arXiv subjects

Avinandan Das

Publications and source records attributed to Avinandan Das.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Meta-Theorems for Cuttable Distributed Problems

We prove that given any $\alpha$-approximation LOCAL algorithm for Minimum Dominating Set (MDS) on planar graphs, we can construct an $f(g)$-round $(3\alpha+1)$-approximation LOCAL algorithm for MDS on graphs embeddable in a given Euler genus-$g$ surface. Heydt et al. [European Journal of Combinatorics (2025)] gave an algorithm with $\alpha=11+\varepsilon$, from which we derive a $(34 +\varepsilon)$-approximation algorithm for graphs of genus $g$, therefore improving upon the current state of the art of $24g+O(1)$ due to Amiri et al. [ACM Transactions on Algorithms (2019)]. It also improves the approximation ratio of $91+\varepsilon$ due to Czygrinow et al. [Theoretical Computer Science (2019)] in the particular case of orientable surfaces. We generalize this result into two directions: (1) by considering other graph problems studied in Distributed Computing such as Minimum $k$-Tuple Dominating Set, for which constant-round approximation algorithms were known for planar graphs, but not for graphs of bounded genus; and (2) by considering graph classes beyond bounded genus graphs, called locally nice, and relying on the asymptotic dimension of the class. We prove these results by a series of meta-theorems about cuttable minimization problems with constant-round approximation LOCAL algorithms. Roughly speaking, in cuttable problems, one can systematically extract small subgraphs whose solutions are in proportion to the global solution restricted to the neighbourhood of the subgraph.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2026

Is a LOCAL algorithm computable?

Common definitions of the "standard" LOCAL model tend to be sloppy and even self-contradictory on one point: do the nodes update their state using an arbitrary function or a computable function? So far, this distinction has been safe to neglect, since problems where it matters seem contrived and quite different from e.g. typical local graph problems studied in this context. We show that this question matters even for locally checkable labeling problems (LCLs), perhaps the most widely studied family of problems in the context of the LOCAL model. Furthermore, we show that assumptions about computability are directly connected to another aspect already recognized as highly relevant: whether we have any knowledge of $n$, the size of the graph. Concretely, we show that there is an LCL problem $\Pi$ with the following properties: 1. $\Pi$ can be solved in $O(\log n)$ rounds if the LOCAL model is uncomputable. 2. $\Pi$ can be solved in $O(\log n)$ rounds in the computable model if we know any upper bound on $n$. 3. $\Pi$ requires $\Omega(\sqrt{n})$ rounds in the computable model if we do not know anything about $n$. We also show that the connection between computability and knowledge of $n$ holds in general: for any LCL problem $\Pi$, if you have any bound on $n$, then $\Pi$ has the same round complexity in the computable and uncomputable models.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2026

One Color Makes All the Difference in the Tractability of Partial Coloring in Semi-Streaming

This paper investigates the semi-streaming complexity of \textit{$k$-partial coloring}, a generalization of proper graph coloring. For $k \geq 1$, a $k$-partial coloring requires that each vertex $v$ in an $n$-node graph is assigned a color such that at least $\min\{k, \deg(v)\}$ of its neighbors are assigned colors different from its own. This framework naturally extends classical coloring problems: specifically, $k$-partial $(k+1)$-coloring and $k$-partial $k$-coloring generalize $(\Delta+1)$-proper coloring and $\Delta$-proper coloring, respectively. Prior works of Assadi, Chen, and Khanna [SODA~2019] and Assadi, Kumar, and Mittal [TheoretiCS~2023] show that both $(\Delta+1)$-proper coloring and $\Delta$-proper coloring admit one-pass randomized semi-streaming algorithms. We explore whether these efficiency gains extend to their partial coloring generalizations and reveal a sharp computational threshold : while $k$-partial $(k+1)$-coloring admits a one-pass randomized semi-streaming algorithm, the $k$-partial $k$-coloring remains semi-streaming intractable, effectively demonstrating a ``dichotomy of one color'' in the streaming model.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2026

It does not matter how you define locally checkable labelings

Locally checkable labeling problems (LCLs) form the foundation of the modern theory of distributed graph algorithms. First introduced in the seminal paper by Naor and Stockmeyer [STOC 1993], these are graph problems that can be described by listing a finite set of valid local neighborhoods. This seemingly simple definition strikes a careful balance between two objectives: they are a family of problems that is broad enough so that it captures numerous problems that are of interest to researchers working in this field, yet restrictive enough so that it is possible to prove strong theorems that hold for all LCL problems. In particular, the distributed complexity landscape of LCL problems is now very well understood. In this work we show that the family of LCL problems is extremely robust to variations. We present a very restricted family of locally checkable problems (essentially, the "node-edge checkable" formalism familiar from round elimination, restricted to regular unlabeled graphs); most importantly, such problems cannot directly refer to e.g. the existence of short cycles. We show that one can translate between the two formalisms (there are local reductions in both directions that only need access to a symmetry-breaking oracle, and hence the overhead is at most an additive $O(\log^* n)$ rounds in the LOCAL model).

