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Asaf Ferber

Publications and source records attributed to Asaf Ferber.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

On the edge expansion of random polytopes

A $0/1$-polytope in $\mathbb{R}^n$ is the convex hull of a subset of $\{0,1\}^n$. The graph of a polytope $P$ is the graph whose vertices are the zero-dimensional faces of $P$ and whose edges are the one-dimensional faces of $P$. A conjecture of Mihail and Vazirani states that the edge expansion of the graph of every $0/1$-polytope is at least one. We study a random version of the problem, where the polytope is generated by selecting vertices of $\{0,1\}^n$ independently at random with probability $p\in (0,1)$. Improving earlier results, we show that, for any $p\in (0,1)$, with high probability the edge expansion of the random $0/1$-polytope is bounded from below by an absolute constant.

math.CO↗
arXiv2025

Sharp Threshold for Cliques in Random 0/1 Polytope Graphs

We study graph-theoretic properties of random $0/1$ polytopes. Specifically, let $Q_p^n \subseteq \{0,1\}^n$ be a random subset where each point is included independently with probability $p$, and consider the graph $G_p$ of the polytope conv$(Q_p^n)$. We provide a short and combinatorial proof that $p = 2^{-n/2}$ is a threshold for the edge density of $G_p$, a result originally due to Kaibel and Remshagen. We next resolve an open question from their paper by showing that for $p \leq 2^{-n/2 - o(1)}$, $G_p$ exhibits strong edge expansion. In particular, we prove that, with high probability, every vertex has degree $(1 - o(1))|Q_p^n|$. Lastly, we determine the threshold for $G_p$ being a clique, strengthening a result of Bondarenko and Brodskiy. We show that with high probability, if $p \geq 2^{-\delta n + o(1)}$, then $G_p$ is not a clique, and if $ p \leq 2^{-\delta n - o(1)}$, then $G_p$ is a clique, where $\delta \approx 0.8295$. Our approach combines a combinatorial characterization of edges in graphs arising from polytopes with the Kim-Vu polynomial concentration inequality.

math.CO↗
arXiv2025

Improved Sublinear Algorithms for Classical and Quantum Graph Coloring

We present three sublinear randomized algorithms for vertex-coloring of graphs with maximum degree $\Delta$. The first is a simple algorithm that extends the idea of Morris and Song to color graphs with maximum degree $\Delta$ using $\Delta+1$ colors. Combined with the greedy algorithm, it achieves an expected runtime of $O(n^{3/2}\sqrt{\log n})$ in the query model, improving on Assadi, Chen, and Khanna's algorithm by a $\sqrt{\log n}$ factor in expectation. When we allow quantum queries to the graph, we can accelerate the first algorithm using Grover's famous algorithm, resulting in a runtime of $\tilde{O}(n^{4/3})$ quantum queries. Finally, we introduce a quantum algorithm for $(1+\epsilon)\Delta$-coloring, achieving $O(\epsilon^{-1}n^{5/4}\log^{3/2}n)$ quantum queries, offering a polynomial improvement over the previous best bound by Morris and Song.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2025

Minimum degree edge-disjoint Hamilton cycles in random directed graphs

In this paper we consider the problem of finding ``as many edge-disjoint Hamilton cycles as possible'' in the binomial random digraph $D_{n,p}$. We show that a typical $D_{n,p}$ contains precisely the minimum between the minimum out- and in-degrees many edge-disjoint Hamilton cycles, given that $p\geq \log^{15} n/n$, which is optimal up to a factor of poly$\log n$. Our proof provides a randomized algorithm to generate the cycles and uses a novel idea of generating $D_{n,p}$ in a sophisticated way that enables us to control some key properties, and on an ``online sprinkling'' idea as was introduced by Ferber and Vu.

math.CO↗
arXiv2024

Covering Random Digraphs with Hamilton Cycles

A covering of a digraph $D$ by Hamilton cycles is a collection of directed Hamilton cycles (not necessarily edge-disjoint) that together cover all the edges of $D$. We prove that for $1/2 \geq p\geq \frac{\log^{20} n}{n}$, the random digraph $D_{n,p}$ typically admits an optimal Hamilton cycle covering. Specifically, the edges of $D_{n,p}$ can be covered by a family of $t$ Hamilton cycles, where $t$ is the maximum of the the in-degree and out-degree of the vertices in $D_{n,p}$. Notably, $t$ is the best possible bound, and our assumption on $p$ is optimal up to a polylogarithmic factor.

math.CO↗
arXiv2024

Regular bipartite decompositions of pseudorandom graphs

In 1972, Kotzig proved that for every even $n$, the complete graph $K_n$ can be decomposed into $\lceil\log_2n\rceil$ edge-disjoint regular bipartite spanning subgraphs, which is best possible. In this paper, we study regular bipartite decompositions of $(n,d,\lambda)$-graphs, where $n$ is an even integer and $d_0\leq d\leq n-1$ for some absolute constant $d_0$. With a randomized algorithm, we prove that such an $(n,d,\lambda)$-graph with $\lambda\leq d/12$ can be decomposed into at most $\log_2 d + 36$ regular bipartite spanning subgraphs. This is best possible up to the additive constant term. As a consequence, we also improve the best known bounds on $\lambda = \lambda(d)$ by Ferber and Jain (2020) to guarantee that an $(n,d,\lambda)$-graph on an even number of vertices admits a $1$-factorization, showing that $\lambda \leq cd$ is sufficient for some absolute constant $c > 0$.

