arXiv subjects

Michael Hoffmann

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Hoffmann.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Antiferroelectric negative capacitance from a structural phase transition in zirconia

Crystalline materials with broken inversion symmetry can exhibit a spontaneous electric polarization, which originates from a microscopic electric dipole moment. Long-range polar or anti-polar order of such permanent dipoles gives rise to ferroelectricity or antiferroelectricity, respectively. However, the recently discovered antiferroelectrics of fluorite structure (HfO$_2$ and ZrO$_2$) are different: A non-polar phase transforms into a polar phase by spontaneous inversion symmetry breaking upon the application of an electric field. Here, we show that this structural transition in antiferroelectric ZrO$_2$ gives rise to a negative capacitance, which is promising for overcoming the fundamental limits of energy efficiency in electronics. Our findings provide insight into the thermodynamically 'forbidden' region of the antiferroelectric transition in ZrO$_2$ and extend the concept of negative capacitance beyond ferroelectricity. This shows that negative capacitance is a more general phenomenon than previously thought and can be expected in a much broader range of materials exhibiting structural phase transitions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

On Temporal Graph Exploration

A temporal graph is a graph in which the edge set can change from one time step to the next. The temporal graph exploration problem TEXP is the problem of computing a foremost exploration schedule for a temporal graph, i.e., a temporal walk that starts at a given start node, visits all nodes of the graph, and has the smallest arrival time. In the first part of the paper, we consider only undirected temporal graphs that are connected at each time step. For such temporal graphs with $n$ nodes, we show that it is \NP-hard to approximate TEXP with ratio $O(n^{1-\varepsilon})$ for every $\varepsilon>0$. We also provide an explicit construction of temporal graphs that require $Θ(n^2)$ time steps to be explored. In the second part of the paper, we still consider temporal graphs that are connected in each time step, but we assume that the underlying graph (i.e. the graph that contains all edges that are present in the temporal graph in at least one time step) belongs to a specific class of graphs. Among other results, we show that temporal graphs can be explored in $O(n^{1.5}k^{1.5}\log n)$ time steps if the underlying graph has treewidth $k$, in $O(n^{1.8}\log n)$ time steps if the underlying graph is planar, and in $O(n\log^3 n)$ time steps if the underlying graph is a $2\times n$ grid. In the third part of the paper, we consider settings where the graphs in future time steps are not known and the exploration schedule is constructed online. We replace the connectedness assumption by a weaker assumption and show that $m$-edge temporal graphs with regularly present edges and with probabilistically present edges can be explored online in $O(m)$ time steps and $O(m \log n)$ time steps with high probability, respectively. We finally show that the latter result can be used to obtain a distributed algorithm for the gossiping problem in random temporal graphs.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2021

Round-Competitive Algorithms for Uncertainty Problems with Parallel Queries

The area of computing with uncertainty considers problems where some information about the input elements is uncertain, but can be obtained using queries. For example, instead of the weight of an element, we may be given an interval that is guaranteed to contain the weight, and a query can be performed to reveal the weight. While previous work has considered models where queries are asked either sequentially (adaptive model) or all at once (non-adaptive model), and the goal is to minimize the number of queries that are needed to solve the given problem, we propose and study a new model where $k$ queries can be made in parallel in each round, and the goal is to minimize the number of query rounds. We use competitive analysis and present upper and lower bounds on the number of query rounds required by any algorithm in comparison with the optimal number of query rounds. Given a set of uncertain elements and a family of $m$ subsets of that set, we present an algorithm for determining the value of the minimum of each of the subsets that requires at most $(2+\varepsilon) \cdot \mathrm{opt}_k+\mathrm{O}\left(\frac{1}{\varepsilon} \cdot \lg m\right)$ rounds for every $0<\varepsilon<1$, where $\mathrm{opt}_k$ is the optimal number of rounds, as well as nearly matching lower bounds. For the problem of determining the $i$-th smallest value and identifying all elements with that value in a set of uncertain elements, we give a $2$-round-competitive algorithm. We also show that the problem of sorting a family of sets of uncertain elements admits a $2$-round-competitive algorithm and this is the best possible.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2020

Minimal Representations of Order Types by Geometric Graphs

In order to have a compact visualization of the order type of a given point set S, we are interested in geometric graphs on S with few edges that unambiguously display the order type of S. We introduce the concept of exit edges, which prevent the order type from changing under continuous motion of vertices. That is, in the geometric graph on S whose edges are the exit edges, in order to change the order type of S, at least one vertex needs to move across an exit edge. Exit edges have a natural dual characterization, which allows us to efficiently compute them and to bound their number.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Mad Science is Provably Hard: Puzzles in Hearthstone's Boomsday Lab are NP-hard

We consider the computational complexity of winning this turn (mate-in-1 or "finding lethal") in Hearthstone as well as several other single turn puzzle types introduced in the Boomsday Lab expansion. We consider three natural generalizations of Hearthstone (in which hand size, board size, and deck size scale) and prove the various puzzle types in each generalization NP-hard.

