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Documents authored by Kabanets, Valentine

Document
RANDOM
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2024.51
Consequences of Randomized Reductions from SAT to Time-Bounded Kolmogorov Complexity

Authors: Halley Goldberg and Valentine Kabanets

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 317, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2024)

Abstract
A central open question within meta-complexity is that of NP-hardness of problems such as MCSP and MK^{t}P. Despite a large body of work giving consequences of and barriers for NP-hardness of these problems under (restricted) deterministic reductions, very little is known in the setting of randomized reductions. In this work, we give consequences of randomized NP-hardness reductions for both approximating and exactly computing time-bounded and time-unbounded Kolmogorov complexity. In the setting of approximate K^{poly} complexity, our results are as follows. 1) Under a derandomization assumption, for any constant δ > 0, if approximating K^t complexity within n^{δ} additive error is hard for SAT under an honest randomized non-adaptive Turing reduction running in time polynomially less than t, then NP = coNP. 2) Under the same assumptions, the worst-case hardness of NP is equivalent to the existence of one-way functions. Item 1 above may be compared with a recent work of Saks and Santhanam [Michael E. Saks and Rahul Santhanam, 2022], which makes the same assumptions except with ω(log n) additive error, obtaining the conclusion NE = coNE. In the setting of exact K^{poly} complexity, where the barriers of Item 1 and [Michael E. Saks and Rahul Santhanam, 2022] do not apply, we show: 3) If computing K^t complexity is hard for SAT under reductions as in Item 1, then the average-case hardness of NP is equivalent to the existence of one-way functions. That is, "Pessiland" is excluded. Finally, we give consequences of NP-hardness of exact time-unbounded Kolmogorov complexity under randomized reductions. 4) If computing Kolmogorov complexity is hard for SAT under a randomized many-one reduction running in time t_R and with failure probability at most 1/(t_R)^16, then coNP is contained in non-interactive statistical zero-knowledge; thus NP ⊆ coAM. Also, the worst-case hardness of NP is equivalent to the existence of one-way functions. We further exploit the connection to NISZK along with a previous work of Allender et al. [Eric Allender et al., 2023] to show that hardness of K complexity under randomized many-one reductions is highly robust with respect to failure probability, approximation error, output length, and threshold parameter.
Cite as

Halley Goldberg and Valentine Kabanets. Consequences of Randomized Reductions from SAT to Time-Bounded Kolmogorov Complexity. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 317, pp. 51:1-51:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{goldberg_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2024.51,
  author =	{Goldberg, Halley and Kabanets, Valentine},
  title =	{{Consequences of Randomized Reductions from SAT to Time-Bounded Kolmogorov Complexity}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2024)},
  pages =	{51:1--51:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-348-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{317},
  editor =	{Kumar, Amit and Ron-Zewi, Noga},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2024.51},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-210444},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2024.51},
  annote =	{Keywords: Meta-complexity, Randomized reductions, NP-hardness, Worst-case complexity, Time-bounded Kolmogorov complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.29
Exact Search-To-Decision Reductions for Time-Bounded Kolmogorov Complexity

Authors: Shuichi Hirahara, Valentine Kabanets, Zhenjian Lu, and Igor C. Oliveira

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 300, 39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024)

