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Computational Complexity

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preprint2016arXiv

Clique-Width and Directed Width Measures for Answer-Set Programming

Disjunctive Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a powerful declarative programming paradigm whose main decision problems are located on the second level of the polynomial hierarchy. Identifying tractable fragments and developing efficient algorithms for such fragments are thus important objectives in order to complement the sophisticated ASP systems available to date. Hard problems can become tractable if some problem parameter is bounded by a fixed constant; such problems are then called fixed-parameter tractable (FPT). While several FPT results for ASP exist, parameters that relate to directed or signed graphs representing the program at hand have been neglected so far. In this paper, we first give some negative observations showing that directed width measures on the dependency graph of a program do not lead to FPT results. We then consider the graph parameter of signed clique-width and present a novel dynamic programming algorithm that is FPT w.r.t. this parameter. Clique-width is more general than the well-known treewidth, and, to the best of our knowledge, ours is the first FPT algorithm for bounded clique-width for reasoning problems beyond SAT.

preprint2017arXiv

Optimal Separation in Exact Query Complexities for Simon's Problem

Simon's problem is one of the most important problems demonstrating the power of quantum computers, which achieves a large separation between quantum and classical query complexities. However, Simon's discussion on his problem was limited to bounded-error setting, which means his algorithm can not always get the correct answer. Exact quantum algorithms for Simon's problem have also been proposed, which deterministically solve the problem with O(n) queries. Also the quantum lower bound Ω(n) for Simon's problem is known. Although these algorithms are either complicated or specialized, their results give an O(n) versus Ω(\sqrt{2^{n}}) separation in exact query complexities for Simon's problem (Ω(\sqrt{2^{n}}) is the lower bound for classical probabilistic algorithms), but it has not been proved whether this separation is optimal. In this paper, we propose another exact quantum algorithm for solving Simon's problem with O(n) queries, which is simple, concrete and does not rely on special query oracles. Our algorithm combines Simon's algorithm with the quantum amplitude amplification technique to ensure its determinism. In particular, we show that Simon's

preprint2016arXiv

Backdoors into Heterogeneous Classes of SAT and CSP

In this paper we extend the classical notion of strong and weak backdoor sets for SAT and CSP by allowing that different instantiations of the backdoor variables result in instances that belong to different base classes; the union of the base classes forms a heterogeneous base class. Backdoor sets to heterogeneous base classes can be much smaller than backdoor sets to homogeneous ones, hence they are much more desirable but possibly harder to find. We draw a detailed complexity landscape for the problem of detecting strong and weak backdoor sets into heterogeneous base classes for SAT and CSP.

preprint2001arXiv

Improved Quantum Communication Complexity Bounds for Disjointness and Equality

We prove new bounds on the quantum communication complexity of the disjointness and equality problems. For the case of exact and non-deterministic protocols we show that these complexities are all equal to n+1, the previous best lower bound being n/2. We show this by improving a general bound for non-deterministic protocols of de Wolf. We also give an O(sqrt{n}c^{log^* n})-qubit bounded-error protocol for disjointness, modifying and improving the earlier O(sqrt{n}log n) protocol of Buhrman, Cleve, and Wigderson, and prove an Omega(sqrt{n}) lower bound for a large class of protocols that includes the BCW-protocol as well as our new protocol.

preprint2016arXiv

Inconsistency of the Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice and its effects on the computational complexity

This paper exposes a contradiction in the Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice (ZFC). While Godel's incompleteness theorems state that a consistent system cannot prove its consistency, they do not eliminate proofs using a stronger system or methods that are outside the scope of the system. The paper shows that the cardinalities of infinite sets are uncontrollable and contradictory. The paper then states that Peano arithmetic, or first-order arithmetic, is inconsistent if all of the axioms and axiom schema assumed in the ZFC system are taken as being true, showing that ZFC is inconsistent. The paper then exposes some consequences that are in the scope of the computational complexity theory.

