Generalized Cut-Set Bounds for Broadcast Networks

A broadcast network is a classical network with all source messages collocated at a single source node. For broadcast networks, the standard cut-set bounds, which are known to be loose in general, are closely related to union as a specific set operation to combine the basic cuts of the network. This paper provides a new set of network coding bounds for general broadcast networks. These bounds combine the basic cuts of the network via a variety of set operations (not just the union) and are established via only the submodularity of Shannon entropy. The tightness of these bounds are demonstrated via applications to combination networks.