Stochastic analysis of partitioning algorithms for matching problems

Partitioning algorithms for the Euclidean matching and for the semi-matching problem in the plane are introduced and analysed. The algorithms are analogues of Karp's well-known dissection algorithm for the travelling salesman problem. The algorithms are proved to run in time n log n and to approximate the optimal matching in the probabilistic sense. The analysis is based on the techniques developed in Karp (1977) and on the limit theorem of Redmond and Yukich (1993) for quasiadditive functionals.