Algorithms for Max Hamming Exact Satisfiability

Abstract

We here study Max Hamming XSAT, ie, the problem of finding two XSAT models at maximum Hamming distance. By using a recent XSAT solver as an auxiliary function, an O(1.911^n) time algorithm can be constructed, where n is the number of variables. This upper time bound can be further improved to O(1.8348^n) by introducing a new kind of branching, more directly suited for finding models at maximum Hamming distance. The techniques presented here are likely to be of practical use as well as of theoretical value, proving that there are non-trivial algorithms for maximum Hamming distance problems.