Abstract
A search-to-decision reduction is a procedure that allows one to find a solution to a problem from the mere ability to decide when a solution exists. The existence of a search-to-decision reduction for time-bounded Kolmogorov complexity, i.e., the problem of checking if a string x can be generated by a t-time bounded program of description length s, is a long-standing open problem that dates back to the 1960s. In this work, we obtain new average-case and worst-case search-to-decision reductions for the complexity measure 𝖪^t and its randomized analogue rK^t: 1) (Conditional Errorless and Error-Prone Reductions for 𝖪^t) Under the assumption that 𝖤 requires exponential size circuits, we design polynomial-time average-case search-to-decision reductions for 𝖪^t in both errorless and error-prone settings. In fact, under the easiness of deciding 𝖪^t under the uniform distribution, we obtain a search algorithm for any given polynomial-time samplable distribution. In the error-prone reduction, the search algorithm works in the more general setting of conditional 𝖪^t complexity, i.e., it finds a minimum length t-time bound program for generating x given a string y. 2) (Unconditional Errorless Reduction for rK^t) We obtain an unconditional polynomial-time average-case search-to-decision reduction for rK^t in the errorless setting. Similarly to the results described above, we obtain a search algorithm for each polynomial-time samplable distribution, assuming the existence of a decision algorithm under the uniform distribution. To our knowledge, this is the first unconditional sub-exponential time search-to-decision reduction among the measures 𝖪^t and rK^t that works with respect to any given polynomial-time samplable distribution. 3) (Worst-Case to Average-Case Reductions) Under the errorless average-case easiness of deciding rK^t, we design a worst-case search algorithm running in time 2^O(n/log n) that produces a minimum length randomized t-time program for every input string x ∈ {0,1}ⁿ, with the caveat that it only succeeds on some explicitly computed sub-exponential time bound t ≤ 2^{n^ε} that depends on x. A similar result holds for 𝖪^t, under the assumption that 𝖤 requires exponential size circuits. In these results, the corresponding search problem is solved exactly, i.e., a successful run of the search algorithm outputs a t-time bounded program for x of minimum length, as opposed to an approximately optimal program of slightly larger description length or running time.
Cite as

Shuichi Hirahara, Valentine Kabanets, Zhenjian Lu, and Igor C. Oliveira. Exact Search-To-Decision Reductions for Time-Bounded Kolmogorov Complexity. In 39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 300, pp. 29:1-29:56, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{hirahara_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2024.29,
  author =	{Hirahara, Shuichi and Kabanets, Valentine and Lu, Zhenjian and Oliveira, Igor C.},
  title =	{{Exact Search-To-Decision Reductions for Time-Bounded Kolmogorov Complexity}},
  booktitle =	{39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024)},
  pages =	{29:1--29:56},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-331-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{300},
  editor =	{Santhanam, Rahul},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.29},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-204256},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.29},
  annote =	{Keywords: average-case complexity, Kolmogorov complexity, search-to-decision reductions}
}
Document
RANDOM
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.31
Synergy Between Circuit Obfuscation and Circuit Minimization

Authors: Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Ilya Volkovich

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 275, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2023)

Abstract
We study close connections between Indistinguishability Obfuscation (IO) and the Minimum Circuit Size Problem (MCSP), and argue that efficient algorithms/construction for MCSP and IO create a synergy. Some of our main results are: - If there exists a perfect (imperfect) IO that is computationally secure against nonuniform polynomial-size circuits, then for all k ∈ ℕ: NP ∩ ZPP^{MCSP} ⊈ SIZE[n^k] (MA ∩ ZPP^{MCSP} ⊈ SIZE[n^k]). - In addition, if there exists a perfect IO that is computationally secure against nonuniform polynomial-size circuits, then NEXP ∩ ZPEXP^{MCSP} ⊈ P/poly. - If MCSP ∈ BPP, then statistical security and computational security for IO are equivalent. - If computationally-secure perfect IO exists, then MCSP ∈ BPP iff NP = ZPP. - If computationally-secure perfect IO exists, then ZPEXP ≠ BPP. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first consequence of strong circuit lower bounds from the existence of an IO. The results are obtained via a construction of an optimal universal distinguisher, computable in randomized polynomial time with access to the MCSP oracle, that will distinguish any two circuit-samplable distributions with the advantage that is the statistical distance between these two distributions minus some negligible error term. This is our main technical contribution. As another immediate application, we get a simple proof of the result by Allender and Das (Inf. Comput., 2017) that SZK ⊆ BPP^{MCSP}.
Cite as

Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Ilya Volkovich. Synergy Between Circuit Obfuscation and Circuit Minimization. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 275, pp. 31:1-31:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@InProceedings{impagliazzo_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.31,
  author =	{Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Volkovich, Ilya},
  title =	{{Synergy Between Circuit Obfuscation and Circuit Minimization}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2023)},
  pages =	{31:1--31:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-296-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{275},
  editor =	{Megow, Nicole and Smith, Adam},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.31},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-188569},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2023.31},
  annote =	{Keywords: Minimal Circuit Size Problem (MCSP), Circuit Lower Bounds, Complexity Classes, Indistinguishability Obfuscation, Separation of Classes, Statistical Distance}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2023.12
Improved Learning from Kolmogorov Complexity

Authors: Halley Goldberg and Valentine Kabanets

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 264, 38th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2023)

Abstract
Carmosino, Impagliazzo, Kabanets, and Kolokolova (CCC, 2016) showed that the existence of natural properties in the sense of Razborov and Rudich (JCSS, 1997) implies PAC learning algorithms in the sense of Valiant (Comm. ACM, 1984), for boolean functions in P/poly, under the uniform distribution and with membership queries. It is still an open problem to get from natural properties learning algorithms that do not rely on membership queries but rather use randomly drawn labeled examples. Natural properties may be understood as an average-case version of MCSP, the problem of deciding the minimum size of a circuit computing a given truth-table. Problems related to MCSP include those concerning time-bounded Kolmogorov complexity. MKTP, for example, asks for the KT-complexity of a given string. KT-complexity is a relaxation of circuit size, as it does away with the requirement that a short description of a string be interpreted as a boolean circuit. In this work, under assumptions of MKTP and the related problem MK^tP being easy on average, we get learning algorithms for boolean functions in P/poly that - work over any distribution D samplable by a family of polynomial-size circuits (given explicitly in the case of MKTP), - only use randomly drawn labeled examples from D, and - are agnostic (do not require the target function to belong to the hypothesis class). Our results build upon the recent work of Hirahara and Nanashima (FOCS, 2021) who showed similar learning consequences but under a stronger assumption that NP is easy on average.
Cite as

Halley Goldberg and Valentine Kabanets. Improved Learning from Kolmogorov Complexity. In 38th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 264, pp. 12:1-12:29, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@InProceedings{goldberg_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2023.12,
  author =	{Goldberg, Halley and Kabanets, Valentine},
  title =	{{Improved Learning from Kolmogorov Complexity}},
  booktitle =	{38th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2023)},
  pages =	{12:1--12:29},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-282-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{264},
  editor =	{Ta-Shma, Amnon},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2023.12},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-182825},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2023.12},
  annote =	{Keywords: learning, Kolmogorov complexity, meta-complexity, average-case complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagRep.12.9.41
Algebraic and Analytic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 22371)

Authors: Markus Bläser, Valentine Kabanets, Ronen Shaltiel, and Jacobo Torán

Published in: Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 12, Issue 9 (2023)

Abstract
This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 2237 "Algebraic and Analytic Methods in Computational Complexity". Computational Complexity is concerned with the resources that are required for algorithms to detect properties of combinatorial objects and structures. It has often proven true that the best way to argue about these combinatorial objects is by establishing a connection (perhaps approximate) to a more well-behaved algebraic setting. Beside algebraic methods, analytic methods have been used for quite some time in theoretical computer science. These methods can also be used to solve algebraic problems as show by many recent examples in the areas of derandomization, coding theory or circuit lower bounds. These new directions were in the focus of the Dagstuhl Seminar and reflect the developments in the field since the previous Dagstuhl Seminar 18391. This Dagstuhl Seminar brought together researchers who are using a diverse array of algebraic and analytic methods in a variety of settings. Researchers in these areas are relying on ever more sophisticated and specialized mathematics and this seminar played a role in educating a diverse community about the latest new techniques, spurring further progress.
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Markus Bläser, Valentine Kabanets, Ronen Shaltiel, and Jacobo Torán. Algebraic and Analytic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 22371). In Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 12, Issue 9, pp. 41-59, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@Article{blaser_et_al:DagRep.12.9.41,
  author =	{Bl\"{a}ser, Markus and Kabanets, Valentine and Shaltiel, Ronen and Tor\'{a}n, Jacobo},
  title =	{{Algebraic and Analytic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 22371)}},
  pages =	{41--59},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Reports},
  ISSN =	{2192-5283},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{12},
  number =	{9},
  editor =	{Bl\"{a}ser, Markus and Kabanets, Valentine and Shaltiel, Ronen and Tor\'{a}n, Jacobo},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagRep.12.9.41},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-178092},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagRep.12.9.41},
  annote =	{Keywords: (de-)randomization, algebra, circuits, coding, computational complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2022.16
Probabilistic Kolmogorov Complexity with Applications to Average-Case Complexity

