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Sebastian Brandt

Publications and source records attributed to Sebastian Brandt.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Distributed Maximal Matching and Maximal Independent Set on Hypergraphs

We investigate the distributed complexity of maximal matching and maximal independent set (MIS) in hypergraphs in the LOCAL model. A maximal matching of a hypergraph $H=(V_H,E_H)$ is a maximal disjoint set $M\subseteq E_H$ of hyperedges and an MIS $S\subseteq V_H$ is a maximal set of nodes such that no hyperedge is fully contained in $S$. Both problems can be solved by a simple sequential greedy algorithm, which can be implemented naively in $O(Δr + \log^* n)$ rounds, where $Δ$ is the maximum degree, $r$ is the rank, and $n$ is the number of nodes. We show that for maximal matching, this naive algorithm is optimal in the following sense. Any deterministic algorithm for solving the problem requires $Ω(\min\{Δr, \log_{Δr} n\})$ rounds, and any randomized one requires $Ω(\min\{Δr, \log_{Δr} \log n\})$ rounds. Hence, for any algorithm with a complexity of the form $O(f(Δ, r) + g(n))$, we have $f(Δ, r) \in Ω(Δr)$ if $g(n)$ is not too large, and in particular if $g(n) = \log^* n$ (which is the optimal asymptotic dependency on $n$ due to Linial's lower bound [FOCS'87]). Our lower bound proof is based on the round elimination framework, and its structure is inspired by a new round elimination fixed point that we give for the $Δ$-vertex coloring problem in hypergraphs. For the MIS problem on hypergraphs, we show that for $Δ\ll r$, there are significant improvements over the naive $O(Δr + \log^* n)$-round algorithm. We give two deterministic algorithms for the problem. We show that a hypergraph MIS can be computed in $O(Δ^2\cdot\log r + Δ\cdot\log r\cdot \log^* r + \log^* n)$ rounds. We further show that at the cost of a worse dependency on $Δ$, the dependency on $r$ can be removed almost entirely, by giving an algorithm with complexity $Δ^{O(Δ)}\cdot\log^* r + O(\log^* n)$.

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arXiv2022

The Landscape of Distributed Complexities on Trees and Beyond

We study the local complexity landscape of locally checkable labeling (LCL) problems on constant-degree graphs with a focus on complexities below $\log^* n$. Our contribution is threefold: Our main contribution is that we complete the classification of the complexity landscape of LCL problems on trees in the LOCAL model, by proving that every LCL problem with local complexity $o(\log^* n)$ has actually complexity $O(1)$. This result improves upon the previous speedup result from $o(\log \log^* n)$ to $O(1)$ by [Chang, Pettie, FOCS 2017]. In the related LCA and Volume models [Alon, Rubinfeld, Vardi, Xie, SODA 2012, Rubinfeld, Tamir, Vardi, Xie, 2011, Rosenbaum, Suomela, PODC 2020], we prove the same speedup from $o(\log^* n)$ to $O(1)$ for all bounded degree graphs. Similarly, we complete the classification of the LOCAL complexity landscape of oriented $d$-dimensional grids by proving that any LCL problem with local complexity $o(\log^* n)$ has actually complexity $O(1)$. This improves upon the previous speed-up from $o(\sqrt[d]{\log^* n})$ by Suomela in [Chang, Pettie, FOCS 2017].

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arXiv2022

Locally Checkable Problems in Rooted Trees

Consider any locally checkable labeling problem $Π$ in rooted regular trees: there is a finite set of labels $Σ$, and for each label $x \in Σ$ we specify what are permitted label combinations of the children for an internal node of label $x$ (the leaf nodes are unconstrained). This formalism is expressive enough to capture many classic problems studied in distributed computing, including vertex coloring, edge coloring, and maximal independent set. We show that the distributed computational complexity of any such problem $Π$ falls in one of the following classes: it is $O(1)$, $Θ(\log^* n)$, $Θ(\log n)$, or $n^{Θ(1)}$ rounds in trees with $n$ nodes (and all of these classes are nonempty). We show that the complexity of any given problem is the same in all four standard models of distributed graph algorithms: deterministic $\mathsf{LOCAL}$, randomized $\mathsf{LOCAL}$, deterministic $\mathsf{CONGEST}$, and randomized $\mathsf{CONGEST}$ model. In particular, we show that randomness does not help in this setting, and the complexity class $Θ(\log \log n)$ does not exist (while it does exist in the broader setting of general trees). We also show how to systematically determine the complexity class of any such problem $Π$, i.e., whether $Π$ takes $O(1)$, $Θ(\log^* n)$, $Θ(\log n)$, or $n^{Θ(1)}$ rounds. While the algorithm may take exponential time in the size of the description of $Π$, it is nevertheless practical: we provide a freely available implementation of the classifier algorithm, and it is fast enough to classify many problems of interest.

