The poset of all minimum cuts #
Let f be a maximum bounded s–t assignment between distinct terminals. Keep only the residual
arrows of positive capacity, and collapse each strongly connected component of the resulting
quiver to a point: these residual components are partially ordered by reachability. The
minimum cuts are exactly the terminal-separating vertex sets closed under positive residual
reachability. So every minimum cut contains the components reachable from the component of the
source, and avoids those from which the component of the sink is reachable; these two families of
components are disjoint because f admits no augmenting walk. A minimum cut is then determined
by the remaining free components it contains, and these form an arbitrary upper set of the free
components.
This identifies the lattice of minimum cuts, ordered by inclusion, with the lattice of upper sets
of the finite poset of free components, also ordered by inclusion. Since Mathlib orders
UpperSet by reverse inclusion, the target of the order isomorphism is (UpperSet _)ᵒᵈ. Unions
and intersections of minimum cuts correspond to unions and intersections of upper sets, the
smallest and largest minimum cuts to the empty and the full upper set, and the minimum cut is
unique exactly when there is no free component.
The bounds may be negative and the value of f may have either sign; the ordinary-flow
statements follow by specialization.
Main definitions #
TauCeti.BoundedFlow.ResidualComponent: the strongly connected components of the positive residual quiver off, partially ordered by reachability.TauCeti.BoundedFlow.FreeComponent: the residual components neither reachable from the component of the source nor reaching the component of the sink.TauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.minimizersOrderIso: the order isomorphism between the minimum cuts and the upper sets of free components, ordered by inclusion.
Main results #
TauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.disjoint_Ici_Iic: no residual component is both reachable from the source and reaches the sink.TauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.mem_of_residualComponent_leandTauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.notMem_of_residualComponent_le: the forced components.TauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.mem_minimizersOrderIso_symm_iff: the vertex-membership formula for the minimum cut of an upper set of free components.TauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.coe_minimizersOrderIso_supandTauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.coe_minimizersOrderIso_inf: unions and intersections correspond.TauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.minimizersOrderIso_symm_topandTauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.minimizersOrderIso_symm_bot: the empty and full upper sets give the smallest and largest minimum cuts.TauCeti.BoundedFlow.IsMaximum.existsUnique_isMinimum_iff_isEmpty: the minimum cut is unique exactly when there is no free component.TauCeti.Flow.IsMaximum.minimizersOrderIso: the ordinary-flow specialization, withTauCeti.Flow.IsMaximum.minimizersOrderIso_symm_topandTauCeti.Flow.IsMaximum.minimizersOrderIso_symm_botidentifying its smallest and largest minimum cuts.
References #
- J.-C. Picard, M. Queyranne, On the structure of all minimum cuts in a network and applications, Math. Programming Stud. 13 (1980), 8–16.
The residual components of a bounded s–t assignment f: the strongly connected
components of the quiver of residual arrows of positive capacity for f. They are partially
ordered by reachability along such arrows.
Instances For
The residual component of f containing a vertex.
Instances For
The free residual components of f: those not reachable from the component of the source
and from which the component of the sink is not reachable, with the induced partial order.
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The residual component of v is below that of w exactly when w is positively reachable
from v for the residual capacities.
Two vertices have the same residual component exactly when each is positively reachable from the other for the residual capacities.
Every residual component contains a vertex.
For a maximum bounded s–t assignment between distinct terminals, no residual component is
both reachable from the component of the source and reaches the component of the sink.
Every minimum cut contains the vertices whose residual component is reachable from the component of the source.
No minimum cut contains a vertex whose residual component reaches the component of the sink.
The poset of minimum cuts. For a maximum bounded s–t assignment f between distinct
terminals, the minimum cuts, ordered by inclusion, are order isomorphic to the upper sets of the
poset of free residual components, ordered by inclusion. A minimum cut corresponds to the free
components contained in it, and an upper set to the vertices of its components together with the
vertices forced onto the source side.
Instances For
A free component belongs to the upper set of a minimum cut exactly when all of its vertices lie in the cut.
The free residual component of a vertex belongs to the upper set of a minimum cut exactly when the vertex lies in the cut.
Vertex-membership formula. A vertex lies in the minimum cut of an upper set of free components exactly when its residual component is reachable from the component of the source or is a member of the upper set.
The free components contained in the union of two minimum cuts are the union of those contained in each.
The free components contained in the intersection of two minimum cuts are the intersection of those contained in each.
The empty upper set of free components gives the smallest minimum cut.
The full upper set of free components gives the largest minimum cut.
The minimum cut is unique exactly when no residual component is free.
Ordinary flows #
The poset of minimum cuts of an ordinary flow. For a maximum ordinary s–t flow f
between distinct terminals, the minimum cuts for the capacity of the arrows leaving a set, ordered
by inclusion, are order isomorphic to the upper sets of the poset of free residual components,
ordered by inclusion.
Instances For
The free residual component of a vertex belongs to the upper set of a minimum cut of a maximum ordinary flow exactly when the vertex lies in the cut.
A vertex lies in the minimum cut of an upper set of free components exactly when its residual component is reachable from the component of the source or is a member of the upper set.
The free components contained in the union of two minimum cuts of a maximum ordinary flow are the union of those contained in each.
The free components contained in the intersection of two minimum cuts of a maximum ordinary flow are the intersection of those contained in each.
The empty upper set of free components gives the smallest minimum cut of a maximum ordinary flow.
The full upper set of free components gives the largest minimum cut of a maximum ordinary flow.
The minimum cut is unique exactly when no residual component of a maximum ordinary flow is free.
Example #
On the vertices s = 0, a = 1, b = 2 and t = 3, take unit capacities on the arrows
s → a, a → t, s → b, b → t and a → b, and capacity zero on one arrow for every other
ordered pair, loops included. The flow sending one unit along each of s → a → t and s → b → t
and nothing along a → b has value 2, the capacity of {s}, so it is maximum. Its residual
arrows of positive capacity are the reverse arrows a → s, b → s, t → a and t → b, and the
forward arrow a → b. So the free residual components are those of a and b, with the
component of a below that of b. The upper sets of free components are the empty set, the
component of b, and both components, and the minimum cuts are {s}, {s, b} and {s, a, b}:
choosing a forces choosing b.