9 research outputs found
Bounded-width polynomial-size branching programs recognize exactly those languages in NC1
AbstractWe show that any language recognized by an NC1 circuit (fan-in 2, depth O(log n)) can be recognized by a width-5 polynomial-size branching program. As any bounded-width polynomial-size branching program can be simulated by an NC1 circuit, we have that the class of languages recognized by such programs is exactly nonuniform NC1. Further, following Ruzzo (J. Comput. System Sci. 22 (1981), 365–383) and Cook (Inform. and Control 64 (1985) 2–22), if the branching programs are restricted to be ATIME(logn)-uniform, they recognize the same languages as do ATIME(log n)-uniform NC1 circuits, that is, those languages in ATIME(log n). We also extend the method of proof to investigate the complexity of the word problem for a fixed permutation group and show that polynomial size circuits of width 4 also recognize exactly nonuniform NC1
On the Probabilistic Degrees of Symmetric Boolean Functions
The probabilistic degree of a Boolean function f:{0,1}^n -> {0,1} is defined to be the smallest d such that there is a random polynomial P of degree at most d that agrees with f at each point with high probability. Introduced by Razborov (1987), upper and lower bounds on probabilistic degrees of Boolean functions - specifically symmetric Boolean functions - have been used to prove explicit lower bounds, design pseudorandom generators, and devise algorithms for combinatorial problems.
In this paper, we characterize the probabilistic degrees of all symmetric Boolean functions up to polylogarithmic factors over all fields of fixed characteristic (positive or zero)
Logic and the Challenge of Computer Science
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154161/1/39015099114889.pd
Regular Representations of Uniform TC^0
The circuit complexity class DLOGTIME-uniform AC^0 is known to be a modest
subclass of DLOGTIME-uniform TC^0. The weakness of AC^0 is caused by the fact
that AC^0 is not closed under restricting AC^0-computable queries into simple
subsequences of the input. Analogously, in descriptive complexity, the logics
corresponding to DLOGTIME-uniform AC^0 do not have the relativization property
and hence they are not regular. This weakness of DLOGTIME-uniform AC^0 has been
elaborated in the line of research on the Crane Beach Conjecture. The
conjecture (which was refuted by Barrington, Immerman, Lautemann, Schweikardt
and Th{\'e}rien) was that if a language L has a neutral letter, then L can be
defined in first-order logic with the collection of all numerical built-in
relations, if and only if L can be already defined in FO with order.
In the first part of this article we consider logics in the range of AC^0 and
TC^0. First we formulate a combinatorial criterion for a cardinality quantifier
C_S implying that all languages in DLOGTIME-uniform TC^0 can be defined in
FO(C_S). For instance, this criterion is satisfied by C_S if S is the range of
some polynomial with positive integer coefficients of degree at least two. In
the second part of the paper we first adapt the key properties of abstract
logics to accommodate built-in relations. Then we define the regular interior
R-int(L) and regular closure R-cl(L), of a logic L, and show that the Crane
Beach Conjecture can be interpreted as a statement concerning the regular
interior of first-order logic with built-in relations B. We show that if B={+},
or B contains only unary relations besides the order, then R-int(FO_B)
collapses to FO with order. In contrast, our results imply that if B contains
the order and the range of a polynomial of degree at least two, then R-cl(FO_B)
includes all languages in DLOGTIME-uniform TC^0
Definability by constant-depth polynomial-size circuits
A function of boolean arguments is symmetric if its value depends solely on the number of 1's among its arguments. In the first part of this paper we partially characterize those symmetric functions that can be computed by constant-depth polynomial-size sequences of boolean circuits, and discuss the complete characterization. (We treat both uniform and non-uniform sequences of circuits.) Our results imply that these circuits can compute functions that are not definable in first-order logic. In the second part of the paper we generalize from circuits computing symmetric functions to circuits recognizing first-order structures. By imposing fairly natural restrictions we develop a circuit model with precisely the power of first-order logic: a class of structures is first-order definable if and only if it can be recognized by a constant-depth polynomial-time sequence of such circuits.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26084/1/0000160.pd
Bounded-Depth, Polynomial-Size Circuits for Symmetric Functions
Let = {f1, f2,…} be a family of symmetric Boolean functions, where fn has n Boolean variables, for each n⩾ 1. Let μ(n) be the minimum number of variables of fn that each have to be set to constant values so that the resulting function is a constant function. We show that the growth rate of μ(n) completely determines whether or not the family is ‘good’, that is, can be realized by a family of constant-depth, polynomial-size circuits (with unbounded fan-in). Furthermore, if μ(n) ⩽ (log n)k for some k, then the family is good. However, if μ(n) ⩾ nϵ for some ϵ \u3e 0, then the family is not good