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arXiv2022

Efficient Classification of Locally Checkable Problems in Regular Trees

We give practical, efficient algorithms that automatically determine the asymptotic distributed round complexity of a given locally checkable graph problem in the $[Θ(\log n), Θ(n)]$ region, in two settings. We present one algorithm for unrooted regular trees and another algorithm for rooted regular trees. The algorithms take the description of a locally checkable labeling problem as input, and the running time is polynomial in the size of the problem description. The algorithms decide if the problem is solvable in $O(\log n)$ rounds. If not, it is known that the complexity has to be $Θ(n^{1/k})$ for some $k = 1, 2, \dotsc$, and in this case the algorithms also output the right value of the exponent $k$. In rooted trees in the $O(\log n)$ case we can then further determine the exact complexity class by using algorithms from prior work; for unrooted trees the more fine-grained classification in the $O(\log n)$ region remains an open question.

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arXiv2022

Exponential Speedup Over Locality in MPC with Optimal Memory

Locally Checkable Labeling (LCL) problems are graph problems in which a solution is correct if it satisfies some given constraints in the local neighborhood of each node. Example problems in this class include maximal matching, maximal independent set, and coloring problems. A successful line of research has been studying the complexities of LCL problems on paths/cycles, trees, and general graphs, providing many interesting results for the LOCAL model of distributed computing. In this work, we initiate the study of LCL problems in the low-space Massively Parallel Computation (MPC) model. In particular, on forests, we provide a method that, given the complexity of an LCL problem in the LOCAL model, automatically provides an exponentially faster algorithm for the low-space MPC setting that uses optimal global memory, that is, truly linear. While restricting to forests may seem to weaken the result, we emphasize that all known (conditional) lower bounds for the MPC setting are obtained by lifting lower bounds obtained in the distributed setting in tree-like networks (either forests or high girth graphs), and hence the problems that we study are challenging already on forests. Moreover, the most important technical feature of our algorithms is that they use optimal global memory, that is, memory linear in the number of edges of the graph. In contrast, most of the state-of-the-art algorithms use more than linear global memory. Further, they typically start with a dense graph, sparsify it, and then solve the problem on the residual graph, exploiting the relative increase in global memory. On forests, this is not possible, because the given graph is already as sparse as it can be, and using optimal memory requires new solutions.

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arXiv2022

Distributed Lower Bounds for Ruling Sets

Given a graph $G = (V,E)$, an $(α, β)$-ruling set is a subset $S \subseteq V$ such that the distance between any two vertices in $S$ is at least $α$, and the distance between any vertex in $V$ and the closest vertex in $S$ is at most $β$. We present lower bounds for distributedly computing ruling sets. More precisely, for the problem of computing a $(2, β)$-ruling set in the LOCAL model, we show the following, where $n$ denotes the number of vertices, $Δ$ the maximum degree, and $c$ is some universal constant independent of $n$ and $Δ$. $\bullet$ Any deterministic algorithm requires $Ω\left(\min \left\{ \frac{\log Δ}{β\log \log Δ} , \log_Δn \right\} \right)$ rounds, for all $β\le c \cdot \min\left\{ \sqrt{\frac{\log Δ}{\log \log Δ}} , \log_Δn \right\}$. By optimizing $Δ$, this implies a deterministic lower bound of $Ω\left(\sqrt{\frac{\log n}{β\log \log n}}\right)$ for all $β\le c \sqrt[3]{\frac{\log n}{\log \log n}}$. $\bullet$ Any randomized algorithm requires $Ω\left(\min \left\{ \frac{\log Δ}{β\log \log Δ} , \log_Δ\log n \right\} \right)$ rounds, for all $β\le c \cdot \min\left\{ \sqrt{\frac{\log Δ}{\log \log Δ}} , \log_Δ\log n \right\}$. By optimizing $Δ$, this implies a randomized lower bound of $Ω\left(\sqrt{\frac{\log \log n}{β\log \log \log n}}\right)$ for all $β\le c \sqrt[3]{\frac{\log \log n}{\log \log \log n}}$. For $β> 1$, this improves on the previously best lower bound of $Ω(\log^* n)$ rounds that follows from the 30-year-old bounds of Linial [FOCS'87] and Naor [J.Disc.Math.'91]. For $β= 1$, i.e., for the problem of computing a maximal independent set, our results improve on the previously best lower bound of $Ω(\log^* n)$ on trees, as our bounds already hold on trees.

