Tighter MA/1 Circuit Lower Bounds from Verifier Efficient PCPs for PSPACE

Authors Joshua Cook , Dana Moshkovitz



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Joshua Cook
  • Department of Computer Science, University of Texas Austin, TX, USA
Dana Moshkovitz
  • Department of Computer Science, University of Texas Austin, TX, USA

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Joshua Cook and Dana Moshkovitz. Tighter MA/1 Circuit Lower Bounds from Verifier Efficient PCPs for PSPACE. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 275, pp. 55:1-55:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023) https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.55

Abstract

We prove that for some constant a > 1, for all k ≤ a, MATIME[n^{k+o(1)}]/1 ⊄ SIZE[O(n^k)], for some specific o(1) function. This is a super linear polynomial circuit lower bound.
Previously, Santhanam [Santhanam, 2007] showed that there exists a constant c > 1 such that for all k > 1: MATIME[n^{ck}]/1 ⊄ SIZE[O(n^k)]. Inherently to Santhanam’s proof, c is a large constant and there is no upper bound on c. Using ideas from Murray and Williams [Murray and Williams, 2018], one can show for all k > 1: MATIME [n^{10 k²}]/1 ⊄ SIZE[O(n^k)].
To prove this result, we construct the first PCP for SPACE[n] with quasi-linear verifier time: our PCP has a Õ(n) time verifier, Õ(n) space prover, O(log(n)) queries, and polynomial alphabet size. Prior to this work, PCPs for SPACE[O(n)] had verifiers that run in Ω(n²) time. This PCP also proves that NE has MIP verifiers which run in time Õ(n).

Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Theory of computation → Complexity classes
  • Theory of computation → Circuit complexity
  • Theory of computation → Interactive proof systems
Keywords
  • MA
  • PCP
  • Circuit Complexity

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