Authors: Halley Goldberg, Valentine Kabanets, Zhenjian Lu, and Igor C. Oliveira

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 234, 37th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2022)

Abstract
Understanding the relationship between the worst-case and average-case complexities of NP and of other subclasses of PH is a long-standing problem in complexity theory. Over the last few years, much progress has been achieved in this front through the investigation of meta-complexity: the complexity of problems that refer to the complexity of the input string x (e.g., given a string x, estimate its time-bounded Kolmogorov complexity). In particular, [Shuichi Hirahara, 2021] employed techniques from meta-complexity to show that if DistNP ⊆ AvgP then UP ⊆ DTIME[2^{O(n/log n)}]. While this and related results [Shuichi Hirahara and Mikito Nanashima, 2021; Lijie Chen et al., 2022] offer exciting progress after a long gap, they do not survive in the setting of randomized computations: roughly speaking, "randomness" is the opposite of "structure", and upper bounding the amount of structure (time-bounded Kolmogorov complexity) of different objects is crucial in recent applications of meta-complexity. This limitation is significant, since randomized computations are ubiquitous in algorithm design and give rise to a more robust theory of average-case complexity [Russell Impagliazzo and Leonid A. Levin, 1990]. In this work, we develop a probabilistic theory of meta-complexity, by incorporating randomness into the notion of complexity of a string x. This is achieved through a new probabilistic variant of time-bounded Kolmogorov complexity that we call pK^t complexity. Informally, pK^t(x) measures the complexity of x when shared randomness is available to all parties involved in a computation. By porting key results from meta-complexity to the probabilistic domain of pK^t complexity and its variants, we are able to establish new connections between worst-case and average-case complexity in the important setting of probabilistic computations: - If DistNP ⊆ AvgBPP, then UP ⊆ RTIME[2^O(n/log n)]. - If DistΣ^P_2 ⊆ AvgBPP, then AM ⊆ BPTIME[2^O(n/log n)]. - In the fine-grained setting [Lijie Chen et al., 2022], we get UTIME[2^O(√{nlog n})] ⊆ RTIME[2^O(√{nlog n})] and AMTIME[2^O(√{nlog n})] ⊆ BPTIME[2^O(√{nlog n})] from stronger average-case assumptions. - If DistPH ⊆ AvgBPP, then PH ⊆ BPTIME[2^O(n/log n)]. Specifically, for any 𝓁 ≥ 0, if DistΣ_{𝓁+2}^P ⊆ AvgBPP then Σ_𝓁^{P} ⊆ BPTIME[2^O(n/log n)]. - Strengthening a result from [Shuichi Hirahara and Mikito Nanashima, 2021], we show that if DistNP ⊆ AvgBPP then polynomial size Boolean circuits can be agnostically PAC learned under any unknown 𝖯/poly-samplable distribution in polynomial time. In some cases, our framework allows us to significantly simplify existing proofs, or to extend results to the more challenging probabilistic setting with little to no extra effort.
Cite as

Halley Goldberg, Valentine Kabanets, Zhenjian Lu, and Igor C. Oliveira. Probabilistic Kolmogorov Complexity with Applications to Average-Case Complexity. In 37th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 234, pp. 16:1-16:60, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{goldberg_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2022.16,
  author =	{Goldberg, Halley and Kabanets, Valentine and Lu, Zhenjian and Oliveira, Igor C.},
  title =	{{Probabilistic Kolmogorov Complexity with Applications to Average-Case Complexity}},
  booktitle =	{37th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2022)},
  pages =	{16:1--16:60},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-241-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{234},
  editor =	{Lovett, Shachar},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2022.16},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-165785},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2022.16},
  annote =	{Keywords: average-case complexity, Kolmogorov complexity, meta-complexity, worst-case to average-case reductions, learning}
}
Document
Complete Volume
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2021
LIPIcs, Volume 200, CCC 2021, Complete Volume

