Title: A Theory of Alternating Paths and Blossoms, from the Perspective of Minimum Length - Part 2
| Speaker: | Vijay Vazirani |
| Affiliation: | University of California, Irvine |
| Location: | MC 5479 |
Abstract: It is well known that the proof of some prominent results in mathematics took a very long time --- decades and even centuries. The first proof of the Micali-Vazirani (MV) algorithm, for finding a maximum cardinality matching in general graphs, was recently completed --- over four decades after the publication of the algorithm (1980). MV is still the most efficient known algorithm for the problem. In contrast, spectacular progress in the field of combinatorial optimization has led to improved running times for most other fundamental problems in the last three decades, including bipartite matching and max-flow.
The new ideas contained in the MV algorithm and its proof remain largely unknown, and hence unexplored, for use elsewhere.
The purpose of this two-talk-sequence is to rectify that shortcoming.
I will attempt to provide an in-depth understanding of the footholds mentioned in the first talk. This is encapsulated in an elaborate, new theory of alternating paths and blossoms, from the perspective of minimum length paths. I will also use these insights to provide an in-depth understanding of the algorithm.
These talks are based on this paper<https://www.ics.uci.edu/~vazirani/Matching_paper.pdf>.