cs.DC↗

arXiv2025

Orientation does not help with 3-coloring a grid in online-LOCAL

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 $\Omega(\log n)$ 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.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2025

Generalizing Brooks' theorem via Partial Coloring is Hard Classically and Locally

We investigate the classical and distributed complexity of \emph{$k$-partial $c$-coloring} where $c=k$, a natural generalization of Brooks' theorem where each vertex should be colored from the palette $\{1,\ldots,c\} = \{1,\ldots,k\}$ such that it must have at least $\min\{k, °(v)\}$ neighbors colored differently. Das, Fraigniaud, and Ros{é}n~[OPODIS 2023] showed that the problem of $k$-partial $(k+1)$-coloring admits efficient centralized and distributed algorithms and posed an open problem about the status of the distributed complexity of $k$-partial $k$-coloring. We show that the problem becomes significantly harder when the number of colors is reduced from $k+1$ to $k$ for every constant $k\geq 3$. In the classical setting, we prove that deciding whether a graph admits a $k$-partial $k$-coloring is NP-complete for every constant $k \geq 3$, revealing a sharp contrast with the linear-time solvable $(k+1)$-color case. For the distributed LOCAL model, we establish an $Ω(n)$-round lower bound for computing $k$-partial $k$-colorings, even when the graph is guaranteed to be $k$-partial $k$-colorable. This demonstrates an exponential separation from the $O(\log^2 k \cdot \log n)$-round algorithms known for $(k+1)$-colorings. Our results leverage novel structural characterizations of ``hard instances'' where partial coloring reduces to proper coloring, and we construct intricate graph gadgets to prove lower bounds via indistinguishability arguments.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2025

Semi-Streaming Algorithms for Graph Property Certification

We introduce the {\em certification} of solutions to graph problems when access to the input is restricted. This topic has received a lot of attention in the distributed computing setting, and we introduce it here in the context of \emph{streaming} algorithms, where the input is too large to be stored in memory. Given a graph property $\mbox{P}$, a \emph{streaming certification scheme} for $\mbox{P}$ is a \emph{prover-verifier} pair where the prover is a computationally unlimited but non-trustable oracle, and the verifier is a streaming algorithm. For any input graph, the prover provides the verifier with a \emph{certificate}. The verifier then receives the input graph as a stream of edges in an adversarial order, and must check whether the certificate is indeed a \emph{proof} that the input graph satisfies $\mbox{P}$. The main complexity measure for a streaming certification scheme is its \emph{space complexity}, defined as the sum of the size of the certificate provided by the oracle, and of the memory space required by the verifier. We give streaming certification schemes for several graph properties, including maximum matching, diameter, degeneracy, and coloring, with space complexity matching the requirement of \emph{semi-streaming}, i.e., with space complexity $O(n\,\mbox{polylog}\, n)$ for $n$-node graphs. All these problems do {\em not} admit semi-streaming algorithms, showing that also in the (semi) streaming setting, certification is sometimes easier than calculation (like $NP$). For each of these properties, we provide upper and lower bounds on the space complexity of the corresponding certification schemes, many being tight up to logarithmic multiplicative factors. We also show that some graph properties are hard for streaming certification, in the sense that they cannot be certified in semi-streaming, as they require $Ω(n^2)$-bit certificates.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2016

Problems on One Way Road Networks

Let $OWRN = \left\langle W_x,W_y \right\rangle$ be a One Way Road Network where $W_x$ and $W_y$ are the sets of directed horizontal and vertical roads respectively. $OWRN$ can be considered as a variation of directed grid graph. The intersections of the horizontal and vertical roads are the vertices of $OWRN$ and any two consecutive vertices on a road are connected by an edge. In this work, we analyze the problem of collision free traffic configuration in a $OWRN$. A traffic configuration is a two-tuple $TC=\left\langle OWRN, C\right\rangle$, where $C$ is a set of cars travelling on a pre-defined path. We prove that finding a maximum cardinality subset $C_{sub}\subseteq C$ such that $TC=\left\langle OWRN, C_{sub}\right\rangle$ is collision-free, is NP-hard. Lastly we investigate the properties of connectedness, shortest paths in a $OWRN$.

cs.CG↗