math.CO↗
arXiv2024

Sunflowers in set systems with small VC-dimension

A family of $r$ distinct sets $\{A_1,\ldots, A_r\}$ is an $r$-sunflower if for all $1 \leqslant i < j \leqslant r$ and $1 \leqslant i' < j' \leqslant r$, we have $A_i \cap A_j = A_{i'} \cap A_{j'}$. Erd\H{o}s and Rado conjectured in 1960 that every family $\mathcal{H}$ of $\ell$-element sets of size at least $K(r)^\ell$ contains an $r$-sunflower, where $K(r)$ is some function that depends only on $r$. We prove that if $\mathcal{H}$ is a family of $\ell$-element sets of VC-dimension at most $d$ and $|\mathcal{H}| > (C r (\log d+\log^\ast \ell))^\ell$ for some absolute constant $C > 0$, then $\mathcal{H}$ contains an $r$-sunflower. This improves a recent result of Fox, Pach, and Suk. When $d=1$, we obtain a sharp bound, namely that $|\mathcal{H}| > (r-1)^\ell$ is sufficient. Along the way, we establish a strengthening of the Kahn-Kalai conjecture for set families of bounded VC-dimension, which is of independent interest.

math.CO↗
arXiv2024

A quantum algorithm for learning a graph of bounded degree

We are presented with a graph, $G$, on $n$ vertices with $m$ edges whose edge set is unknown. Our goal is to learn the edges of $G$ with as few queries to an oracle as possible. When we submit a set $S$ of vertices to the oracle, it tells us whether or not $S$ induces at least one edge in $G$. This so-called OR-query model has been well studied, with Angluin and Chen giving an upper bound on the number of queries needed of $O(m \log n)$ for a general graph $G$ with $m$ edges. When we allow ourselves to make *quantum* queries (we may query subsets in superposition), then we can achieve speedups over the best possible classical algorithms. In the case where $G$ has maximum degree $d$ and is $O(1)$-colorable, Montanaro and Shao presented an algorithm that learns the edges of $G$ in at most $\tilde{O}(d^2m^{3/4})$ quantum queries. This gives an upper bound of $\tilde{O}(m^{3/4})$ quantum queries when $G$ is a matching or a Hamiltonian cycle, which is far away from the lower bound of $\Omega(\sqrt{m})$ queries given by Ambainis and Montanaro. We improve on the work of Montanaro and Shao in the case where $G$ has bounded degree. In particular, we present a randomized algorithm that, with high probability, learns cycles and matchings in $\tilde{O}(\sqrt{m})$ quantum queries, matching the theoretical lower bound up to logarithmic factors.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2024

Hamiltonicity of Sparse Pseudorandom Graphs

We show that every $(n,d,\lambda)$-graph contains a Hamilton cycle for sufficiently large $n$, assuming that $d\geq \log^{6}n$ and $\lambda\leq cd$, where $c=\frac{1}{70000}$. This significantly improves a recent result of Glock, Correia and Sudakov, who obtained a similar result for $d$ that grows polynomially with $n$. The proof is based on a new result regarding the second largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of a subgraph induced by a random subset of vertices, combined with a recent result on connecting designated pairs of vertices by vertex-disjoint paths in $(n,d,\lambda)$-graphs. We believe that the former result is of independent interest and will have further applications.

math.CO↗
arXiv2022

Dirac-type Problem of Rainbow matchings and Hamilton cycles in Random Graphs

Given a family of graphs $G_1,\dots,G_{n}$ on the same vertex set $[n]$, a rainbow Hamilton cycle is a Hamilton cycle on $[n]$ such that each $G_c$ contributes exactly one edge. We prove that if $G_1,\dots,G_{n}$ are independent samples of $G(n,p)$ on the same vertex set $[n]$, then for each $\varepsilon>0$, whp, every collection of spanning subgraphs $H_c\subseteq G_c$, with $\delta(H_c)\geq(\frac{1}{2}+\varepsilon)np$, admits a rainbow Hamilton cycle. A similar result is proved for rainbow perfect matchings in a family of $n/2$ graphs on the same vertex set $[n]$.

math.CO↗
arXiv2022

Sparse recovery properties of discrete random matrices

Motivated by problems from compressed sensing, we determine the threshold behavior of a random $n\times d$ $\pm 1$ matrix $M_{n,d}$ with respect to the property "every $s$ columns are linearly independent". In particular, we show that for every $0<\delta <1$ and $s=(1-\delta)n$, if $d\leq n^{1+1/2(1-\delta)-o(1)}$ then with high probability every $s$ columns of $M_{n,d}$ are linearly independent, and if $d\geq n^{1+1/2(1-\delta)+o(1)}$ then with high probability there are some $s$ linearly dependent columns.

