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AnO(log*n) Approximation Algorithm for the Asymmetricp-Center Problem

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Abstract

The input to the asymmetricp-center problem consists of an integerpand ann × ndistance matrixDdefined on a vertex setVof sizen, wheredijgives the distance fromitoj. The distances are assumed to obey the triangle inequality. For a subsetS  Vthe radius ofSis the minimum distanceRsuch that every point inVis at a distance at mostRfrom some point inS. Thep-center problem consists of picking a setS  Vof sizepto minimize the radius. This problem is known to be NP-complete.

For the symmetric case, whendij = dji, approximation algorithms that deliver a solution to within 2 of the optimal are known. David Shmoys, in his article [11], mentions that nothing was known about the asymmetric case. We present an algorithm that achieves a ratio ofO(log*n).

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W. CookL. LovaszP. Seymour

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E-mail:[email protected].

E-mail:[email protected].

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