Authors: Valentine Kabanets

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 200, 36th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2021)

Abstract
LIPIcs, Volume 200, CCC 2021, Complete Volume
Cite as

36th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 200, pp. 1-1290, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@Proceedings{kabanets:LIPIcs.CCC.2021,
  title =	{{LIPIcs, Volume 200, CCC 2021, Complete Volume}},
  booktitle =	{36th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2021)},
  pages =	{1--1290},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-193-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{200},
  editor =	{Kabanets, Valentine},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2021},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-142732},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2021},
  annote =	{Keywords: LIPIcs, Volume 200, CCC 2021, Complete Volume}
}
Document
Front Matter
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2021.0
Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization

Authors: Valentine Kabanets

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 200, 36th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2021)

Abstract
Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization
Cite as

36th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 200, pp. 0:i-0:xvi, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@InProceedings{kabanets:LIPIcs.CCC.2021.0,
  author =	{Kabanets, Valentine},
  title =	{{Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization}},
  booktitle =	{36th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2021)},
  pages =	{0:i--0:xvi},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-193-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{200},
  editor =	{Kabanets, Valentine},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2021.0},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-142745},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2021.0},
  annote =	{Keywords: Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization}
}
Document
Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2021.44
Lifting for Constant-Depth Circuits and Applications to MCSP

Authors: Marco Carmosino, Kenneth Hoover, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 198, 48th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2021)

Abstract
Lifting arguments show that the complexity of a function in one model is essentially that of a related function (often the composition of the original function with a small function called a gadget) in a more powerful model. Lifting has been used to prove strong lower bounds in communication complexity, proof complexity, circuit complexity and many other areas. We present a lifting construction for constant depth unbounded fan-in circuits. Given a function f, we construct a function g, so that the depth d+1 circuit complexity of g, with a certain restriction on bottom fan-in, is controlled by the depth d circuit complexity of f, with the same restriction. The function g is defined as f composed with a parity function. With some quantitative losses, average-case and general depth-d circuit complexity can be reduced to circuit complexity with this bottom fan-in restriction. As a consequence, an algorithm to approximate the depth d (for any d > 3) circuit complexity of given (truth tables of) Boolean functions yields an algorithm for approximating the depth 3 circuit complexity of functions, i.e., there are quasi-polynomial time mapping reductions between various gap-versions of AC⁰-MCSP. Our lifting results rely on a blockwise switching lemma that may be of independent interest. We also show some barriers on improving the efficiency of our reductions: such improvements would yield either surprisingly efficient algorithms for MCSP or stronger than known AC⁰ circuit lower bounds.
Cite as

Marco Carmosino, Kenneth Hoover, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova. Lifting for Constant-Depth Circuits and Applications to MCSP. In 48th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 198, pp. 44:1-44:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@InProceedings{carmosino_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2021.44,
  author =	{Carmosino, Marco and Hoover, Kenneth and Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Kolokolova, Antonina},
  title =	{{Lifting for Constant-Depth Circuits and Applications to MCSP}},
  booktitle =	{48th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2021)},
  pages =	{44:1--44:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-195-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{198},
  editor =	{Bansal, Nikhil and Merelli, Emanuela and Worrell, James},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2021.44},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-141135},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2021.44},
  annote =	{Keywords: circuit complexity, constant-depth circuits, lifting theorems, Minimum Circuit Size Problem, reductions, Switching Lemma}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2020.15
Algorithms and Lower Bounds for De Morgan Formulas of Low-Communication Leaf Gates

Authors: Valentine Kabanets, Sajin Koroth, Zhenjian Lu, Dimitrios Myrisiotis, and Igor C. Oliveira

