the structure of circular arc cliques that leads to an algorithm for the weighted version of the problem with a new parameter, the minimum load $d$, which we define as the minimum, over all points on the circle, of the number of arcs containing that point. The algorithm runs in time $O(dn\log\log n + n\log n)$. This is always at least as good as the previous best maximum weight clique algorithm, which runs in time $O(m\log\log n + n\log n)$, where $m$ denotes the number of edges in the implicit intersection graph, because the minimum load satisfies $d \le 2m/n$. [Abstract shortened to meet arXiv's requirements.]

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arXiv2026

3SUM Is Really Hard: A Real-to-Integer Reduction

We show that if the 3SUM problem on integer-valued inputs can be solved in truly subquadratic time, then it can also be solved in truly subquadratic time on real-valued inputs. This answers an open problem posed by Chan, Vassilevska Williams, and Xu [STOC 2022], and constitutes the first such tight real-to-integer self-reduction in fine-grained complexity. Our proof relies on a surprising combination of the Frank--Tardos theorem from optimization with Freiman-type theorems from additive combinatorics.

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arXiv2026

TSP with Predictions: Heatmap to Tour with Provable Guarantees

The Traveling Salesperson Problem (TSP) has long served as a benchmark for evaluating the strength of optimization techniques in the classical theory of algorithms. In recent efforts to apply ML to algorithmic problems, TSP has also become a natural testbed for the development of ML-based techniques. A common approach is to train a neural network to output a heatmap estimating the likelihood of each edge to be part of the optimal tour; however, converting such a heatmap into an actual tour remains a non-trivial and often computationally intensive step. In this work, we propose algorithms for transforming heatmaps into tours with theoretical guarantees linking the achieved approximation ratio to the quality of the provided heatmap. In the spirit of algorithms with predictions, our results can be described as $(1+2\fracη{\mathrm{OPT}})$-approximation algorithms, where $η$ denotes the L1 distance between the prediction (heatmap) and an optimal solution (tour). Since the previous works lack such explicit guarantees, we compare our approach against them experimentally.

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arXiv2026

Warm-Starting All-Pairs Shortest Paths with Predictions

One of the three key hypotheses of fine-grained complexity asserts that computing All-Pairs Shortest Paths (APSP) requires cubic time, up to subpolynomial factors, in the worst case. We initiate the study of APSP in the paradigm of algorithms with predictions, also known as learning-augmented algorithms. We propose an APSP algorithm that takes as additional input a \emph{prediction} (e.g., given by a model learned from similar instances seen in the past) consisting of sets of vertices causing the shortest \emph{detour} for each pair of vertices. The algorithm runs in time $\mathcal{O}(n^{2.83} + ηn)$, where $η$ denotes the \emph{prediction error} defined as the number of pairs of vertices for which, informally speaking, the prediction was not sufficient to compute and certify optimality of the shortest path length. This is already subcubic when the prediction error is (polynomially) smaller than its maximum possible values $n^2$, i.e., whenever the prediction is at least slightly better than terrible. We build on the co-nondeterministic algorithm for the Exact Triangle problem by Chan, Vassilevska Williams, and Xu (STOC 2023), essentially enabling this algorithm to detect mistakes in the nondeterministic certificate and recover from them. Our result constitutes the first necessary step towards designing learning-augmented algorithms for problems with known fine-grained lower bounds conditioned on the APSP Hypothesis.