cs.CC↗

arXiv2020

Simple Topological Drawings of $k$-Planar Graphs

Every finite graph admits a \emph{simple (topological) drawing}, that is, a drawing where every pair of edges intersects in at most one point. However, in combination with other restrictions simple drawings do not universally exist. For instance, \emph{$k$-planar graphs} are those graphs that can be drawn so that every edge has at most $k$ crossings (i.e., they admit a \emph{$k$-plane drawing}). It is known that for $k\le 3$, every $k$-planar graph admits a $k$-plane simple drawing. But for $k\ge 4$, there exist $k$-planar graphs that do not admit a $k$-plane simple drawing. Answering a question by Schaefer, we show that there exists a function $f : \mathbb{N}\rightarrow\mathbb{N}$ such that every $k$-planar graph admits an $f(k)$-plane simple drawing, for all $k\in\mathbb{N}$. Note that the function $f$ depends on $k$ only and is independent of the size of the graph. Furthermore, we develop an algorithm to show that every $4$-planar graph admits an $8$-plane simple drawing.

cs.CG↗

arXiv2020

On the Maximum Number of Crossings in Star-Simple Drawings of $K_n$ with No Empty Lens

A star-simple drawing of a graph is a drawing in which adjacent edges do not cross. In contrast, there is no restriction on the number of crossings between two independent edges. When allowing empty lenses (a face in the arrangement induced by two edges that is bounded by a 2-cycle), two independent edges may cross arbitrarily many times in a star-simple drawing. We consider star-simple drawings of $K_n$ with no empty lens. In this setting we prove an upper bound of $3((n-4)!)$ on the maximum number of crossings between any pair of edges. It follows that the total number of crossings is finite and upper bounded by $n!$.

cs.CG↗

arXiv2020

Plane Spanning Trees in Edge-Colored Simple Drawings of $K_n$

Károlyi, Pach, and Tóth proved that every 2-edge-colored straight-line drawing of the complete graph contains a monochromatic plane spanning tree. It is open if this statement generalizes to other classes of drawings, specifically, to simple drawings of the complete graph. These are drawings where edges are represented by Jordan arcs, any two of which intersect at most once. We present two partial results towards such a generalization. First, we show that the statement holds for cylindrical simple drawings. (In a cylindrical drawing, all vertices are placed on two concentric circles and no edge crosses either circle.) Second, we introduce a relaxation of the problem in which the graph is $k$-edge-colored, and the target structure must be hypochromatic, that is, avoid (at least) one color class. In this setting, we show that every $\lceil (n+5)/6\rceil$-edge-colored monotone simple drawing of $K_n$ contains a hypochromatic plane spanning tree. (In a monotone drawing, every edge is represented as an $x$-monotone curve.)

cs.CG↗

arXiv2020

Drawing Shortest Paths in Geodetic Graphs

Motivated by the fact that in a space where shortest paths are unique, no two shortest paths meet twice, we study a question posed by Greg Bodwin: Given a geodetic graph $G$, i.e., an unweighted graph in which the shortest path between any pair of vertices is unique, is there a philogeodetic drawing of $G$, i.e., a drawing of $G$ in which the curves of any two shortest paths meet at most once? We answer this question in the negative by showing the existence of geodetic graphs that require some pair of shortest paths to cross at least four times. The bound on the number of crossings is tight for the class of graphs we construct. Furthermore, we exhibit geodetic graphs of diameter two that do not admit a philogeodetic drawing.

cs.DM↗

arXiv2020

Universal Geometric Graphs

We introduce and study the problem of constructing geometric graphs that have few vertices and edges and that are universal for planar graphs or for some sub-class of planar graphs; a geometric graph is \emph{universal} for a class $\mathcal H$ of planar graphs if it contains an embedding, i.e., a crossing-free drawing, of every graph in $\mathcal H$. Our main result is that there exists a geometric graph with $n$ vertices and $O(n \log n)$ edges that is universal for $n$-vertex forests; this extends to the geometric setting a well-known graph-theoretic result by Chung and Graham, which states that there exists an $n$-vertex graph with $O(n \log n)$ edges that contains every $n$-vertex forest as a subgraph. Our $O(n \log n)$ bound on the number of edges cannot be improved, even if more than $n$ vertices are allowed. We also prove that, for every positive integer $h$, every $n$-vertex convex geometric graph that is universal for $n$-vertex outerplanar graphs has a near-quadratic number of edges, namely $Ω_h(n^{2-1/h})$; this almost matches the trivial $O(n^2)$ upper bound given by the $n$-vertex complete convex geometric graph. Finally, we prove that there exists an $n$-vertex convex geometric graph with $n$ vertices and $O(n \log n)$ edges that is universal for $n$-vertex caterpillars.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Monotone Arc Diagrams with few Biarcs