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 169, 35th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2020)

Abstract
The class 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖴𝖫𝖠[s]∘𝒢 consists of Boolean functions computable by size-s de Morgan formulas whose leaves are any Boolean functions from a class 𝒢. We give lower bounds and (SAT, Learning, and PRG) algorithms for FORMULA[n^{1.99}]∘𝒢, for classes 𝒢 of functions with low communication complexity. Let R^(k)(𝒢) be the maximum k-party number-on-forehead randomized communication complexity of a function in 𝒢. Among other results, we show that: - The Generalized Inner Product function 𝖦𝖨𝖯^k_n cannot be computed in 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖴𝖫𝖠[s]∘𝒢 on more than 1/2+ε fraction of inputs for s = o(n²/{(k⋅4^k⋅R^(k)(𝒢)⋅log (n/ε)⋅log(1/ε))²}). This significantly extends the lower bounds against bipartite formulas obtained by [Avishay Tal, 2017]. As a corollary, we get an average-case lower bound for 𝖦𝖨𝖯^k_n against 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖴𝖫𝖠[n^{1.99}]∘𝖯𝖳𝖥^{k-1}, i.e., sub-quadratic-size de Morgan formulas with degree-(k-1) PTF (polynomial threshold function) gates at the bottom. - There is a PRG of seed length n/2 + O(√s⋅R^(2)(𝒢)⋅log(s/ε)⋅log(1/ε)) that ε-fools FORMULA[s]∘𝒢. For the special case of FORMULA[s]∘𝖫𝖳𝖥, i.e., size-s formulas with LTF (linear threshold function) gates at the bottom, we get the better seed length O(n^{1/2}⋅s^{1/4}⋅log(n)⋅log(n/ε)). In particular, this provides the first non-trivial PRG (with seed length o(n)) for intersections of n half-spaces in the regime where ε ≤ 1/n, complementing a recent result of [Ryan O'Donnell et al., 2019]. - There exists a randomized 2^{n-t}-time #SAT algorithm for 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖴𝖫𝖠[s]∘𝒢, where t = Ω(n/{√s⋅log²(s)⋅R^(2)(𝒢)})^{1/2}. In particular, this implies a nontrivial #SAT algorithm for 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖴𝖫𝖠[n^1.99]∘𝖫𝖳𝖥. - The Minimum Circuit Size Problem is not in 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖴𝖫𝖠[n^1.99]∘𝖷𝖮𝖱; thereby making progress on hardness magnification, in connection with results from [Igor Carboni Oliveira et al., 2019; Lijie Chen et al., 2019]. On the algorithmic side, we show that the concept class 𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖬𝖴𝖫𝖠[n^1.99]∘𝖷𝖮𝖱 can be PAC-learned in time 2^O(n/log n).
Cite as

Valentine Kabanets, Sajin Koroth, Zhenjian Lu, Dimitrios Myrisiotis, and Igor C. Oliveira. Algorithms and Lower Bounds for De Morgan Formulas of Low-Communication Leaf Gates. In 35th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2020). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 169, pp. 15:1-15:41, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)

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@InProceedings{kabanets_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2020.15,
  author =	{Kabanets, Valentine and Koroth, Sajin and Lu, Zhenjian and Myrisiotis, Dimitrios and Oliveira, Igor C.},
  title =	{{Algorithms and Lower Bounds for De Morgan Formulas of Low-Communication Leaf Gates}},
  booktitle =	{35th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2020)},
  pages =	{15:1--15:41},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-156-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{169},
  editor =	{Saraf, Shubhangi},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2020.15},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-125673},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2020.15},
  annote =	{Keywords: de Morgan formulas, circuit lower bounds, satisfiability (SAT), pseudorandom generators (PRGs), learning, communication complexity, polynomial threshold functions (PTFs), parities}
}
Document
Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.39
Circuit Lower Bounds for MCSP from Local Pseudorandom Generators

Authors: Mahdi Cheraghchi, Valentine Kabanets, Zhenjian Lu, and Dimitrios Myrisiotis

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 132, 46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019)

