Fast Approximation Algorithms for Euclidean Minimum Weight Perfect Matching

Abstract: We study the problem of finding a Euclidean minimum weight perfect matching for $n$ points in the plane. It is known that a deterministic approximation algorithm for this problems must have at least $\Omega(n \log n)$ runtime. We propose such an algorithm for the Euclidean minimum weight perfect matching problem with runtime $O(n\log n)$ and show that it has approximation ratio $O(n^{0.206})$. This improves the so far best known approximation ratio of $n/2$. We also develop an $O(n \log n)$ algorithm for the Euclidean minimum weight perfect matching problem in higher dimensions and show it has approximation ratio $O(n^{0.412})$ in all fixed dimensions.