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arXiv2025

3SUM in Preprocessed Universes: Faster and Simpler

We revisit the 3SUM problem in the \emph{preprocessed universes} setting. We present an algorithm that, given three sets $A$, $B$, $C$ of $n$ integers, preprocesses them in quadratic time, so that given any subsets $A' \subseteq A$, $B' \subseteq B$, $C' \subseteq C$, it can decide if there exist $a \in A'$, $b \in B'$, $c \in C'$ with $a+b=c$ in time $O(n^{1.5} \log n)$. In contrast to both the first subquadratic $\tilde{O}(n^{13/7})$-time algorithm by Chan and Lewenstein (STOC 2015) and the current fastest $\tilde{O}(n^{11/6})$-time algorithm by Chan, Vassilevska Williams, and Xu (STOC 2023), which are based on the Balog--Szemerédi--Gowers theorem from additive combinatorics, our algorithm uses only standard 3SUM-related techniques, namely FFT and linear hashing modulo a prime. It is therefore not only faster but also simpler. Just as the two previous algorithms, ours not only decides if there is a single 3SUM solution but it actually determines for each $c \in C'$ if there is a solution containing it. We also modify the algorithm to still work in the scenario where the set $C$ is unknown at the time of preprocessing. Finally, even though the simplest version of our algorithm is randomized, we show how to make it deterministic losing only polylogarithmic factors in the running time.

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arXiv2025

The Planted Orthogonal Vectors Problem

In the $k$-Orthogonal Vectors ($k$-OV) problem we are given $k$ sets, each containing $n$ binary vectors of dimension $d=n^{o(1)}$, and our goal is to pick one vector from each set so that at each coordinate at least one vector has a zero. It is a central problem in fine-grained complexity, conjectured to require $n^{k-o(1)}$ time in the worst case. We propose a way to \emph{plant} a solution among vectors with i.i.d. $p$-biased entries, for appropriately chosen $p$, so that the planted solution is the unique one. Our conjecture is that the resulting $k$-OV instances still require time $n^{k-o(1)}$ to solve, \emph{on average}. Our planted distribution has the property that any subset of strictly less than $k$ vectors has the \emph{same} marginal distribution as in the model distribution, consisting of i.i.d. $p$-biased random vectors. We use this property to give average-case search-to-decision reductions for $k$-OV.

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arXiv2025

Non-Boolean OMv: One More Reason to Believe Lower Bounds for Dynamic Problems

Most of the known tight lower bounds for dynamic problems are based on the Online Boolean Matrix-Vector Multiplication (OMv) Hypothesis, which is not as well studied and understood as some more popular hypotheses in fine-grained complexity. It would be desirable to base hardness of dynamic problems on a more believable hypothesis. We propose analogues of the OMv Hypothesis for variants of matrix multiplication that are known to be harder than Boolean product in the offline setting, namely: equality, dominance, min-witness, min-max, and bounded monotone min-plus products. These hypotheses are a priori weaker assumptions than the standard (Boolean) OMv Hypothesis. Somewhat surprisingly, we show that they are actually equivalent to it. This establishes the first such fine-grained equivalence class for dynamic problems.

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arXiv2025

Parameterized algorithms for block-structured integer programs with large entries

We study two classic variants of block-structured integer programming. Two-stage stochastic programs are integer programs of the form $\{A_i \mathbf{x} + D_i \mathbf{y}_i = \mathbf{b}_i\textrm{ for all }i=1,\ldots,n\}$, where $A_i$ and $D_i$ are bounded-size matrices. On the other hand, $n$-fold programs are integer programs of the form $\{{\sum_{i=1}^n C_i\mathbf{y}_i=\mathbf{a}} \textrm{ and } D_i\mathbf{y}_i=\mathbf{b}_i\textrm{ for all }i=1,\ldots,n\}$, where again $C_i$ and $D_i$ are bounded-size matrices. It is known that solving these kind of programs is fixed-parameter tractable when parameterized by the maximum dimension among the relevant matrices $A_i,C_i,D_i$ and the maximum absolute value of any entry appearing in the constraint matrix. We show that the parameterized tractability results for two-stage stochastic and $n$-fold programs persist even when one allows large entries in the global part of the program. More precisely, we prove that: - The feasibility problem for two-stage stochastic programs is fixed-parameter tractable when parameterized by the dimensions of matrices $A_i,D_i$ and by the maximum absolute value of the entries of matrices $D_i$. That is, we allow matrices $A_i$ to have arbitrarily large entries. - The linear optimization problem for $n$-fold integer programs that are uniform -- all matrices $C_i$ are equal -- is fixed-parameter tractable when parameterized by the dimensions of matrices $C_i$ and $D_i$ and by the maximum absolute value of the entries of matrices $D_i$. That is, we require that $C_i=C$ for all $i=1,\ldots,n$, but we allow $C$ to have arbitrarily large entries. In the second result, the uniformity assumption is necessary; otherwise the problem is $\mathsf{NP}$-hard already when the parameters take constant values. Both our algorithms are weakly polynomial: the running time is measured in the total bitsize of the input.

