Proximity Theorem and FPT Algorithm for Minimum Group-labeled Matroid Bases

Overview & Synopsis

Let $M$ be a matroid, let $\ell:E(M)\to G$ be a labeling of its elements by an abelian group, and let $F\subseteq G$ be finite. A base is $F$-avoiding if the label sum of its elements is not in $F$. We prove that, for arbitrary costs, a min-cost $F$-avoiding base can be obtained from any min-cost base using at most $|F|$ exchanges. This resolves the weighted proximity conjecture by Hörsch, Imolay, Mizutani, Oki, and Schwarcz. Our main technical tool is to replace the assumption of Schrijver--Seymour Conjecture in Liu and Xu's earlier work with Kemperman--Scherk Theorem. The proximity theorem combined with approaches in earlier work gives an FPT algorithm that finds a min-cost $F$-avoiding base parameterized by $|G|$. We additionally give an FPT algorithm parameterized by $|F|$, answering a question of Hörsch et al.