Single-Source Shortest Paths with Negative Real Weights in $\tilde{O}(mn^{8/9})$ Time

Abstract

This paper presents a randomized algorithm for the problem of single-source shortest paths on directed graphs with real (both positive and negative) edge weights. Given an input graph with $n$ vertices and $m$ edges, the algorithm completes in $\tilde{O}(mn^{8/9})$ time with high probability. For real-weighted graphs, this result constitutes the first asymptotic improvement over the classic $O(mn)$-time algorithm variously attributed to Shimbel, Bellman, Ford, and Moore.