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arXiv2025

Faster Weighted and Unweighted Tree Edit Distance and APSP Equivalence

The tree edit distance (TED) between two rooted ordered trees with $n$ nodes labeled from an alphabet $Σ$ is the minimum cost of transforming one tree into the other by a sequence of valid operations consisting of insertions, deletions and relabeling of nodes. The tree edit distance is a well-known generalization of string edit distance and has been studied since the 1970s. Years of steady improvements have led to an $O(n^3)$ algorithm [DMRW 2010]. Fine-grained complexity casts light onto the hardness of TED showing that a truly subcubic time algorithm for TED implies a truly subcubic time algorithm for All-Pairs Shortest Paths (APSP) [BGMW 2020]. Therefore, under the popular APSP hypothesis, a truly subcubic time algorithm for TED cannot exist. However, unlike many problems in fine-grained complexity for which conditional hardness based on APSP also comes with equivalence to APSP, whether TED can be reduced to APSP has remained unknown. In this paper, we resolve this. Not only we show that TED is fine-grained equivalent to APSP, our reduction is tight enough, so that combined with the fastest APSP algorithm to-date [Williams 2018] it gives the first ever subcubic time algorithm for TED running in $n^3/2^{Ω(\sqrt{\log{n}})}$ time. We also consider the unweighted tree edit distance problem in which the cost of each edit is one. For unweighted TED, a truly subcubic algorithm is known due to Mao [Mao 2022], later improved slightly by Dürr [Dürr 2023] to run in $O(n^{2.9148})$. Their algorithm uses bounded monotone min-plus product as a crucial subroutine, and the best running time for this product is $\tilde{O}(n^{\frac{3+ω}{2}})\leq O(n^{2.6857})$ (where $ω$ is the exponent of fast matrix multiplication). In this work, we close this gap and give an algorithm for unweighted TED that runs in $\tilde{O}(n^{\frac{3+ω}{2}})$ time.

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arXiv2024

Approximation Algorithms for Combinatorial Optimization with Predictions

We initiate a systematic study of utilizing predictions to improve over approximation guarantees of classic algorithms, without increasing the running time. We propose a systematic method for a wide class of optimization problems that ask to select a feasible subset of input items of minimal (or maximal) total weight. This gives simple (near-)linear time algorithms for, e.g., Vertex Cover, Steiner Tree, Min-Weight Perfect Matching, Knapsack, and Clique. Our algorithms produce optimal solutions when provided with perfect predictions and their approximation ratios smoothly degrade with increasing prediction error. With small enough prediction error we achieve approximation guarantees that are beyond reach without predictions in the given time bounds, as exemplified by the NP-hardness and APX-hardness of many of the above problems. Although we show our approach to be optimal for this class of problems as a whole, there is a potential for exploiting specific structural properties of individual problems to obtain improved bounds; we demonstrate this on the Steiner Tree problem. We conclude with an empirical evaluation of our approach.

