The Blind Passenger and the Assignment Problem
Journal article, 2011

We introduce a discrete random process which we call the passenger model, and show that it is connected to a certain random model of the assignment problem and in particular to the so-called Buck-Chan-Robbins urn process. We propose a conjecture on the distribution of the location of the minimum cost assignment in a cost matrix with zeros at specified positions and remaining entries of exponential distribution. The conjecture is consistent with earlier results on the participation probability of an individual matrix entry. We also use the passenger model to verify a conjecture by V. Dotsenko on the assignment problem.

expected value

proof

zeta(2) limit

conjecture

traveling salesman

minimum assignment

Author

Johan Wästlund

Chalmers, Mathematical Sciences, Mathematics

University of Gothenburg

Combinatorics Probability and Computing

0963-5483 (ISSN) 1469-2163 (eISSN)

Vol. 20 3 467-480

Subject Categories

Computational Mathematics

DOI

10.1017/s0963548311000022

More information

Created

10/6/2017