Solving Unsplittable Network Flow Problems with Decision Diagrams

In unsplittable network flow problems, certain nodes must satisfy a combinatorial requirement that the incoming arc flows cannot be split or merged when routed through outgoing arcs. This so-called “no-split no-merge” requirement arises in unit train scheduling where train consists should remain intact at stations that lack necessary equipment and manpower to attach/detach them. Solving … Read more

On fault-tolerant low-diameter clusters in graphs

Cliques and their generalizations are frequently used to model “tightly knit” clusters in graphs and identifying such clusters is a popular technique used in graph-based data mining. One such model is the $s$-club, which is a vertex subset that induces a subgraph of diameter at most $s$. This model has found use in a variety … Read more

On the Structure of Decision Diagram-Representable Mixed Integer Programs with Application to Unit Commitment

Over the past decade, decision diagrams (DDs) have been used to model and solve integer programming and combinatorial optimization problems. Despite successful performance of DDs in solving various discrete optimization problems, their extension to model mixed integer programs (MIPs) such as those appearing in energy applications has been lacking. More broadly, the question on which … Read more

Solving the distance-based critical node problem

In critical node problems, the task is identify a small subset of so-called critical nodes whose deletion maximally degrades a network’s “connectivity” (however that is measured). Problems of this type have been widely studied, e.g., for limiting the spread of infectious diseases. However, existing approaches for solving them have typically been limited to networks having … Read more

Parsimonious formulations for low-diameter clusters

In the analysis of networks, one often searches for tightly knit clusters. One property of a “good” cluster is a small diameter (say, bounded by $k$), which leads to the concept of a $k$-club. In this paper, we propose new path-like and cut-like integer programming formulations for detecting these low-diameter subgraphs. They simplify, generalize, and/or … Read more