Combinatorial Maximum Flow via Weighted Push-Relabel on Shortcut Graphs

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Bernstein, Aaron, Blikstad, Joakim, Li, Jason, Saranurak, Thatchaphol, Tu, Ta-Wei
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Bernstein, Aaron
Blikstad, Joakim
Li, Jason
Saranurak, Thatchaphol
Tu, Ta-Wei
author_facet Bernstein, Aaron
Blikstad, Joakim
Li, Jason
Saranurak, Thatchaphol
Tu, Ta-Wei
contents We give a combinatorial algorithm for computing exact maximum flows in directed graphs with $n$ vertices and edge capacities from $\{1,\dots,U\}$ in $\tilde{O}(n^{2}\log U)$ time, which is near-optimal on dense graphs. This shaves an $n^{o(1)}$ factor from the recent result of [Bernstein-Blikstad-Saranurak-Tu FOCS'24] and, more importantly, greatly simplifies their algorithm. We believe that ours is by a significant margin the simplest of all algorithms that go beyond $\tilde{O}(m\sqrt{n})$ time in general graphs. To highlight this relative simplicity, we provide a full implementation of the algorithm in C++. The only randomized component of our work is the cut-matching game. Via existing tools, we show how to derandomize it for vertex-capacitated max flow and obtain a deterministic $\tilde{O}(n^2)$ time algorithm. This marks the first deterministic near-linear time algorithm for this problem (or even for the special case of bipartite matching) in any density regime.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_17182
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Combinatorial Maximum Flow via Weighted Push-Relabel on Shortcut Graphs
Bernstein, Aaron
Blikstad, Joakim
Li, Jason
Saranurak, Thatchaphol
Tu, Ta-Wei
Data Structures and Algorithms
We give a combinatorial algorithm for computing exact maximum flows in directed graphs with $n$ vertices and edge capacities from $\{1,\dots,U\}$ in $\tilde{O}(n^{2}\log U)$ time, which is near-optimal on dense graphs. This shaves an $n^{o(1)}$ factor from the recent result of [Bernstein-Blikstad-Saranurak-Tu FOCS'24] and, more importantly, greatly simplifies their algorithm. We believe that ours is by a significant margin the simplest of all algorithms that go beyond $\tilde{O}(m\sqrt{n})$ time in general graphs. To highlight this relative simplicity, we provide a full implementation of the algorithm in C++. The only randomized component of our work is the cut-matching game. Via existing tools, we show how to derandomize it for vertex-capacitated max flow and obtain a deterministic $\tilde{O}(n^2)$ time algorithm. This marks the first deterministic near-linear time algorithm for this problem (or even for the special case of bipartite matching) in any density regime.
title Combinatorial Maximum Flow via Weighted Push-Relabel on Shortcut Graphs
topic Data Structures and Algorithms
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.17182