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arXiv2024

Connectivity Oracles for Predictable Vertex Failures

The problem of designing connectivity oracles supporting vertex failures is one of the basic data structures problems for undirected graphs. It is already well understood: previous works [Duan--Pettie STOC'10; Long--Saranurak FOCS'22] achieve query time linear in the number of failed vertices, and it is conditionally optimal as long as we require preprocessing time polynomial in the size of the graph and update time polynomial in the number of failed vertices. We revisit this problem in the paradigm of algorithms with predictions: we ask if the query time can be improved if the set of failed vertices can be predicted beforehand up to a small number of errors. More specifically, we design a data structure that, given a graph $G=(V,E)$ and a set of vertices predicted to fail $\widehat{D} \subseteq V$ of size $d=|\widehat{D}|$, preprocesses it in time $\tilde{O}(d|E|)$ and then can receive an update given as the symmetric difference between the predicted and the actual set of failed vertices $\widehat{D} \triangle D = (\widehat{D} \setminus D) \cup (D \setminus \widehat{D})$ of size $η= |\widehat{D} \triangle D|$, process it in time $\tilde{O}(η^4)$, and after that answer connectivity queries in $G \setminus D$ in time $O(η)$. Viewed from another perspective, our data structure provides an improvement over the state of the art for the \emph{fully dynamic subgraph connectivity problem} in the \emph{sensitivity setting} [Henzinger--Neumann ESA'16]. We argue that the preprocessing time and query time of our data structure are conditionally optimal under standard fine-grained complexity assumptions.

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arXiv2024

Even Faster Knapsack via Rectangular Monotone Min-Plus Convolution and Balancing

We present a pseudopolynomial-time algorithm for the Knapsack problem that has running time $\widetilde{O}(n + t\sqrt{p_{\max}})$, where $n$ is the number of items, $t$ is the knapsack capacity, and $p_{\max}$ is the maximum item profit. This improves over the $\widetilde{O}(n + t \, p_{\max})$-time algorithm based on the convolution and prediction technique by Bateni et al.~(STOC 2018). Moreover, we give some evidence, based on a strengthening of the Min-Plus Convolution Hypothesis, that our running time might be optimal. Our algorithm uses two new technical tools, which might be of independent interest. First, we generalize the $\widetilde{O}(n^{1.5})$-time algorithm for bounded monotone min-plus convolution by Chi et al.~(STOC 2022) to the \emph{rectangular} case where the range of entries can be different from the sequence length. Second, we give a reduction from general knapsack instances to \emph{balanced} instances, where all items have nearly the same profit-to-weight ratio, up to a constant factor. Using these techniques, we can also obtain algorithms that run in time $\widetilde{O}(n + OPT\sqrt{w_{\max}})$, $\widetilde{O}(n + (nw_{\max}p_{\max})^{1/3}t^{2/3})$, and $\widetilde{O}(n + (nw_{\max}p_{\max})^{1/3} OPT^{2/3})$, where $OPT$ is the optimal total profit and $w_{\max}$ is the maximum item weight.

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arXiv2023

Mixing predictions for online metric algorithms

A major technique in learning-augmented online algorithms is combining multiple algorithms or predictors. Since the performance of each predictor may vary over time, it is desirable to use not the single best predictor as a benchmark, but rather a dynamic combination which follows different predictors at different times. We design algorithms that combine predictions and are competitive against such dynamic combinations for a wide class of online problems, namely, metrical task systems. Against the best (in hindsight) unconstrained combination of $\ell$ predictors, we obtain a competitive ratio of $O(\ell^2)$, and show that this is best possible. However, for a benchmark with slightly constrained number of switches between different predictors, we can get a $(1+ε)$-competitive algorithm. Moreover, our algorithms can be adapted to access predictors in a bandit-like fashion, querying only one predictor at a time. An unexpected implication of one of our lower bounds is a new structural insight about covering formulations for the $k$-server problem.

