A fast maximum flow algorithm

Abstract

In 2013, Orlin proved that the max flow problem could be solved in O(nm) time. His algorithm ran in O(nm + m1.94) time, which was the fastest for graphs with fewer than n1.06 arcs. If the graph was not sufficiently sparse, the fastest running time was an algorithm due to King, Rao, and Tarjan. We describe a new variant of the excess scaling algorithm for the max flow problem whose running time strictly dominates the running time of the algorithm by King et al. For graphs in which m = O(nlog n), the running time of our algorithm dominates that of King et al. by a factor of O(loglog n). Moreover, our algorithm achieves this improved performance without reliance on dynamic trees.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Nov 26, 2020
Source ID
10.1002/net.22001

Entities

People

  • James B. Orlin
  • Xiao‐yue Gong

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Office of Naval Research

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Aerodynamics.
  • Applied Combinatorial Optimization and Logic Circuit Design.
  • Mathematics or Statistics