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arXiv2022

Distributed $Δ$-Coloring Plays Hide-and-Seek

We prove several new tight distributed lower bounds for classic symmetry breaking graph problems. As a basic tool, we first provide a new insightful proof that any deterministic distributed algorithm that computes a $Δ$-coloring on $Δ$-regular trees requires $Ω(\log_Δn)$ rounds and any randomized algorithm requires $Ω(\log_Δ\log n)$ rounds. We prove this result by showing that a natural relaxation of the $Δ$-coloring problem is a fixed point in the round elimination framework. As a first application, we show that our $Δ$-coloring lower bound proof directly extends to arbdefective colorings. We exactly characterize which variants of the arbdefective coloring problem are "easy", and which of them instead are "hard". As a second application, which we see as our main contribution, we use the structure of the fixed point as a building block to prove lower bounds as a function of $Δ$ for a large class of distributed symmetry breaking problems. For example, we obtain a tight lower bound for the fundamental problem of computing a $(2,β)$-ruling set. This is an exponential improvement over the best existing lower bound for the problem, which was proven in [FOCS '20]. Our lower bound even applies to a much more general family of problems that allows for almost arbitrary combinations of natural constraints from coloring problems, orientation problems, and independent set problems, and provides a single unified proof for known and new lower bound results for these types of problems. Our lower bounds as a function of $Δ$ also imply lower bounds as a function of $n$. We obtain, for example, that maximal independent set, on trees, requires $Ω(\log n / \log \log n)$ rounds for deterministic algorithms, which is tight.

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arXiv2022

Distributed Edge Coloring in Time Polylogarithmic in $Δ$

We provide new deterministic algorithms for the edge coloring problem, which is one of the classic and highly studied distributed local symmetry breaking problems. As our main result, we show that a $(2Δ-1)$-edge coloring can be computed in time $\mathrm{poly}\logΔ+ O(\log^* n)$ in the LOCAL model. This improves a result of Balliu, Kuhn, and Olivetti [PODC '20], who gave an algorithm with a quasi-polylogarithmic dependency on $Δ$. We further show that in the CONGEST model, an $(8+\varepsilon)Δ$-edge coloring can be computed in $\mathrm{poly}\logΔ+ O(\log^* n)$ rounds. The best previous $O(Δ)$-edge coloring algorithm that can be implemented in the CONGEST model is by Barenboim and Elkin [PODC '11] and it computes a $2^{O(1/\varepsilon)}Δ$-edge coloring in time $O(Δ^\varepsilon + \log^* n)$ for any $\varepsilon\in(0,1]$.

