On Fortification of Projection Games

A recent result of Moshkovitz \cite{Moshkovitz14} presented an ingenious method to provide a completely elementary proof of the Parallel Repetition Theorem for certain projection games via a construction called fortification. However, the construction used in \cite{Moshkovitz14} to fortify arbitrary label cover instances using an arbitrary extractor is insufficient to prove parallel repetition. In this paper, we provide a fix by using a stronger graph that we call fortifiers. Fortifiers are graphs that have both $\ell_1$ and $\ell_2$ guarantees on induced distributions from large subsets. We then show that an expander with sufficient spectral gap, or a bi-regular extractor with stronger parameters (the latter is also the construction used in an independent update \cite{Moshkovitz15} of \cite{Moshkovitz14} with an alternate argument), is a good fortifier. We also show that using a fortifier (in particular $\ell_2$ guarantees) is necessary for obtaining the robustness required for fortification.Comment: 19 page

A No-Go Theorem for Derandomized Parallel Repetition: Beyond Feige-Kilian

In this work we show a barrier towards proving a randomness-efficient parallel repetition, a promising avenue for achieving many tight inapproximability results. Feige and Kilian (STOC'95) proved an impossibility result for randomness-efficient parallel repetition for two prover games with small degree, i.e., when each prover has only few possibilities for the question of the other prover. In recent years, there have been indications that randomness-efficient parallel repetition (also called derandomized parallel repetition) might be possible for games with large degree, circumventing the impossibility result of Feige and Kilian. In particular, Dinur and Meir (CCC'11) construct games with large degree whose repetition can be derandomized using a theorem of Impagliazzo, Kabanets and Wigderson (SICOMP'12). However, obtaining derandomized parallel repetition theorems that would yield optimal inapproximability results has remained elusive. This paper presents an explanation for the current impasse in progress, by proving a limitation on derandomized parallel repetition. We formalize two properties which we call "fortification-friendliness" and "yields robust embeddings." We show that any proof of derandomized parallel repetition achieving almost-linear blow-up cannot both (a) be fortification-friendly and (b) yield robust embeddings. Unlike Feige and Kilian, we do not require the small degree assumption. Given that virtually all existing proofs of parallel repetition, including the derandomized parallel repetition result of Dinur and Meir, share these two properties, our no-go theorem highlights a major barrier to achieving almost-linear derandomized parallel repetition

Strong Parallel Repetition for Unique Games on Small Set Expanders

Strong Parallel Repetition for Unique Games on Small Set Expanders The strong parallel repetition problem for unique games is to efficiently reduce the 1-delta vs. 1-C*delta gap problem of Boolean unique games (where C>1 is a sufficiently large constant) to the 1-epsilon vs. epsilon gap problem of unique games over large alphabet. Due to its importance to the Unique Games Conjecture, this problem garnered a great deal of interest from the research community. There are positive results for certain easy unique games (e.g., unique games on expanders), and an impossibility result for hard unique games. In this paper we show how to bypass the impossibility result by enlarging the alphabet sufficiently before repetition. We consider the case of unique games on small set expanders for two setups: (i) Strong small set expanders that yield easy unique games. (ii) Weaker small set expanders underlying possibly hard unique games as long as the game is mildly fortified. We show how to fortify unique games in both cases, i.e., how to transform the game so sufficiently large induced sub-games have bounded value. We then prove strong parallel repetition for the fortified games. Prior to this work fortification was known for projection games but seemed hopeless for unique games

Parallel repetition via fortification: analytic view and the quantum case

In a recent work, Moshkovitz [FOCS'14] presented a transformation n two-player games called "fortification", and gave an elementary proof of an (exponential decay) parallel repetition theorem for fortified two-player projection games. In this paper, we give an analytic reformulation of Moshkovitz's fortification framework, which was originally cast in combinatorial terms. This reformulation allows us to expand the scope of the fortification method to new settings. First, we show any game (not just projection games) can be fortified, and give a simple proof of parallel repetition for general fortified games. Then, we prove parallel repetition and fortification theorems for games with players sharing quantum entanglement, as well as games with more than two players. This gives a new gap amplification method for general games in the quantum and multiplayer settings, which has recently received much interest. An important component of our work is a variant of the fortification transformation, called "ordered fortification", that preserves the entangled value of a game. The original fortification of Moshkovitz does not in general preserve the entangled value of a game, and this was a barrier to extending the fortification framework to the quantum setting