math.CO↗
arXiv2021

Counting Hamiltonian Cycles in Dirac Hypergraphs

For $0\leq \ell 1/2$ has (asymptotically and up to a subexponential factor) at least as many Hamiltonian $\ell$-cycles as in a typical random $k$-graph with edge-probability $\delta$. This significantly improves a recent result of Glock, Gould, Joos, K\"uhn, and Osthus, and verifies a conjecture of Ferber, Krivelevich and Sudakov for all values $0\leq \ell<k-1$.

math.CO↗
arXiv2021

On subgraphs with degrees of prescribed residues in the random graph

We show that with high probability the random graph $G_{n, 1/2}$ has an induced subgraph of linear size, all of whose degrees are congruent to $r\pmod q$ for any fixed $r$ and $q\geq 2$. More generally, the same is true for any fixed distribution of degrees modulo $q$. Finally, we show that with high probability we can partition the vertices of $G_{n, 1/2}$ into $q+1$ parts of nearly equal size, each of which induces a subgraph all of whose degrees are congruent to $r\pmod q$. Our results resolve affirmatively a conjecture of Scott, who addressed the case $q=2$.

math.CO↗
arXiv2021

Singularity of the k-core of a random graph

Very sparse random graphs are known to typically be singular (i.e., have singular adjacency matrix), due to the presence of "low-degree dependencies'' such as isolated vertices and pairs of degree-1 vertices with the same neighbourhood. We prove that these kinds of dependencies are in some sense the only causes of singularity: for constants $k\ge 3$ and $\lambda > 0$, an Erd\H{o}s--R\'enyi random graph $G\sim\mathbb{G}(n,\lambda/n)$ with $n$ vertices and edge probability $\lambda/n$ typically has the property that its $k$-core (its largest subgraph with minimum degree at least $k$) is nonsingular. This resolves a conjecture of Vu from the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians, and adds to a short list of known nonsingularity theorems for "extremely sparse'' random matrices with density $O(1/n)$. A key aspect of our proof is a technique to extract high-degree vertices and use them to "boost'' the rank, starting from approximate rank bounds obtainable from (non-quantitative) spectral convergence machinery due to Bordenave, Lelarge and Salez.

math.PR↗
arXiv2021

Random symmetric matrices: rank distribution and irreducibility of the characteristic polynomial

Conditional on the extended Riemann hypothesis, we show that with high probability, the characteristic polynomial of a random symmetric $\{\pm 1\}$-matrix is irreducible. This addresses a question raised by Eberhard in recent work. The main innovation in our work is establishing sharp estimates regarding the rank distribution of symmetric random $\{\pm 1\}$-matrices over $\mathbb{F}_p$ for primes $2 < p \leq \exp(O(n^{1/4}))$. Previously, such estimates were available only for $p = o(n^{1/8})$. At the heart of our proof is a way to combine multiple inverse Littlewood--Offord-type results to control the contribution to singularity-type events of vectors in $\mathbb{F}_p^{n}$ with anticoncentration at least $1/p + \Omega(1/p^2)$. Previously, inverse Littlewood--Offord-type results only allowed control over vectors with anticoncentration at least $C/p$ for some large constant $C > 1$.

math.PR↗
arXiv2021

Friendly bisections of random graphs

Resolving a conjecture of F\"uredi from 1988, we prove that with high probability, the random graph $G(n,1/2)$ admits a friendly bisection of its vertex set, i.e., a partition of its vertex set into two parts whose sizes differ by at most one in which $n-o(n)$ vertices have at least as many neighbours in their own part as across. The engine of our proof is a new method to study stochastic processes driven by degree information in random graphs; this involves combining enumeration techniques with an abstract second moment argument.

math.CO↗
arXiv2020

List-decodability with large radius for Reed-Solomon codes

List-decodability of Reed-Solomon codes has received a lot of attention, but the best-possible dependence between the parameters is still not well-understood. In this work, we focus on the case where the list-decoding radius is of the form $r=1-\varepsilon$ for $\varepsilon$ tending to zero. Our main result states that there exist Reed-Solomon codes with rate $\Omega(\varepsilon)$ which are $(1-\varepsilon, O(1/\varepsilon))$-list-decodable, meaning that any Hamming ball of radius $1-\varepsilon$ contains at most $O(1/\varepsilon)$ codewords. This trade-off between rate and list-decoding radius is best-possible for any code with list size less than exponential in the block length. By achieving this trade-off between rate and list-decoding radius we improve a recent result of Guo, Li, Shangguan, Tamo, and Wootters, and resolve the main motivating question of their work. Moreover, while their result requires the field to be exponentially large in the block length, we only need the field size to be polynomially large (and in fact, almost-linear suffices). We deduce our main result from a more general theorem, in which we prove good list-decodability properties of random puncturings of any given code with very large distance.

cs.IT↗