Derandomized Concentration Bounds for Polynomials, and Hypergraph Maximal Independent Set

Abstract

A parallel algorithm for maximal independent set (MIS) in hypergraphs has been a long-standing algorithmic challenge, dating back nearly 30 years to a survey of Karp and Ramachandran (1990). The best randomized parallel algorithm for hypergraphs of fixed rank r was developed by Beame and Luby (1990) and Kelsen (1992), running in time roughly (log n ) r ! . We improve the randomized algorithm of Kelsen, reducing the runtime to roughly (log n ) 2 r and simplifying the analysis through the use of more-modern concentration inequalities. We also give a method for derandomizing concentration bounds for low-degree polynomials, which are the key technical tool used to analyze that algorithm. This leads to a deterministic PRAM algorithm also running in (log n ) 2 r +3 time and poly ( m , n ) processors. This is the first deterministic algorithm with sub-polynomial runtime for hypergraphs of rank r > 3. Our analysis can also apply when r is slowly growing; using this in conjunction with a strategy of Bercea et al. (2015) gives a deterministic MIS algorithm running in time exp ( O ( log ( mn ) / log log ( mn )).