preprint2003arXiv

Quantum Search on Bounded-Error Inputs

Suppose we have n algorithms, quantum or classical, each computing some bit-value with bounded error probability. We describe a quantum algorithm that uses O(sqrt{n}) repetitions of the base algorithms and with high probability finds the index of a 1-bit among these n bits (if there is such an index). This shows that it is not necessary to first significantly reduce the error probability in the base algorithms to O(1/poly(n)) (which would require O(sqrt{n}log n) repetitions in total). Our technique is a recursive interleaving of amplitude amplification and error-reduction, and may be of more general interest. Essentially, it shows that quantum amplitude amplification can be made to work also with a bounded-error verifier. As a corollary we obtain optimal quantum upper bounds of O(sqrt{N}) queries for all constant-depth AND-OR trees on N variables, improving upon earlier upper bounds of O(sqrt{N}polylog(N)).

preprint2017arXiv

On Upper Bounds on the Church-Rosser Theorem

The Church-Rosser theorem in the type-free lambda-calculus is well investigated both for beta-equality and beta-reduction. We provide a new proof of the theorem for beta-equality with no use of parallel reductions, but simply with Takahashi's translation (Gross-Knuth strategy). Based on this, upper bounds for reduction sequences on the theorem are obtained as the fourth level of the Grzegorczyk hierarchy.

preprint2016arXiv

Even $1 \times n$ Edge-Matching and Jigsaw Puzzles are Really Hard

We prove the computational intractability of rotating and placing $n$ square tiles into a $1 \times n$ array such that adjacent tiles are compatible--either equal edge colors, as in edge-matching puzzles, or matching tab/pocket shapes, as in jigsaw puzzles. Beyond basic NP-hardness, we prove that it is NP-hard even to approximately maximize the number of placed tiles (allowing blanks), while satisfying the compatibility constraint between nonblank tiles, within a factor of 0.9999999851. (On the other hand, there is an easy $1 \over 2$-approximation.) This is the first (correct) proof of inapproximability for edge-matching and jigsaw puzzles. Along the way, we prove NP-hardness of distinguishing, for a directed graph on $n$ nodes, between having a Hamiltonian path (length $n-1$) and having at most $0.999999284 (n-1)$ edges that form a vertex-disjoint union of paths. We use this gap hardness and gap-preserving reductions to establish similar gap hardness for $1 \times n$ jigsaw and edge-matching puzzles.

preprint2016arXiv

Complexity-Theoretic Foundations of Quantum Supremacy Experiments

In the near future, there will likely be special-purpose quantum computers with 40-50 high-quality qubits. This paper lays general theoretical foundations for how to use such devices to demonstrate "quantum supremacy": that is, a clear quantum speedup for some task, motivated by the goal of overturning the Extended Church-Turing Thesis as confidently as possible. First, we study the hardness of sampling the output distribution of a random quantum circuit, along the lines of a recent proposal by the the Quantum AI group at Google. We show that there's a natural hardness assumption, which has nothing to do with sampling, yet implies that no efficient classical algorithm can pass a statistical test that the quantum sampling procedure's outputs do pass. Compared to previous work, the central advantage is that we can now talk directly about the observed outputs, rather than about the distribution being sampled. Second, in an attempt to refute our hardness assumption, we give a new algorithm, for simulating a general quantum circuit with n qubits and m gates in polynomial space and m^O(n) time. We then discuss why this and other known algorithms fail to refute our assumpt

preprint2016arXiv

Instruction sequence size complexity of parity

Each Boolean function can be computed by a single-pass instruction sequence that contains only instructions to set and get the content of Boolean registers, forward jump instructions, and a termination instruction. Auxiliary Boolean registers are not necessary for this. In the current paper, we show that, in the case of the parity functions, shorter instruction sequences are possible with the use of an auxiliary Boolean register in the presence of instructions to complement the content of auxiliary Boolean registers. This result supports, in a setting where programs are instruction sequences acting on Boolean registers, a basic intuition behind the storage of auxiliary data, namely the intuition that this makes possible a reduction of the size of a program.

