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Main Authors: Garg, Sumegha, He, Songhua, Papakonstantinou, Periklis A.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.23104
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author Garg, Sumegha
He, Songhua
Papakonstantinou, Periklis A.
author_facet Garg, Sumegha
He, Songhua
Papakonstantinou, Periklis A.
contents This work initiates the study of memory-query tradeoffs for graph problems, with a focus on correlation clustering. Correlation clustering asks for a partition of the vertices that minimizes disagreements: non-edges inside clusters plus edges across clusters. Our first result is a tight query lower bound: to output a partition whose cost approximates the optimum up to an additive error of $\varepsilon n^2$, any algorithm requires $Ω(n/\varepsilon^2)$ adjacency-matrix queries. Under memory constraints, we show that even for the seemingly easier task of approximating the optimal clustering cost (without producing a partition), any algorithm in the random query model must make $\gg n/\varepsilon^2$ adjacency-matrix queries. Finally, we prove the first general graph model query lower bound for correlation clustering, where algorithms are allowed adjacency-matrix, neighbor, and degree queries. The latter two bounds are not yet tight, leaving room for sharper results.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_23104
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Query Lower Bounds for Correlation Clustering under Memory Constraints
Garg, Sumegha
He, Songhua
Papakonstantinou, Periklis A.
Computational Complexity
This work initiates the study of memory-query tradeoffs for graph problems, with a focus on correlation clustering. Correlation clustering asks for a partition of the vertices that minimizes disagreements: non-edges inside clusters plus edges across clusters. Our first result is a tight query lower bound: to output a partition whose cost approximates the optimum up to an additive error of $\varepsilon n^2$, any algorithm requires $Ω(n/\varepsilon^2)$ adjacency-matrix queries. Under memory constraints, we show that even for the seemingly easier task of approximating the optimal clustering cost (without producing a partition), any algorithm in the random query model must make $\gg n/\varepsilon^2$ adjacency-matrix queries. Finally, we prove the first general graph model query lower bound for correlation clustering, where algorithms are allowed adjacency-matrix, neighbor, and degree queries. The latter two bounds are not yet tight, leaving room for sharper results.
title Query Lower Bounds for Correlation Clustering under Memory Constraints
topic Computational Complexity
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.23104