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arXiv2023

On Dynamic Graph Algorithms with Predictions

We study dynamic algorithms in the model of algorithms with predictions. We assume the algorithm is given imperfect predictions regarding future updates, and we ask how such predictions can be used to improve the running time. This can be seen as a model interpolating between classic online and offline dynamic algorithms. Our results give smooth tradeoffs between these two extreme settings. First, we give algorithms for incremental and decremental transitive closure and approximate APSP that take as an additional input a predicted sequence of updates (edge insertions, or edge deletions, respectively). They preprocess it in $\tilde{O}(n^{(3+ω)/2})$ time, and then handle updates in $\tilde{O}(1)$ worst-case time and queries in $\tilde{O}(η^2)$ worst-case time. Here $η$ is an error measure that can be bounded by the maximum difference between the predicted and actual insertion (deletion) time of an edge, i.e., by the $\ell_\infty$-error of the predictions. The second group of results concerns fully dynamic problems with vertex updates, where the algorithm has access to a predicted sequence of the next $n$ updates. We show how to solve fully dynamic triangle detection, maximum matching, single-source reachability, and more, in $O(n^{ω-1}+nη_i)$ worst-case update time. Here $η_i$ denotes how much earlier the $i$-th update occurs than predicted. Our last result is a reduction that transforms a worst-case incremental algorithm without predictions into a fully dynamic algorithm which is given a predicted deletion time for each element at the time of its insertion. As a consequence we can, e.g., maintain fully dynamic exact APSP with such predictions in $\tilde{O}(n^2)$ worst-case vertex insertion time and $\tilde{O}(n^2 (1+η_i))$ worst-case vertex deletion time (for the prediction error $η_i$ defined as above).

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arXiv2023

Deterministic 3SUM-Hardness

As one of the three main pillars of fine-grained complexity theory, the 3SUM problem explains the hardness of many diverse polynomial-time problems via fine-grained reductions. Many of these reductions are either directly based on or heavily inspired by Pătraşcu's framework involving additive hashing and are thus randomized. Some selected reductions were derandomized in previous work [Chan, He; SOSA'20], but the current techniques are limited and a major fraction of the reductions remains randomized. In this work we gather a toolkit aimed to derandomize reductions based on additive hashing. Using this toolkit, we manage to derandomize almost all known 3SUM-hardness reductions. As technical highlights we derandomize the hardness reductions to (offline) Set Disjointness, (offline) Set Intersection and Triangle Listing -- these questions were explicitly left open in previous work [Kopelowitz, Pettie, Porat; SODA'16]. The few exceptions to our work fall into a special category of recent reductions based on structure-versus-randomness dichotomies. We expect that our toolkit can be readily applied to derandomize future reductions as well. As a conceptual innovation, our work thereby promotes the theory of deterministic 3SUM-hardness. As our second contribution, we prove that there is a deterministic universe reduction for 3SUM. Specifically, using additive hashing it is a standard trick to assume that the numbers in 3SUM have size at most $n^3$. We prove that this assumption is similarly valid for deterministic algorithms.

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arXiv2023

Online metric algorithms with untrusted predictions

Machine-learned predictors, although achieving very good results for inputs resembling training data, cannot possibly provide perfect predictions in all situations. Still, decision-making systems that are based on such predictors need not only to benefit from good predictions but also to achieve a decent performance when the predictions are inadequate. In this paper, we propose a prediction setup for arbitrary metrical task systems (MTS) (e.g., caching, k-server and convex body chasing) and online matching on the line. We utilize results from the theory of online algorithms to show how to make the setup robust. Specifically for caching, we present an algorithm whose performance, as a function of the prediction error, is exponentially better than what is achievable for general MTS. Finally, we present an empirical evaluation of our methods on real world datasets, which suggests practicality.

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arXiv2023

Bellman-Ford is optimal for shortest hop-bounded paths

This paper is about the problem of finding a shortest $s$-$t$ path using at most $h$ edges in edge-weighted graphs. The Bellman--Ford algorithm solves this problem in $O(hm)$ time, where $m$ is the number of edges. We show that this running time is optimal, up to subpolynomial factors, under popular fine-grained complexity assumptions. More specifically, we show that under the APSP Hypothesis the problem cannot be solved faster already in undirected graphs with non-negative edge weights. This lower bound holds even restricted to graphs of arbitrary density and for arbitrary $h \in O(\sqrt{m})$. Moreover, under a stronger assumption, namely the Min-Plus Convolution Hypothesis, we can eliminate the restriction $h \in O(\sqrt{m})$. In other words, the $O(hm)$ bound is tight for the entire space of parameters $h$, $m$, and $n$, where $n$ is the number of nodes. Our lower bounds can be contrasted with the recent near-linear time algorithm for the negative-weight Single-Source Shortest Paths problem, which is the textbook application of the Bellman--Ford algorithm.

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