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arXiv2022

Towards a Complexity Classification of LCL Problems in Massively Parallel Computation

In this work, we develop the low-space Massively Parallel Computation (MPC) complexity landscape for a family of fundamental graph problems on trees. We present a general method that solves most locally checkable labeling (LCL) problems exponentially faster in the low-space MPC model than in the LOCAL message passing model. In particular, we show that all solvable LCL problems on trees can be solved in $O(\log n)$ time (high-complexity regime) and that all LCL problems on trees with deterministic complexity $n^{o(1)}$ in the LOCAL model can be solved in $O(\log \log n)$ time (mid-complexity regime). We observe that obtaining a greater speed-up than from $n^{o(1)}$ to $Θ(\log \log n)$ is conditionally impossible, since the problem of 3-coloring trees, which is a LCL problem with LOCAL time complexity $n^{o(1)}$, has a conditional MPC lower bound of $Ω(\log \log n)$ [Linial, FOCS'87; Ghaffari, Kuhn and Uitto, FOCS'19]. We emphasize that we solve LCL problems on constant-degree trees, and that our algorithms are deterministic, component-stable, and work in the low-space MPC model, where local memory is $O(n^δ)$ for $δ\in (0,1)$ and global memory is $O(m)$. For the high-complexity regime, there are two key ingredients. One is a novel $O(\log n)$-time tree rooting algorithm, which may be of independent interest. The other is a novel pointer-chain technique and analysis that allows us to solve any solvable LCL problem on trees in $O(\log n)$ time. For the mid-complexity regime, we adapt the approach by Chang and Pettie [FOCS'17], who gave a canonical LOCAL algorithm for solving LCL problems on trees.

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arXiv2021

Lower bounds for maximal matchings and maximal independent sets

There are distributed graph algorithms for finding maximal matchings and maximal independent sets in $O(Δ+ \log^* n)$ communication rounds; here $n$ is the number of nodes and $Δ$ is the maximum degree. The lower bound by Linial (1987, 1992) shows that the dependency on $n$ is optimal: these problems cannot be solved in $o(\log^* n)$ rounds even if $Δ= 2$. However, the dependency on $Δ$ is a long-standing open question, and there is currently an exponential gap between the upper and lower bounds. We prove that the upper bounds are tight. We show that any algorithm that finds a maximal matching or maximal independent set with probability at least $1-1/n$ requires $Ω(\min\{Δ,\log \log n / \log \log \log n\})$ rounds in the LOCAL model of distributed computing. As a corollary, it follows that any deterministic algorithm that finds a maximal matching or maximal independent set requires $Ω(\min\{Δ, \log n / \log \log n\})$ rounds; this is an improvement over prior lower bounds also as a function of $n$.

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arXiv2021

The randomized local computation complexity of the Lovász local lemma

The Local Computation Algorithm (LCA) model is a popular model in the field of sublinear-time algorithms that measures the complexity of an algorithm by the number of probes the algorithm makes in the neighborhood of one node to determine that node's output. In this paper we show that the randomized LCA complexity of the Lovász Local Lemma (LLL) on constant degree graphs is $Θ(\log n)$. The lower bound follows by proving an $Ω(\log n)$ lower bound for the Sinkless Orientation problem introduced in [Brandt et al. STOC 2016]. This answers a question of [Rosenbaum, Suomela PODC 2020]. Additionally, we show that every randomized LCA algorithm for a locally checkable problem with a probe complexity of $o(\sqrt{\log{n}})$ can be turned into a deterministic LCA algorithm with a probe complexity of $O(\log^* n)$. This improves exponentially upon the currently best known speed-up result from $o(\log \log n)$ to $O(\log^* n)$ implied by the result of [Chang, Pettie FOCS 2017] in the LOCAL model. Finally, we show that for every fixed constant $c \geq 2$, the deterministic VOLUME complexity of $c$-coloring a bounded degree tree is $Θ(n)$, where the VOLUME model is a close relative of the LCA model that was recently introduced by [Rosenbaum, Suomela PODC 2020].

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arXiv2021

Improved Distributed Lower Bounds for MIS and Bounded (Out-)Degree Dominating Sets in Trees

