A Coalgebraic Dijkstra Algorithm

Abstract

The Dijkstra algorithm is a classical method for solving the shortest path problem on weighted graphs. There are several variations of the Dijkstra algorithm, including algorithms for the widest path problem and for two-player games. In this paper, we introduce the coalgebraic shortest path problem (CSPP), a unifying framework for a broad class of optimization problems on state-transition systems. This framework encompasses not only the aforementioned problems but also new ones such as the shortest binary tree problem. We further present a coalgebraic Dijkstra algorithm for solving the CSPP efficiently under a suitable condition. Our condition is necessary and sufficient for the algorithm to return correct solutions, thereby providing a precise criterion for when Dijkstra-style acceleration is possible. We also show that the proposed algorithm achieves asymptotic complexity comparable to that of the classical Dijkstra algorithm.