Replacement Paths via Fast Matrix Multiplication

Let G be a directed edge-weighted graph and let P be a shortest path from s to t in G. The replacement paths problem asks to compute, for every edge e on P, the shortest s-to-t path that avoids e. Apart from approximation algorithms and algorithms for special graph classes, the naive solution to this problem – removing each edge e on P one at a time and computing the shortest s-to-t path each time – is surprisingly the only known solution for directed weighted graphs, even when the weights are integrals. In particular, although the related shortest paths problem has benefited from fast matrix multiplication, the replacement paths problem has not, and still required cubic time. For an n-vertex graph with integral edge-lengths between -M and M, we give a randomized algorithm that uses fast matrix multiplication and is sub-cubic for appropriate values of M. We also show how to construct a distance sensitivity oracle in the same time bounds. A query (u,v,e) to this oracle requires sub-quadratic time and returns the length of the shortest u-to-v path that avoids the edge e. In fact, for any constant number of edge failures, we construct a data structure in sub-cubic time, that answer queries in sub-quadratic time. Our results also apply for avoiding vertices rather than edges.