Circuit Diameter of Polyhedra is Strongly Polynomial
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866910018440265728 |
|---|---|
| author | Natura, Bento |
| author_facet | Natura, Bento |
| contents | We prove a strongly polynomial bound on the circuit diameter of polyhedra, resolving the circuit analogue of the polynomial Hirsch conjecture. Specifically, we show that the circuit diameter of a polyhedron $P = \{x\in \mathbb{R}^n:\, A x = b, \, x \ge 0\}$ with $A\in\mathbb{R}^{m\times n}$ is $O(m^2 \log m)$. Our construction yields monotone circuit walks, giving the same bound for the monotone circuit diameter.
The circuit diameter, introduced by Borgwardt, Finhold, and Hemmecke (SIDMA 2015), is a natural relaxation of the combinatorial diameter that allows steps along circuit directions rather than only along edges. All prior upper bounds on the circuit diameter were only weakly polynomial. Finding a circuit augmentation algorithm that matches this bound would yield a strongly polynomial time algorithm for linear programming, resolving Smale's 9th problem. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_06958 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Circuit Diameter of Polyhedra is Strongly Polynomial Natura, Bento Optimization and Control Data Structures and Algorithms We prove a strongly polynomial bound on the circuit diameter of polyhedra, resolving the circuit analogue of the polynomial Hirsch conjecture. Specifically, we show that the circuit diameter of a polyhedron $P = \{x\in \mathbb{R}^n:\, A x = b, \, x \ge 0\}$ with $A\in\mathbb{R}^{m\times n}$ is $O(m^2 \log m)$. Our construction yields monotone circuit walks, giving the same bound for the monotone circuit diameter. The circuit diameter, introduced by Borgwardt, Finhold, and Hemmecke (SIDMA 2015), is a natural relaxation of the combinatorial diameter that allows steps along circuit directions rather than only along edges. All prior upper bounds on the circuit diameter were only weakly polynomial. Finding a circuit augmentation algorithm that matches this bound would yield a strongly polynomial time algorithm for linear programming, resolving Smale's 9th problem. |
| title | Circuit Diameter of Polyhedra is Strongly Polynomial |
| topic | Optimization and Control Data Structures and Algorithms |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.06958 |