A Constant-Factor Approximation for Directed Latency in Quasi-Polynomial Time

Abstract: We give the first constant-factor approximation for the Directed Latency problem in quasi-polynomial time. Here, the goal is to visit all nodes in an asymmetric metric with a single vehicle starting at a depot $r$ to minimize the average time a node waits to be visited by the vehicle. The approximation guarantee is an improvement over the polynomial-time $O(\log n)$-approximation [Friggstad, Salavatipour, Svitkina, 2013] and no better quasi-polynomial time approximation algorithm was known. To obtain this, we must extend a recent result showing the integrality gap of the Asymmetric TSP-Path LP relaxation is bounded by a constant [K\"{o}hne, Traub, and Vygen, 2019], which itself builds on the breakthrough result that the integrality gap for standard Asymmetric TSP is also a constant [Svensson, Tarnawsi, and Vegh, 2018]. We show the standard Asymmetric TSP-Path integrality gap is bounded by a constant even if the cut requirements of the LP relaxation are relaxed from $x(\delta^{in}(S)) \geq 1$ to $x(\delta^{in}(S)) \geq \rho$ for some constant $1/2 < \rho \leq 1$. We also give a better approximation guarantee in the special case of Directed Latency in regret metrics where the goal is to find a path $P$ minimize the average time a node $v$ waits in excess of $c_{rv}$, i.e. $\frac{1}{|V|} \cdot \sum_{v \in V} (c_v(P)-c_{rv})$.