Secretary Matching with General Arrivals

Abstract: We provide online algorithms for secretary matching in general weighted graphs, under the well-studied models of vertex and edge arrivals. In both models, edges are associated with arbitrary weights that are unknown from the outset, and are revealed online. Under vertex arrival, vertices arrive online in a uniformly random order; upon the arrival of a vertex $v$, the weights of edges from $v$ to all previously arriving vertices are revealed, and the algorithm decides which of these edges, if any, to include in the matching. Under edge arrival, edges arrive online in a uniformly random order; upon the arrival of an edge $e$, its weight is revealed, and the algorithm decides whether to include it in the matching or not. We provide a $5/12$-competitive algorithm for vertex arrival, and show it is tight. For edge arrival, we provide a $1/4$-competitive algorithm. Both results improve upon state of the art bounds for the corresponding settings. Interestingly, for vertex arrival, secretary matching in general graphs outperforms secretary matching in bipartite graphs with 1-sided arrival, where $1/e$ is the best possible guarantee.