preprint2016arXiv

Network, Popularity and Social Cohesion: A Game-Theoretic Approach

In studies of social dynamics, cohesion refers to a group's tendency to stay in unity, which -- as argued in sociometry -- arises from the network topology of interpersonal ties between members of the group. We follow this idea and propose a game-based model of cohesion that not only relies on the social network, but also reflects individuals' social needs. In particular, our model is a type of cooperative games where players may gain popularity by strategically forming groups. A group is socially cohesive if the grand coalition is core stable. We study social cohesion in some special types of graphs and draw a link between social cohesion and the classical notion of structural cohesion. We then focus on the problem of deciding whether a given social network is socially cohesive and show that this problem is CoNP-complete. Nevertheless, we give two efficient heuristics for coalition structures where players enjoy high popularity and experimentally evaluate their performances.

preprint2016arXiv

Complexity of Rainbow Vertex Connectivity Problems for Restricted Graph Classes

A path in a vertex-colored graph $G$ is \emph{vertex rainbow} if all of its internal vertices have a distinct color. The graph $G$ is said to be \emph{rainbow vertex connected} if there is a vertex rainbow path between every pair of its vertices. Similarly, the graph $G$ is \emph{strongly rainbow vertex connected} if there is a shortest path which is vertex rainbow between every pair of its vertices. We consider the complexity of deciding if a given vertex-colored graph is rainbow or strongly rainbow vertex connected. We call these problems \probRvc and \probSrvc, respectively. We prove both problems remain NP-complete on very restricted graph classes including bipartite planar graphs of maximum degree 3, interval graphs, and $k$-regular graphs for $k \geq 3$. We settle precisely the complexity of both problems from the viewpoint of two width parameters: pathwidth and tree-depth. More precisely, we show both problems remain NP-complete for bounded pathwidth graphs, while being fixed-parameter tractable parameterized by tree-depth. Moreover, we show both problems are solvable in polynomial time for block graphs, while \probSrvc is tractable for cactus graphs and split graphs.

preprint2016arXiv

Nondeterministic unitary OBDDs

We investigate the width complexity of nondeterministic unitary OBDDs (NUOBDDs). Firstly, we present a generic lower bound on their widths based on the size of strong 1-fooling sets. Then, we present classically cheap functions that are expensive for NUOBDDs and vice versa by improving the previous gap. We also present a function for which neither classical nor unitary nondeterminism does help. Moreover, based on our results, we present a width hierarchy for NUOBDDs. Lastly, we provide the bounds on the widths of NUOBDDs for the basic Boolean operations negation, union, and intersection.

preprint2016arXiv

Cube vs. Cube Low Degree Test

We revisit the Raz-Safra plane-vs.-plane test and study the closely related cube vs. cube test. In this test the tester has access to a "cubes table" which assigns to every cube a low degree polynomial. The tester randomly selects two cubes (affine sub-spaces of dimension $3$) that intersect on a point $x\in \mathbf{F}^m$, and checks that the assignments to the cubes agree with each other on the point $x$. Our main result is a new combinatorial proof for a low degree test that comes closer to the soundness limit, as it works for all $ε\ge poly(d)/{\mathbf{F}}^{1/2}$, where $d$ is the degree. This should be compared to the previously best soundness value of $ε\ge poly(m, d)/\mathbf{F}^{1/8}$. Our soundness limit improves upon the dependence on the field size and does not depend on the dimension of the ambient space. Our proof is combinatorial and direct: unlike the Raz-Safra proof, it proceeds in one shot and does not require induction on the dimension of the ambient space. The ideas in our proof come from works on direct product testing which are even simpler in the current setting thanks to the low degree. Along the way we also prove a somewhat surprising fact about connec

preprint2016arXiv

Counting Answer Sets via Dynamic Programming

While the solution counting problem for propositional satisfiability (#SAT) has received renewed attention in recent years, this research trend has not affected other AI solving paradigms like answer set programming (ASP). Although ASP solvers are designed to enumerate all solutions, and counting can therefore be easily done, the involved materialization of all solutions is a clear bottleneck for the counting problem of ASP (#ASP). In this paper we propose dynamic programming-based #ASP algorithms that exploit the structure of the underlying (ground) ASP program. Experimental results for a prototype implementation show promise when compared to existing solvers.

