Optimization problems in correlated networks

BACKGROUND: Solving the shortest path and min-cut problems are key in achieving high-performance and robust communication networks. Those problems have often been studied in deterministic and uncorrelated networks both in their original formulations as well as in several constrained variants. However, in real-world networks, link weights (e.g., delay, bandwidth, failure probability) are often correlated due to spatial or temporal reasons, and these correlated link weights together behave in a different manner and are not always additive, as commonly assumed. METHODS: In this paper, we first propose two correlated link weight models, namely (1) the deterministic correlated model and (2) the (log-concave) stochastic correlated model. Subsequently, we study the shortest path problem and the min-cut problem under these two correlated models. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We prove that these two problems are NP-hard under the deterministic correlated model, and even cannot be approximated to arbitrary degree in polynomial time. However, these two problems are solvable in polynomial time under the (constrained) nodal deterministic correlated model, and can be solved by convex optimization under the (log-concave) stochastic correlated model.