This paper presents two fast cycle canceling algorithms
for the submodular

ow problem. The

rst uses an assignment
problem whose optimal solution identi

es most negative
node-disjoint cycles in an auxiliary network. Canceling these
cycles lexicographically makes it possible to obtain an optimal
submodular

ow in O(
n
4
h log(
nC)) time, which almost matches the
current fastest weakly polynomial time for submodular flow
(where
n is the number of
nodes,
h is the time for
computing an exchange capacity, and
C is the maximum absolute value of arc
costs). The second algorithm generalizes Goldberg

s cycle
canceling algorithm for min cost flow to submodular flow to also
get a running time of O(
n
4
h log(
nC)).. We show how to modify these
algorithms to make them strongly polynomial, with running times
of O(
n
6
h log
n), which matches the fastest strongly
polynomial time bound for submodular flow. We also show how to
extend both algorithms to solve submodular flow with separable
convex objectives.
AMS Subject Classification
(2000):
90C27 - 90C35 - 90B10 - 90C25
* An extended abstract of a preliminary version of
part of this paper appeared in [22].
Research supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid of
the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of
Japan.
Research supported by an NSERC Operating Grant.
Part of this research was done during a sabbatical leave at
Cornell SORIE.§ Research supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid of
the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of
Japan.