Continuous Yao Graphs

Abstract: In this paper, we introduce a variation of the well-studied Yao graphs. Given a set of points $S\subset \mathbb{R}^2$ and an angle $0 < \theta \leq 2\pi$, we define the continuous Yao graph $cY(\theta)$ with vertex set $S$ and angle $\theta$ as follows. For each $p,q\in S$, we add an edge from $p$ to $q$ in $cY(\theta)$ if there exists a cone with apex $p$ and aperture $\theta$ such that $q$ is the closest point to $p$ inside this cone. We study the spanning ratio of $cY(\theta)$ for different values of $\theta$. Using a new algebraic technique, we show that $cY(\theta)$ is a spanner when $\theta \leq 2\pi /3$. We believe that this technique may be of independent interest. We also show that $cY(\pi)$ is not a spanner, and that $cY(\theta)$ may be disconnected for $\theta > \pi$.