We study polynomial-time approximation schemes (PTASes) for constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) such as Maximum Independent Set or Minimum Vertex Cover on sparse graph classes. Baker’s approach gives a PTAS on planar graphs, excluded-minor classes, and beyond. For Max-CSPs, and even more generally, maximisation finite-valued CSPs (where constraints are arbitrary non-negative functions), Romero, Wrochna, and Živný [SODA’21] showed that the Sherali-Adams LP relaxation gives a simple PTAS for all fractionally-treewidth-fragile classes, which is the most general “sparsity” condition for which a PTAS is known. We extend these results to general-valued CSPs, which include “crisp” (or “strict”) constraints that have to be satisfied by every feasible assignment. The only condition on the crisp constraints is that their domain contains an element that is at least as feasible as all the others (but possibly less valuable). For minimisation general-valued CSPs with crisp constraints, we present a PTAS for all Baker graph classes—a definition by Dvořák [SODA’20] that encompasses all classes where Baker’s technique is known to work, except for fractionally-treewidth-fragile classes. While this is standard for problems satisfying a certain monotonicity condition on crisp constraints, we show this can be relaxed to diagonalisability —a property of relational structures connected to logics, statistical physics, and random CSPs.

The Ising antiferromagnet is an important statistical physics model with close connections to the Max Cut problem. Combining spatial mixing arguments with the method of moments and the interpolation method, we pinpoint the replica symmetry breaking phase transition predicted by physicists. Additionally, we rigorously establish upper bounds on the Max Cut of random regular graphs predicted by Zdeborová and Boettcher [ J. Stat. Mech., 2010 (2010), P02020]. As an application we prove that the information-theoretic threshold of the disassortative stochastic block model on random regular graphs coincides with the Kesten--Stigum bound.

We study polynomial-time approximation schemes (PTASes) for constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) such as Maximum Independent Set or Minimum Vertex Cover on sparse graph classes.Baker's approach gives a PTAS on planar graphs, excluded-minor classes, and beyond. For Max-CSPs, and even more generally, maximisation finite-valued CSPs (where constraints are arbitrary non-negative functions), Romero, Wrochna, and Živný [SODA'21] showed that the Sherali-Adams LP relaxation gives a simple PTAS for all fractionally-treewidth-fragile classes, which is the most general "sparsity" condition for which a PTAS is known. We extend these results to general-valued CSPs, which include "crisp" (or "strict") constraints that have to be satisfied by every feasible assignment. The only condition on the crisp constraints is that their domain contains an element which is at least as feasible as all the others (but possibly less valuable).For minimisation general-valued CSPs with crisp constraints, we present a PTAS for all Baker graph classes - a definition by Dvořák [SODA'20] which encompasses all classes where Baker's technique is known to work, except for fractionally-treewidth-fragile classes. While this is standard for problems satisfying a certain monotonicity condition on crisp constraints, we show this can be relaxed to diagonalisability - a property of relational structures connected to logics, statistical physics, and random CSPs.