Phase transitions and complexity in computer science: An overview of the statistical physics approach to the random satisfiability problem

Giulio Biroli, Simona Cocco, Rémi Monasson

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Phase transitions, ubiquitous in condensed matter physics, are encountered in computer science too. The existence of critical phenomena has deep consequences on computational complexity, that is the resolution times of various optimization or decision problems. Concepts and methods borrowed from the statistical physics of disordered and out-of-equilibrium systems shed new light on the dynamical operation of solving algorithms.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)381-394
Number of pages14
JournalPhysica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications
Volume306
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2002
Externally publishedYes
Event21th IUPAP Conference on Invited Papares (STATPHYS 21) - Cancun, Mexico
Duration: 15 Jul 200121 Jul 2001

Keywords

  • Analysis of algorithm
  • Optimization
  • Phase transitions
  • Satisfiability
  • Statistical physics

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