preprint2016arXiv

Supercritical Space-Width Trade-offs for Resolution

We show that there are CNF formulas which can be refuted in resolution in both small space and small width, but for which any small-width proof must have space exceeding by far the linear worst-case upper bound. This significantly strengthens the space-width trade-offs in [Ben-Sasson '09]}, and provides one more example of trade-offs in the "supercritical" regime above worst case recently identified by [Razborov '16]. We obtain our results by using Razborov's new hardness condensation technique and combining it with the space lower bounds in [Ben-Sasson and Nordstrom '08].

preprint2016arXiv

An Improved Homomorphism Preservation Theorem From Lower Bounds in Circuit Complexity

Previous work of the author [39] showed that the Homomorphism Preservation Theorem of classical model theory remains valid when its statement is restricted to finite structures. In this paper, we give a new proof of this result via a reduction to lower bounds in circuit complexity, specifically on the AC$^0$ formula size of the colored subgraph isomorphism problem. Formally, we show the following: if a first-order sentence $Φ$ of quantifier-rank $k$ is preserved under homomorphisms on finite structures, then it is equivalent on finite structures to an existential-positive sentence $Ψ$ of quantifier-rank $k^{O(1)}$. Quantitatively, this improves the result of [39], where the upper bound on the quantifier-rank of $Ψ$ is a non-elementary function of $k$.

preprint2016arXiv

Subquadratic Algorithms for Succinct Stable Matching

We consider the stable matching problem when the preference lists are not given explicitly but are represented in a succinct way and ask whether the problem becomes computationally easier and investigate other implications. We give subquadratic algorithms for finding a stable matching in special cases of natural succinct representations of the problem, the $d$-attribute, $d$-list, geometric, and single-peaked models. We also present algorithms for verifying a stable matching in the same models. We further show that for $d = ω(\log n)$ both finding and verifying a stable matching in the $d$-attribute and $d$-dimensional geometric models requires quadratic time assuming the Strong Exponential Time Hypothesis. This suggests that these succinct models are not significantly simpler computationally than the general case for sufficiently large $d$.

preprint2016arXiv

Relativizing an incompressible number and an incompressible function through subrecursive extensions of Turing machines

We show in this article that uncomputability is also a relative property of subrecursive classes built on a recursive relative incompressible function, which acts as a higher-order "yardstick" of irreducible information for the respective subrecursive class. We define the concept of a Turing submachine, and a recursive relative version for the Busy Beaver function and for the halting probability (or Chaitin's constant) Omega; respectively the Busy Beaver Plus (BBP) function and a time-bounded halting probability. Therefore, we prove that the computable BBP function defined on any Turing submachine is neither computable nor compressible by any program running on this submachine. In addition, we build a Turing submachine that can use lower approximations to its own time-bounded halting probability to calculate the values of its Busy Beaver Plus function, in the "same" manner that universal Turing machines use approximations to Omega to calculate Busy Beaver values. Thus, the algorithmic information carried by the BBP function is relatively incompressible (and uncomputable) at the same time that it still is occasionally reached by submachines. We point that this ph

preprint2012arXiv

Finding vertex-surjective graph homomorphisms

The Surjective Homomorphism problem is to test whether a given graph G called the guest graph allows a vertex-surjective homomorphism to some other given graph H called the host graph. The bijective and injective homomorphism problems can be formulated in terms of spanning subgraphs and subgraphs, and as such their computational complexity has been extensively studied. What about the surjective variant? Because this problem is NP-complete in general, we restrict the guest and the host graph to belong to graph classes G and H, respectively. We determine to what extent a certain choice of G and H influences its computational complexity. We observe that the problem is polynomial-time solvable if H is the class of paths, whereas it is NP-complete if G is the class of paths. Moreover, we show that the problem is even NP-complete on many other elementary graph classes, namely linear forests, unions of complete graphs, cographs, proper interval graphs, split graphs and trees of pathwidth at most 2. In contrast, we prove that the problem is fixed-parameter tractable in k if G is the class of trees and H is the class of trees with at most k leaves, or if G and H are equal to the class of gr

