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Inapproximability of Hypergraph Vertex Cover and Applications to Scheduling Problems

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Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP 2010)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 6198))

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Abstract

Assuming the Unique Games Conjecture (UGC), we show optimal inapproximability results for two classic scheduling problems. We obtain a hardness of 2 − ε for the problem of minimizing the total weighted completion time in concurrent open shops. We also obtain a hardness of 2 − ε for minimizing the makespan in the assembly line problem.

These results follow from a new inapproximability result for the Vertex Cover problem on k-uniform hypergraphs that is stronger and simpler than previous results. We show that assuming the UGC, for every k ≥ 2, the problem is inapproximable within k − ε even when the hypergraph is almost k -partite.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, New York, Yorktown Heights

    Nikhil Bansal

  2. Computer Science Dept., New York University, New York

    Subhash Khot

Authors
  1. Nikhil Bansal
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  2. Subhash Khot
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford University Computing Laboratory, Wolfson Building, Parks Road, OX1 3QD, Oxford, UK

    Samson Abramsky

  2. Université de Bordeaux (LaBRI) & INRIA, 351, cours de la Libération, 33405, Talence Cedex, France

    Cyril Gavoille

  3. INRIA, Centre de Recherche Bordeaux – Sud-Ouest, 351 cours de la Libération, 33405, Talence Cedex, France

    Claude Kirchner

  4. Heinz Nixdorf Institute, University of Paderborn, Fürstenallee 11, 33102, Paderborn, Germany

    Friedhelm Meyer auf der Heide

  5. University of Patras and RACTI, 26500, Patras, Greece

    Paul G. Spirakis

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Bansal, N., Khot, S. (2010). Inapproximability of Hypergraph Vertex Cover and Applications to Scheduling Problems. In: Abramsky, S., Gavoille, C., Kirchner, C., Meyer auf der Heide, F., Spirakis, P.G. (eds) Automata, Languages and Programming. ICALP 2010. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6198. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14165-2_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14165-2_22

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-14164-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-14165-2

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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