On Gaussian approximation for entropy-regularized Q-learning with function approximation

preprint2026arXivOpen access

Abstract

In this paper, we derive rates of convergence in the high-dimensional central limit theorem for Polyak--Ruppert averaged iterates generated by entropy-regularized asynchronous Q-learning with linear function approximation and a polynomial stepsize k−ωk^{-ω}, ω∈(1/2,1)ω\in (1/2,1). Assuming that the sequence of observed triples (sk,ak,sk+1)k≥0(s_k,a_k,s_{k+1})_{k \geq 0} forms a uniformly geometrically ergodic Markov chain, and under suitable regularity conditions for the projected soft Bellman equation, we establish a Gaussian approximation bound in the convex distance with rate of order n−1/4n^{-1/4}, up to polylogarithmic factors in nn, where nn is the number of samples used by the algorithm. To obtain this result, we combine a linearization of the soft Bellman recursion with a Gaussian approximation for the leading martingale term. Finally, we derive high-order moment bounds for the algorithm's last iterate, which might be of independent interest.

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