preprint2016arXiv

Similarity preserving compressions of high dimensional sparse data

The rise of internet has resulted in an explosion of data consisting of millions of articles, images, songs, and videos. Most of this data is high dimensional and sparse. The need to perform an efficient search for similar objects in such high dimensional big datasets is becoming increasingly common. Even with the rapid growth in computing power, the brute-force search for such a task is impractical and at times impossible. Therefore it is quite natural to investigate the techniques that compress the dimension of the data-set while preserving the similarity between data objects. In this work, we propose an efficient compression scheme mapping binary vectors into binary vectors and simultaneously preserving Hamming distance and Inner Product. The length of our compression depends only on the sparsity and is independent of the dimension of the data. Moreover our schemes provide one-shot solution for Hamming distance and Inner Product, and work in the streaming setting as well. In contrast with the "local projection" strategies used by most of the previous schemes, our scheme combines (using sparsity) the following two strategies: $1.$ Partitioning the dimensions into several

preprint2013arXiv

An Almost Sudden Jump in Quantum Complexity

The Quantum Satisfiability problem (QSAT) is the generalization of the canonical NP-complete problem - Boolean Satisfiability. (k,s)-QSAT is the following variant of the problem: given a set of projectors of rank 1, acting non-trivially on k qubits out of n qubits, such that each qubit appears in at most s projectors, decide whether there exists a quantum state in the null space of all the projectors. Let f*(k) be the maximal integer s such that every (k,s)-QSAT instance is satisfiable. Deciding (k,f*(k))-QSAT is computationally easy: by definition the answer is "satisfiable". But, by relaxing the conditions slightly, we show that (k,f*(k)+2)-QSAT is QMA_1-hard, for k >=15. This is a quantum analogue of a classical result by Kratochvíl et al. [KST93]. We use the term "an almost sudden jump" to stress that the complexity of (k,f*(k)+1)-QSAT is open, where the jump in the classical complexity is known to be sudden. We present an implication of this finding to the quantum PCP conjecture, arguably one of the most important open problems in the field of Hamiltonian complexity. Our implications impose constraints on one possible way to refute the quantum PCP.

preprint2016arXiv

Separating Sets of Strings by Finding Matching Patterns is Almost Always Hard

We study the complexity of the problem of searching for a set of patterns that separate two given sets of strings. This problem has applications in a wide variety of areas, most notably in data mining, computational biology, and in understanding the complexity of genetic algorithms. We show that the basic problem of finding a small set of patterns that match one set of strings but do not match any string in a second set is difficult (NP-complete, W[2]-hard when parameterized by the size of the pattern set, and APX-hard). We then perform a detailed parameterized analysis of the problem, separating tractable and intractable variants. In particular we show that parameterizing by the size of pattern set and the number of strings, and the size of the alphabet and the number of strings give FPT results, amongst others.

preprint2016arXiv

Matrix multiplication algorithms from group orbits

We show how to construct highly symmetric algorithms for matrix multiplication. In particular, we consider algorithms which decompose the matrix multiplication tensor into a sum of rank-1 tensors, where the decomposition itself consists of orbits under some finite group action. We show how to use the representation theory of the corresponding group to derive simple constraints on the decomposition, which we solve by hand for n=2,3,4,5, recovering Strassen's algorithm (in a particularly symmetric form) and new algorithms for larger n. While these new algorithms do not improve the known upper bounds on tensor rank or the matrix multiplication exponent, they are beautiful in their own right, and we point out modifications of this idea that could plausibly lead to further improvements. Our constructions also suggest further patterns that could be mined for new algorithms, including a tantalizing connection with lattices. In particular, using lattices we give the most transparent proof to date of Strassen's algorithm; the same proof works for all n, to yield a decomposition with $n^3 - n + 1$ terms.

535 works