On Min-Cost Multiflow Problem in Node-Capacitated Undirected Networks

TL;DR

This paper studies a node-capacitated multiflow problem in undirected networks, proving the existence of half-integer optimal solutions and providing a strongly polynomial algorithm for their computation.

Contribution

It extends multiflow theory to node capacities, showing half-integer optimal solutions and introducing an efficient algorithm for the problem.

Findings

Existence of half-integer optimal primal and dual solutions.

Development of a strongly polynomial algorithm.

Generalization of known edge-capacitated multiflow results.

Abstract

We consider an undirected graph $G = (VG, EG)$ with a set $T \subseteq VG$ of terminals, and with nonnegative integer capacities $c(v)$ and costs $a(v)$ of nodes $v\in VG$. A path in $G$ is a \emph{$T$-path} if its ends are distinct terminals. By a \emph{multiflow} we mean a function $F$ assigning to each $T$-path $P$ a nonnegative rational \emph{weight} $F(P)$, and a multiflow is called \emph{feasible} if the sum of weights of $T$-paths through each node $v$ does not exceed $c(v)$. The \emph{value} of $F$ is the sum of weights $F(P)$, and the \emph{cost} of $F$ is the sum of $F(P)$ times the cost of $P$ w.r.t. $a$, over all $T$-paths $P$. Generalizing known results on edge-capacitated multiflows, we show that the problem of finding a minimum cost multiflow among the feasible multiflows of maximum possible value admits \emph{half-integer} optimal primal and dual solutions. Moreover, we devise a strongly polynomial algorithm for finding such optimal solutions.