Compact Distributed Certification of Planar Graphs


Abstract in English

Naor, Parter, and Yogev (SODA 2020) have recently demonstrated the existence of a emph{distributed interactive proof} for planarity (i.e., for certifying that a network is planar), using a sophisticated generic technique for constructing distributed IP protocols based on sequential IP protocols. The interactive proof for planarity is based on a distributed certification of the correct execution of any given sequential linear-time algorithm for planarity testing. It involves three interactions between the prover and the randomized distributed verifier (i.e., it is a dMAM/ protocol), and uses small certificates, on $O(log n)$ bits in $n$-node networks. We show that a single interaction from the prover suffices, and randomization is unecessary, by providing an explicit description of a emph{proof-labeling scheme} for planarity, still using certificates on just $O(log n)$ bits. We also show that there are no proof-labeling schemes -- in fact, even no emph{locally checkable proofs} -- for planarity using certificates on $o(log n)$ bits.

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