Sampling in Potts Model on Sparse Random Graphs

Abstract

We study the problem of sampling almost uniform proper q-colorings in sparse Erdos-Renyi random graphs G(n,d/n), a research initiated by Dyer, Flaxman, Frieze and Vigoda [Dyer et al., RANDOM STRUCT ALGOR, 2006]. We obtain a fully polynomial time almost uniform sampler (FPAUS) for the problem provided q>3d+4, improving the current best bound q>5.5d [Efthymiou, SODA, 2014]. Our sampling algorithm works for more generalized models and broader family of sparse graphs. It is an efficient sampler (in the same sense of FPAUS) for anti-ferromagnetic Potts model with activity 0 3(1-b)d+4. We further identify a family of sparse graphs to which all these results can be extended. This family of graphs is characterized by the notion of contraction function, which is a new measure of the average degree in graphs.