Gap Amplification for Small-Set Expansion via Random Walks

In this work, we achieve gap amplification for the Small-Set Expansion problem. Specifically, we show that an instance of the Small-Set Expansion Problem with completeness $\epsilon$ and soundness $\frac{1}{2}$ is at least as difficult as Small-Set Expansion with completeness $\epsilon$ and soundness $f(\epsilon)$, for any function $f(\epsilon)$ which grows faster than $\sqrt{\epsilon}$. We achieve this amplification via random walks -- our gadget is the graph with adjacency matrix corresponding to a random walk on the original graph. An interesting feature of our reduction is that unlike gap amplification via parallel repetition, the size of the instances (number of vertices) produced by the reduction remains the same

Parallel Repetition From Fortification

The Parallel Repetition Theorem upper-bounds the value of a repeated (tensored) two prover game in terms of the value of the base game and the number of repetitions. In this work we give a simple transformation on games – “fortification” – and show that for fortified games, the value of the repeated game decreases perfectly exponentially with the number of repetitions, up to an arbitrarily small additive error. Our proof is combinatorial and short. As corollaries, we obtain: (1) Starting from a PCP Theorem with soundness error bounded away from 1, we get a PCP with arbitrarily small constant soundness error. In particular, starting with the combinatorial PCP of Dinur, we get a combinatorial PCP with low error. The latter can be used for hardness of approximation as in the work of Hastad. (2) Starting from the work of the author and Raz, we get a projection PCP theorem with the smallest soundness error known today. The theorem yields nearly a quadratic improvement in the size compared to previous work. We then discuss the problem of derandomizing parallel repetition, and the limitations of the fortification idea in this setting. We point out a connection between the problem of derandomizing parallel repetition and the problem of composition. This connection could shed light on the so-called Projection Games Conjecture, which asks for projection PCP with minimal error.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 1218547

The Quantum PCP Conjecture

The classical PCP theorem is arguably the most important achievement of classical complexity theory in the past quarter century. In recent years, researchers in quantum computational complexity have tried to identify approaches and develop tools that address the question: does a quantum version of the PCP theorem hold? The story of this study starts with classical complexity and takes unexpected turns providing fascinating vistas on the foundations of quantum mechanics, the global nature of entanglement and its topological properties, quantum error correction, information theory, and much more; it raises questions that touch upon some of the most fundamental issues at the heart of our understanding of quantum mechanics. At this point, the jury is still out as to whether or not such a theorem holds. This survey aims to provide a snapshot of the status in this ongoing story, tailored to a general theory-of-CS audience.Comment: 45 pages, 4 figures, an enhanced version of the SIGACT guest column from Volume 44 Issue 2, June 201

Complexity Theory

Computational Complexity Theory is the mathematical study of the intrinsic power and limitations of computational resources like time, space, or randomness. The current workshop focused on recent developments in various sub-areas including arithmetic complexity, Boolean complexity, communication complexity, cryptography, probabilistic proof systems, pseudorandomness, and quantum computation. Many of the developments are related to diverse mathematical fields such as algebraic geometry, combinatorial number theory, probability theory, representation theory, and the theory of error-correcting codes

Derandomized Parallel Repetition via Structured PCPs

A PCP is a proof system for NP in which the proof can be checked by a probabilistic verifier. The verifier is only allowed to read a very small portion of the proof, and in return is allowed to err with some bounded probability. The probability that the verifier accepts a false proof is called the soundness error, and is an important parameter of a PCP system that one seeks to minimize. Constructing PCPs with sub-constant soundness error and, at the same time, a minimal number of queries into the proof (namely two) is especially important due to applications for inapproximability. In this work we construct such PCP verifiers, i.e., PCPs that make only two queries and have sub-constant soundness error. Our construction can be viewed as a combinatorial alternative to the "manifold vs. point" construction, which is the only construction in the literature for this parameter range. The "manifold vs. point" PCP is based on a low degree test, while our construction is based on a direct product test. We also extend our construction to yield a decodable PCP (dPCP) with the same parameters. By plugging in this dPCP into the scheme of Dinur and Harsha (FOCS 2009) one gets an alternative construction of the result of Moshkovitz and Raz (FOCS 2008), namely: a construction of two-query PCPs with small soundness error and small alphabet size. Our construction of a PCP is based on extending the derandomized direct product test of Impagliazzo, Kabanets and Wigderson (STOC 09) to a derandomized parallel repetition theorem. More accurately, our PCP construction is obtained in two steps. We first prove a derandomized parallel repetition theorem for specially structured PCPs. Then, we show that any PCP can be transformed into one that has the required structure, by embedding it on a de-Bruijn graph