Improved Parameterized Algorithms for above Average Constraint Satisfaction

Abstract

For many constraint satisfaction problems, the algorithm which chooses a random assignment achieves the best possible approximation ratio. For instance, a simple random assignment for Max-E3-Sat allows 7/8-approximation and for every ε > 0 there is no polynomial-time (7/8 + ε)-approximation unless P=NP. Another example is the Permutation CSP of bounded arity. Given the expected fraction ρ of the constraints satisfied by a random assignment (i.e. permutation), there is no (ρ + ε)-approximation algorithm for every ε > 0, assuming the Unique Games Conjecture (UGC).

In this work, we consider the following parameterization of constraint satisfaction problems. Given a set of m constraints of constant arity, can we satisfy at least ρm + k constraint, where ρ is the expected fraction of constraints satisfied by a random assignment? Constraint Satisfaction Problems above Average have been posed in different forms in the literature [18,17]. We present a faster parameterized algorithm for deciding whether m/2 + k/2 equations can be simultaneously satisfied over ${\mathbb F}_2$. As a consequence, we obtain O(k)-variable bikernels for boolean CSPs of arity c for every fixed c, and for permutation CSPs of arity 3. This implies linear bikernels for many problems under the “above average” parameterization, such as Max-c-Sat, Set-Splitting, Betweenness and Max Acyclic Subgraph. As a result, all the parameterized problems we consider in this paper admit 2^O(k)-time algorithms.

We also obtain non-trivial hybrid algorithms for every Max c-CSP: for every instance I, we can either approximate I beyond the random assignment threshold in polynomial time, or we can find an optimal solution to I in subexponential time.