2,317 research outputs found
Quantum Bounded Query Complexity
We combine the classical notions and techniques for bounded query classes
with those developed in quantum computing. We give strong evidence that quantum
queries to an oracle in the class NP does indeed reduce the query complexity of
decision problems. Under traditional complexity assumptions, we obtain an
exponential speedup between the quantum and the classical query complexity of
function classes.
For decision problems and function classes we obtain the following results: o
P_||^NP[2k] is included in EQP_||^NP[k] o P_||^NP[2^(k+1)-2] is included in
EQP^NP[k] o FP_||^NP[2^(k+1)-2] is included in FEQP^NP[2k] o FP_||^NP is
included in FEQP^NP[O(log n)] For sets A that are many-one complete for PSPACE
or EXP we show that FP^A is included in FEQP^A[1]. Sets A that are many-one
complete for PP have the property that FP_||^A is included in FEQP^A[1]. In
general we prove that for any set A there is a set X such that FP^A is included
in FEQP^X[1], establishing that no set is superterse in the quantum setting.Comment: 11 pages LaTeX2e, no figures, accepted for CoCo'9
What's Up with Downward Collapse: Using the Easy-Hard Technique to Link Boolean and Polynomial Hierarchy Collapses
During the past decade, nine papers have obtained increasingly strong
consequences from the assumption that boolean or bounded-query hierarchies
collapse. The final four papers of this nine-paper progression actually achieve
downward collapse---that is, they show that high-level collapses induce
collapses at (what beforehand were thought to be) lower complexity levels. For
example, for each it is now known that if \psigkone=\psigktwo then
\ph=\sigmak. This article surveys the history, the results, and the
technique---the so-called easy-hard method---of these nine papers.Comment: 37 pages. an extended abstract appeared in SIGACT News, 29, 10-22,
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Nesting Depth of Operators in Graph Database Queries: Expressiveness Vs. Evaluation Complexity
Designing query languages for graph structured data is an active field of
research, where expressiveness and efficient algorithms for query evaluation
are conflicting goals. To better handle dynamically changing data, recent work
has been done on designing query languages that can compare values stored in
the graph database, without hard coding the values in the query. The main idea
is to allow variables in the query and bind the variables to values when
evaluating the query. For query languages that bind variables only once, query
evaluation is usually NP-complete. There are query languages that allow binding
inside the scope of Kleene star operators, which can themselves be in the scope
of bindings and so on. Uncontrolled nesting of binding and iteration within one
another results in query evaluation being PSPACE-complete.
We define a way to syntactically control the nesting depth of iterated
bindings, and study how this affects expressiveness and efficiency of query
evaluation. The result is an infinite, syntactically defined hierarchy of
expressions. We prove that the corresponding language hierarchy is strict.
Given an expression in the hierarchy, we prove that it is undecidable to check
if there is a language equivalent expression at lower levels. We prove that
evaluating a query based on an expression at level i can be done in
in the polynomial time hierarchy. Satisfiability of quantified Boolean formulas
can be reduced to query evaluation; we study the relationship between
alternations in Boolean quantifiers and the depth of nesting of iterated
bindings.Comment: Improvements from ICALP 2016 review comment
A Tight Karp-Lipton Collapse Result in Bounded Arithmetic
Cook and Krajíček [9] have obtained the following Karp-Lipton result in bounded arithmetic: if the theory proves , then collapses to , and this collapse is provable in . Here we show the converse implication, thus answering an open question from [9]. We obtain this result by formalizing in a hard/easy argument of Buhrman, Chang, and Fortnow [3]. In addition, we continue the investigation of propositional proof systems using advice, initiated by Cook and Krajíček [9]. In particular, we obtain several optimal and even p-optimal proof systems using advice. We further show that these p-optimal systems are equivalent to natural extensions of Frege systems
Consistency of circuit lower bounds with bounded theories
Proving that there are problems in that require
boolean circuits of super-linear size is a major frontier in complexity theory.
While such lower bounds are known for larger complexity classes, existing
results only show that the corresponding problems are hard on infinitely many
input lengths. For instance, proving almost-everywhere circuit lower bounds is
open even for problems in . Giving the notorious difficulty of
proving lower bounds that hold for all large input lengths, we ask the
following question: Can we show that a large set of techniques cannot prove
that is easy infinitely often? Motivated by this and related
questions about the interaction between mathematical proofs and computations,
we investigate circuit complexity from the perspective of logic.
Among other results, we prove that for any parameter it is
consistent with theory that computational class , where is one of
the pairs: and , and , and
. In other words, these theories cannot establish
infinitely often circuit upper bounds for the corresponding problems. This is
of interest because the weaker theory already formalizes
sophisticated arguments, such as a proof of the PCP Theorem. These consistency
statements are unconditional and improve on earlier theorems of [KO17] and
[BM18] on the consistency of lower bounds with
Trading inference effort versus size in CNF Knowledge Compilation
Knowledge Compilation (KC) studies compilation of boolean functions f into
some formalism F, which allows to answer all queries of a certain kind in
polynomial time. Due to its relevance for SAT solving, we concentrate on the
query type "clausal entailment" (CE), i.e., whether a clause C follows from f
or not, and we consider subclasses of CNF, i.e., clause-sets F with special
properties. In this report we do not allow auxiliary variables (except of the
Outlook), and thus F needs to be equivalent to f.
We consider the hierarchies UC_k <= WC_k, which were introduced by the
authors in 2012. Each level allows CE queries. The first two levels are
well-known classes for KC. Namely UC_0 = WC_0 is the same as PI as studied in
KC, that is, f is represented by the set of all prime implicates, while UC_1 =
WC_1 is the same as UC, the class of unit-refutation complete clause-sets
introduced by del Val 1994. We show that for each k there are (sequences of)
boolean functions with polysize representations in UC_{k+1}, but with an
exponential lower bound on representations in WC_k. Such a separation was
previously only know for k=0. We also consider PC < UC, the class of
propagation-complete clause-sets. We show that there are (sequences of) boolean
functions with polysize representations in UC, while there is an exponential
lower bound for representations in PC. These separations are steps towards a
general conjecture determining the representation power of the hierarchies PC_k
< UC_k <= WC_k. The strong form of this conjecture also allows auxiliary
variables, as discussed in depth in the Outlook.Comment: 43 pages, second version with literature updates. Proceeds with the
separation results from the discontinued arXiv:1302.442
Self-Specifying Machines
We study the computational power of machines that specify their own
acceptance types, and show that they accept exactly the languages that
\manyonesharp-reduce to NP sets. A natural variant accepts exactly the
languages that \manyonesharp-reduce to P sets. We show that these two classes
coincide if and only if \psone = \psnnoplusbigohone, where the latter class
denotes the sets acceptable via at most one question to \sharpp followed by
at most a constant number of questions to \np.Comment: 15 pages, to appear in IJFC
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