Odd Paths, Cycles and $T$-joins: Connections and Algorithms

Abstract: Minimizing the weight of an edge set satisfying parity constraints is a challenging branch of combinatorial optimization as witnessed by the binary hypergraph chapter of Alexander Schrijver's book Combinatorial Optimization" (Chapter 80). This area contains relevant graph theory problems including open cases of the Max Cut problem and some multiflow problems. We clarify the interconnections between some of these problems and establish three levels of difficulties. On the one hand, we prove that the Shortest Odd Path problem in undirected graphs without cycles of negative total weight and several related problems are NP-hard, settling a long-standing open question asked by Lov\'asz (Open Problem 27 in Schrijver's bookCombinatorial Optimization''). On the other hand, we provide an efficient algorithm to the closely related and well-studied Minimum-weight Odd $T$-Join problem for non-negative weights: our algorithm runs in FPT time parameterized by $c$, where $c$ is the number of connected components in some efficiently computed minimum-weight $T$-join. If negative weights are also allowed, then finding a minimum-weight odd ${s,t}$-join is equivalent to the Minimum-weight Odd $T$-Join problem for arbitrary weights, whose complexity is still only conjectured to be polynomial-time solvable. The analogous problems for digraphs are also considered.