We show that every planar graph can be represented by a monotone topological 2-page book embedding where at most 15n/16 (of potentially 3n-6) edges cross the spine exactly once.

cs.CG↗

arXiv2019

Two-Planar Graphs Are Quasiplanar

It is shown that every 2-planar graph is quasiplanar, that is, if a simple graph admits a drawing in the plane such that every edge is crossed at most twice, then it also admits a drawing in which no three edges pairwise cross. We further show that quasiplanarity is witnessed by a simple topological drawing, that is, any two edges cross at most once and adjacent edges do not cross.

cs.CG↗

arXiv2019

Simple $k$-Planar Graphs are Simple $(k+1)$-Quasiplanar

A simple topological graph is $k$-quasiplanar ($k\geq 2$) if it contains no $k$ pairwise crossing edges, and $k$-planar if no edge is crossed more than $k$ times. In this paper, we explore the relationship between $k$-planarity and $k$-quasiplanarity to show that, for $k \geq 2$, every $k$-planar simple topological graph can be transformed into a $(k+1)$-quasiplanar simple topological graph.

cs.CG↗

arXiv2019

The QuaSEFE Problem

We initiate the study of Simultaneous Graph Embedding with Fixed Edges in the beyond planarity framework. In the QuaSEFE problem, we allow edge crossings, as long as each graph individually is drawn quasiplanar, that is, no three edges pairwise cross. We show that a triple consisting of two planar graphs and a tree admit a QuaSEFE. This result also implies that a pair consisting of a 1-planar graph and a planar graph admits a QuaSEFE. We show several other positive results for triples of planar graphs, in which certain structural properties for their common subgraphs are fulfilled. For the case in which simplicity is also required, we give a triple consisting of two quasiplanar graphs and a star that does not admit a QuaSEFE. Moreover, in contrast to the planar SEFE problem, we show that it is not always possible to obtain a QuaSEFE for two matchings if the quasiplanar drawing of one matching is fixed.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2019

On detecting changes in the jumps of arbitrary size of a time-continuous stochastic process

This paper introduces test and estimation procedures for abrupt and gradual changes in the entire jump behaviour of a discretely observed Ito semimartingale. In contrast to existing work we analyse jumps of arbitrary size which are not restricted to a minimum height. Our methods are based on weak convergence of a truncated sequential empirical distribution function of the jump characteristic of the underlying Ito semimartingale. Critical values for the new tests are obtained by a multiplier bootstrap approach and we investigate the performance of the tests also under local alternatives. An extensive simulation study shows the finite-sample properties of the new procedures.

math.ST↗

arXiv2017

Ferroelectric Negative Capacitance Domain Dynamics

Transient negative capacitance effects in epitaxial ferroelectric Pb(Zr$_{0.2}$Ti$_{0.8}$)O$_3$ capacitors are investigated with a focus on the dynamical switching behavior governed by domain nucleation and growth. Voltage pulses are applied to a series connection of the ferroelectric capacitor and a resistor to directly measure the ferroelectric negative capacitance during switching. A time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau approach is used to investigate the underlying domain dynamics. The transient negative capacitance is shown to originate from reverse domain nucleation and unrestricted domain growth. However, with the onset of domain coalescence, the capacitance becomes positive again. The persistence of the negative capacitance state is therefore limited by the speed of domain wall motion. By changing the applied electric field, capacitor area or external resistance, this domain wall velocity can be varied predictably over several orders of magnitude. Additionally, detailed insights into the intrinsic material properties of the ferroelectric are obtainable through these measurements. A new method for reliable extraction of the average negative capacitance of the ferroelectric is presented. Furthermore, a simple analytical model is developed, which accurately describes the negative capacitance transient time as a function of the material properties and the experimental boundary conditions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Using Multi-Label Classification for Improved Question Answering

A plethora of diverse approaches for question answering over RDF data have been developed in recent years. While the accuracy of these systems has increased significantly over time, most systems still focus on particular types of questions or particular challenges in question answering. What is a curse for single systems is a blessing for the combination of these systems. We show in this paper how machine learning techniques can be applied to create a more accurate question answering metasystem by reusing existing systems. In particular, we develop a multi-label classification-based metasystem for question answering over 6 existing systems using an innovative set of 14 question features. The metasystem outperforms the best single system by 14% F-measure on the recent QALD-6 benchmark. Furthermore, we analyzed the influence and correlation of the underlying features on the metasystem quality.

cs.IR↗

arXiv2017

Netrunner Mate-in-1 or -2 is Weakly NP-Hard

We prove that deciding whether the Runner can win this turn (mate-in-1) in the Netrunner card game generalized to allow decks to contain an arbitrary number of copies of a card is weakly NP-hard. We also prove that deciding whether the Corp can win within two turns (mate-in-2) in this generalized Netrunner is weakly NP-hard.

cs.CC↗