Abstract
A strong backdoor in a CNF formula is a set of variables such that each possible instantiation of these variables moves the formula into a tractable class. The algorithmic problem of finding a strong backdoor has been the subject of intensive study, mostly within the parameterized complexity framework. Results to date focused primarily on backdoors of small size. In this paper we propose a new approach for algorithmically exploiting strong backdoors for SAT: instead of focusing on small backdoors, we focus on backdoors with certain structural properties. In particular, we consider backdoors that have a certain tree-like structure, formally captured by the notion of backdoor treewidth.
First, we provide a fixed-parameter algorithm for SAT parameterized by the backdoor treewidth w.r.t. the fundamental tractable classes Horn, Anti-Horn, and 2CNF. Second, we consider the more general setting where the backdoor decomposes the instance into components belonging to different tractable classes, albeit focusing on backdoors of treewidth 1 (i.e., acyclic backdoors). We give polynomial-time algorithms for SAT and #SAT for instances that admit such an acyclic backdoor.
Supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), project P26696. Robert Ganian is also affiliated with FI MU, Brno, Czech Republic.
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Notes
- 1.
A clause containing exactly two literals is also known as a Krom clause.
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Ganian, R., Ramanujan, M.S., Szeider, S. (2017). Backdoor Treewidth for SAT. In: Gaspers, S., Walsh, T. (eds) Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing – SAT 2017. SAT 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 10491. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66263-3_2
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