Recently, Balliu, Brandt, and Olivetti [FOCS '20] showed the first $ω(\log^* n)$ lower bound for the maximal independent set (MIS) problem in trees. In this work we prove lower bounds for a much more relaxed family of distributed symmetry breaking problems. As a by-product, we obtain improved lower bounds for the distributed MIS problem in trees. For a parameter $k$ and an orientation of the edges of a graph $G$, we say that a subset $S$ of the nodes of $G$ is a $k$-outdegree dominating set if $S$ is a dominating set of $G$ and if in the induced subgraph $G[S]$, every node in $S$ has outdegree at most $k$. Note that for $k=0$, this definition coincides with the definition of an MIS. For a given $k$, we consider the problem of computing a $k$-outdegree dominating set. We show that, even in regular trees of degree at most $Δ$, in the standard \LOCAL model, there exists a constant $ε>0$ such that for $k\leq Δ^ε$, for the problem of computing a $k$-outdegree dominating set, any randomized algorithm requires at least $Ω(\min\{\logΔ,\sqrt{\log\log n}\})$ rounds and any deterministic algorithm requires at least $Ω(\min\{\logΔ,\sqrt{\log n}\})$ rounds. The proof of our lower bounds is based on the recently highly successful round elimination technique. We provide a novel way to do simplifications for round elimination, which we expect to be of independent interest. Our new proof is considerably simpler than the lower bound proof in [FOCS '20]. In particular, our round elimination proof uses a family of problems that can be described by only a constant number of labels. The existence of such a proof for the MIS problem was believed impossible by the authors of [FOCS '20].

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arXiv2021

Local Problems on Trees from the Perspectives of Distributed Algorithms, Finitary Factors, and Descriptive Combinatorics

We study connections between distributed local algorithms, finitary factors of iid processes, and descriptive combinatorics in the context of regular trees. We extend the Borel determinacy technique of Marks coming from descriptive combinatorics and adapt it to the area of distributed computing. Using this technique, we prove deterministic distributed $Ω(\log n)$-round lower bounds for problems from a natural class of homomorphism problems. Interestingly, these lower bounds seem beyond the current reach of the powerful round elimination technique responsible for all substantial locality lower bounds of the last years. Our key technical ingredient is a novel ID graph technique that we expect to be of independent interest. We prove that a local problem admits a Baire measurable coloring if and only if it admits a local algorithm with local complexity $O(\log n)$, extending the classification of Baire measurable colorings of Bernshteyn. A key ingredient of the proof is a new and simple characterization of local problems that can be solved in $O(\log n)$ rounds. We complement this result by showing separations between complexity classes from distributed computing, finitary factors, and descriptive combinatorics. Most notably, the class of problems that allow a distributed algorithm with sublogarithmic randomized local complexity is incomparable with the class of problems with a Borel solution. We hope that our treatment will help to view all three perspectives as part of a common theory of locality, in which we follow the insightful paper of [Bernshteyn -- arXiv 2004.04905].

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arXiv2021

Efficient Load-Balancing through Distributed Token Dropping

We introduce a new graph problem, the token dropping game, and we show how to solve it efficiently in a distributed setting. We use the token dropping game as a tool to design an efficient distributed algorithm for stable orientations and more generally for locally optimal semi-matchings. The prior work by Czygrinow et al. (DISC 2012) finds a stable orientation in $O(Δ^5)$ rounds in graphs of maximum degree $Δ$, while we improve it to $O(Δ^4)$ and also prove a lower bound of $Ω(Δ)$.

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arXiv2020

Generalizing the Sharp Threshold Phenomenon for the Distributed Complexity of the Lovász Local Lemma

Recently, Brandt, Maus and Uitto [PODC'19] showed that, in a restricted setting, the dependency of the complexity of the distributed Lovász Local Lemma (LLL) on the chosen LLL criterion exhibits a sharp threshold phenomenon: They proved that, under the LLL criterion $p2^d < 1$, if each random variable affects at most $3$ events, the deterministic complexity of the LLL in the LOCAL model is $O(d^2 + \log^* n)$. In stark contrast, under the criterion $p2^d \leq 1$, there is a randomized lower bound of $Ω(\log \log n)$ by Brandt et al. [STOC'16] and a deterministic lower bound of $Ω(\log n)$ by Chang, Kopelowitz and Pettie [FOCS'16]. Brandt, Maus and Uitto conjectured that the same behavior holds for the unrestricted setting where each random variable affects arbitrarily many events. We prove their conjecture, by providing an algorithm that solves the LLL in time $O(d^2 + \log^* n)$ under the LLL criterion $p2^d < 1$, which is tight in bounded-degree graphs due to an $Ω(\log^* n)$ lower bound by Chung, Pettie and Su [PODC'14]. By the work of Brandt, Maus and Uitto, obtaining such an algorithm can be reduced to proving that all members in a certain family of functions in arbitrarily high dimensions are convex on some specific domain. Unfortunately, an analytical description of these functions is known only for dimension at most $3$, which led to the aforementioned restriction of their result. While obtaining those descriptions for functions of (substantially) higher dimension seems out of the reach of current techniques, we show that their convexity can be inferred by combinatorial means.

