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Optimal Lower Bounds for Matching and Vertex Cover in Dynamic Graph Streams

In this paper, we give simple optimal lower bounds on the one-way two-party communication complexity of approximate Maximum Matching and Minimum Vertex Cover with deletions. In our model, Alice holds a set of edges and sends a single message to Bob. Bob holds a set of edge deletions, which form a subset of Alice's edges, and needs to report a large matching or a small vertex cover in the graph spanned by the edges that are not deleted. Our results imply optimal space lower bounds for insertion-deletion streaming algorithms for Maximum Matching and Minimum Vertex Cover. Previously, Assadi et al. [SODA 2016] gave an optimal space lower bound for insertion-deletion streaming algorithms for Maximum Matching via the simultaneous model of communication. Our lower bound is simpler and stronger in several aspects: The lower bound of Assadi et al. only holds for algorithms that (1) are able to process streams that contain a triple exponential number of deletions in $n$, the number of vertices of the input graph; (2) are able to process multi-graphs; and (3) never output edges that do not exist in the input graph when the randomized algorithm errs. In contrast, our lower bound even holds for algorithms that (1) rely on short ($O(n^2)$-length) input streams; (2) are only able to process simple graphs; and (3) may output non-existing edges when the algorithm errs.