For the vast majority of local problems on graphs of small treewidth (where, by local we mean that a solution can be verified by checking separately the neighbourhood of each vertex), standard dynamic programming techniques give c tw | V | O(1) time algorithms, where tw is the treewidth of the input graph G = ( V,E ) and c is a constant. On the other hand, for problems with a global requirement (usually connectivity) the best–known algorithms were naive dynamic programming schemes running in at least tw tw time. We bridge this gap by introducing a technique we named Cut&Count that allows to produce c tw | V | O(1) time Monte-Carlo algorithms for most connectivity-type problems, including Hamiltonian Path , Steiner Tree , Feedback Vertex Set and Connected Dominating Set . These results have numerous consequences in various fields, like parameterized complexity, exact and approximate algorithms on planar and H -minor-free graphs and exact algorithms on graphs of bounded degree. The constant c in our algorithms is in all cases small, and in several cases we are able to show that improving those constants would cause the Strong Exponential Time Hypothesis to fail. In all these fields we are able to improve the best-known results for some problems. Also, looking from a more theoretical perspective, our results are surprising since the equivalence relation that partitions all partial solutions with respect to extendability to global solutions seems to consist of at least tw tw equivalence classes for all these problems. Our results answer an open problem raised by Lokshtanov, Marx and Saurabh [SODA’11]. In contrast to the problems aimed at minimizing the number of connected components that we solve using Cut&Count as mentioned above, we show that, assuming the Exponential Time Hypothesis, the aforementioned gap cannot be bridged for some problems that aim to maximize the number of connected components like Cycle Packing .

Recently, new techniques have been introduced to speed up dynamic programming algorithms on tree decompositions for connectivity problems: the 'Cut and Count' method and a method called the rank-based approach, based on representative sets and Gaussian elimination. These methods respectively give randomised and deterministic algorithms that are single exponential in the treewidth, and polynomial, respectively linear in the number of vertices. In this paper, we adapt these methods to branch decompositions yielding algorithms, both randomised and deterministic, that are in many cases faster than when tree decompositions would be used. In particular, we obtain the currently fastest randomised algorithms for several problems on planar graphs. When the involved weights are O(n^{O(1)}), we obtain faster randomised algorithms on planar graphs for Steiner Tree, Connected Dominating Set, Feedback Vertex Set and TSP, and a faster deterministic algorithm for TSP. When considering planar graphs with arbitrary real weights, we obtain faster deterministic algorithms for all four mentioned problems.

In the Intervalizing Coloured Graphs problem, one must decide for a given graph G = (V, E) with a proper vertex colouring of G whether G is the subgraph of a properly coloured interval graph. For the case that the number of colors is fixed, we give an exact algorithm that uses $2^{\mathcal {O}(n/\log n)}$ time. We also give an $\mathcal {O}^{\ast }(2^{n})$ algorithm for the case that the number of colors is not fixed.

We consider the Partition Into Triangles problem on bounded degree graphs. We show that this problem is polynomial-time solvable on graphs of maximum degree three by giving a linear-time algorithm. We also show that this problem becomes $\mathcal{NP}$ -complete on graphs of maximum degree four. Moreover, we show that there is no subexponential-time algorithm for this problem on graphs of maximum degree four unless the Exponential-Time Hypothesis fails. However, the Partition Into Triangles problem on graphs of maximum degree at most four is in many cases practically solvable as we give an algorithm for this problem that runs in $\mathcal{O}(1.02220^{n})$ time and linear space.

An edge dominating set in a graph G=(V,E) is a subset of the edges D⊆E such that every edge in E is adjacent or equal to some edge in D. The problem of finding an edge dominating set of minimum cardinality is NP-hard. We present a faster exact exponential time algorithm for this problem. Our algorithm uses O(1.3226 n ) time and polynomial space. The algorithm combines an enumeration approach of minimal vertex covers in the input graph with the branch and reduce paradigm. Its time bound is obtained using the measure and conquer technique. The algorithm is obtained by starting with a slower algorithm which is refined stepwisely. In each of these refinement steps, the worst cases in the measure and conquer analysis of the current algorithm are reconsidered and a new branching strategy is proposed on one of these worst cases. In this way a series of algorithms appears, each one slightly faster than the previous one, ending in the O(1.3226 n ) time algorithm. For each algorithm in the series, we also give a lower bound on its running time. We also show that the related problems: minimum weight edge dominating set, minimum maximal matching and minimum weight maximal matching can be solved in O(1.3226 n ) time and polynomial space using modifications of the algorithm for edge dominating set. In addition, we consider the matrix dominating set problem which we solve in O(1.3226 n+m ) time and polynomial space for n×m matrices, and the parametrised minimum weight maximal matching problem for which we obtain an O ∗(2.4179 k ) time and space algorithm.

For the vast majority of local problems on graphs of small tree width (where by local we mean that a solution can be verified by checking separately the neighbourhood of each vertex), standard dynamic programming techniques give c^tw |V|^O(1) time algorithms, where tw is the tree width of the input graph G = (V, E) and c is a constant. On the other hand, for problems with a global requirement (usually connectivity) the best -- known algorithms were naive dynamic programming schemes running in at least tw^tw time. We breach this gap by introducing a technique we named Cut&Count that allows to produce c^tw |V|^O(1) time Monte Carlo algorithms for most connectivity-type problems, including Hamiltonian Path, Steiner Tree, Feedback Vertex Set and Connected Dominating Set. These results have numerous consequences in various fields, like parameterized complexity, exact and approximate algorithms on planar and H-minor-free graphs and exact algorithms on graphs of bounded degree. The constant c in our algorithms is in all cases small, and in several cases we are able to show that improving those constants would cause the Strong Exponential Time Hypothesis to fail. In contrast to the problems aiming to minimize the number of connected components that we solve using Cut&Count as mentioned above, we show that, assuming the Exponential Time Hypothesis, the aforementioned gap cannot be breached for some problems that aim to maximize the number of connected components like Cycle Packing.

The measure and conquer approach has proven to be a powerful tool to analyse exact algorithms for combinatorial problems, like Dominating Set and Independent Set. In this paper, we propose to use measure and conquer also as a tool in the design of algorithms. In an iterative process, we can obtain a series of branch and reduce algorithms. A mathematical analysis of an algorithm in the series with measure and conquer results in a quasiconvex programming problem. The solution by computer to this problem not only gives a bound on the running time, but also can give a new reduction rule, thus giving a new, possibly faster algorithm. This makes design by measure and conquer a form of computer aided algorithm design. When we apply the methodology to a Set Cover modelling of the Dominating Set problem, we obtain the currently fastest known exact algorithms for Dominating Set: an algorithm that uses $O(1.5134^n)$ time and polynomial space, and an algorithm that uses $O(1.5063^n)$ time.