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arXiv2020

Tight Bounds for Deterministic High-Dimensional Grid Exploration

We study the problem of exploring an oriented grid with autonomous agents governed by finite automata. In the case of a 2-dimensional grid, the question how many agents are required to explore the grid, or equivalently, find a hidden treasure in the grid, is fully understood in both the synchronous and the semi-synchronous setting. For higher dimensions, Dobrev, Narayanan, Opatrny, and Pankratov [ICALP'19] showed very recently that, surprisingly, a (small) constant number of agents suffices to find the treasure, independent of the number of dimensions, thereby disproving a conjecture by Cohen, Emek, Louidor, and Uitto [SODA'17]. Dobrev et al. left as an open question whether their bounds on the number of agents can be improved. We answer this question in the affirmative for deterministic finite automata: we show that 3 synchronous and 4 semi-synchronous agents suffice to explore an $n$-dimensional grid for any constant $n$. The bounds are optimal and notably, the matching lower bounds already hold in the 2-dimensional case. Our techniques can also be used to make progress on other open questions asked by Dobrev et al.: we prove that 4 synchronous and 5 semi-synchronous agents suffice for polynomial-time exploration, and we show that, under a natural assumption, 3 synchronous and 4 semi-synchronous agents suffice to explore unoriented grids of arbitrary dimension (which, again, is tight).

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arXiv2020

Online Graph Exploration on a Restricted Graph Class: Optimal Solutions for Tadpole Graphs

We study the problem of online graph exploration on undirected graphs, where a searcher has to visit every vertex and return to the origin. Once a new vertex is visited, the searcher learns of all neighboring vertices and the connecting edge weights. The goal such an exploration is to minimize its total cost, where each edge traversal incurs a cost of the corresponding edge weight. We investigate the problem on tadpole graphs (also known as dragons, kites), which consist of a cycle with an attached path. Miyazaki et al. (The online graph exploration problem on restricted graphs, IEICE Transactions 92-D (9), 2009) showed that every online algorithm on these graphs must have a competitive ratio of 2-epsilon, but did not provide upper bounds for non-unit edge weights. We show via amortized analysis that a greedy approach yields a matching competitive ratio of 2 on tadpole graphs, for arbitrary non-negative edge weights.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2020

Almost Global Problems in the LOCAL Model

The landscape of the distributed time complexity is nowadays well-understood for subpolynomial complexities. When we look at deterministic algorithms in the LOCAL model and locally checkable problems (LCLs) in bounded-degree graphs, the following picture emerges: - There are lots of problems with time complexities of $Θ(\log^* n)$ or $Θ(\log n)$. - It is not possible to have a problem with complexity between $ω(\log^* n)$ and $o(\log n)$. - In general graphs, we can construct LCL problems with infinitely many complexities between $ω(\log n)$ and $n^{o(1)}$. - In trees, problems with such complexities do not exist. However, the high end of the complexity spectrum was left open by prior work. In general graphs there are LCL problems with complexities of the form $Θ(n^α)$ for any rational $0 < α\le 1/2$, while for trees only complexities of the form $Θ(n^{1/k})$ are known. No LCL problem with complexity between $ω(\sqrt{n})$ and $o(n)$ is known, and neither are there results that would show that such problems do not exist. We show that: - In general graphs, we can construct LCL problems with infinitely many complexities between $ω(\sqrt{n})$ and $o(n)$. - In trees, problems with such complexities do not exist. Put otherwise, we show that any LCL with a complexity $o(n)$ can be solved in time $O(\sqrt{n})$ in trees, while the same is not true in general graphs.

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