Abstract
The Minimum Circuit Size Problem (MCSP) asks if a given truth table of a Boolean function f can be computed by a Boolean circuit of size at most theta, for a given parameter theta. We improve several circuit lower bounds for MCSP, using pseudorandom generators (PRGs) that are local; a PRG is called local if its output bit strings, when viewed as the truth table of a Boolean function, can be computed by a Boolean circuit of small size. We get new and improved lower bounds for MCSP that almost match the best-known lower bounds against several circuit models. Specifically, we show that computing MCSP, on functions with a truth table of length N, requires - N^{3-o(1)}-size de Morgan formulas, improving the recent N^{2-o(1)} lower bound by Hirahara and Santhanam (CCC, 2017), - N^{2-o(1)}-size formulas over an arbitrary basis or general branching programs (no non-trivial lower bound was known for MCSP against these models), and - 2^{Omega (N^{1/(d+2.01)})}-size depth-d AC^0 circuits, improving the superpolynomial lower bound by Allender et al. (SICOMP, 2006). The AC^0 lower bound stated above matches the best-known AC^0 lower bound (for PARITY) up to a small additive constant in the depth. Also, for the special case of depth-2 circuits (i.e., CNFs or DNFs), we get an almost optimal lower bound of 2^{N^{1-o(1)}} for MCSP.
Cite as

Mahdi Cheraghchi, Valentine Kabanets, Zhenjian Lu, and Dimitrios Myrisiotis. Circuit Lower Bounds for MCSP from Local Pseudorandom Generators. In 46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 132, pp. 39:1-39:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@InProceedings{cheraghchi_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.39,
  author =	{Cheraghchi, Mahdi and Kabanets, Valentine and Lu, Zhenjian and Myrisiotis, Dimitrios},
  title =	{{Circuit Lower Bounds for MCSP from Local Pseudorandom Generators}},
  booktitle =	{46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019)},
  pages =	{39:1--39:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-109-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{132},
  editor =	{Baier, Christel and Chatzigiannakis, Ioannis and Flocchini, Paola and Leonardi, Stefano},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.39},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-106156},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.39},
  annote =	{Keywords: minimum circuit size problem (MCSP), circuit lower bounds, pseudorandom generators (PRGs), local PRGs, de Morgan formulas, branching programs, constant depth circuits}
}
Document
Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.66
AC^0[p] Lower Bounds Against MCSP via the Coin Problem

Authors: Alexander Golovnev, Rahul Ilango, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, Antonina Kolokolova, and Avishay Tal

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 132, 46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019)

Abstract
Minimum Circuit Size Problem (MCSP) asks to decide if a given truth table of an n-variate boolean function has circuit complexity less than a given parameter s. We prove that MCSP is hard for constant-depth circuits with mod p gates, for any prime p >= 2 (the circuit class AC^0[p]). Namely, we show that MCSP requires d-depth AC^0[p] circuits of size at least exp(N^{0.49/d}), where N=2^n is the size of an input truth table of an n-variate boolean function. Our circuit lower bound proof shows that MCSP can solve the coin problem: distinguish uniformly random N-bit strings from those generated using independent samples from a biased random coin which is 1 with probability 1/2+N^{-0.49}, and 0 otherwise. Solving the coin problem with such parameters is known to require exponentially large AC^0[p] circuits. Moreover, this also implies that MAJORITY is computable by a non-uniform AC^0 circuit of polynomial size that also has MCSP-oracle gates. The latter has a few other consequences for the complexity of MCSP, e.g., we get that any boolean function in NC^1 (i.e., computable by a polynomial-size formula) can also be computed by a non-uniform polynomial-size AC^0 circuit with MCSP-oracle gates.
Cite as

Alexander Golovnev, Rahul Ilango, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, Antonina Kolokolova, and Avishay Tal. AC^0[p] Lower Bounds Against MCSP via the Coin Problem. In 46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 132, pp. 66:1-66:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@InProceedings{golovnev_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.66,
  author =	{Golovnev, Alexander and Ilango, Rahul and Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Kolokolova, Antonina and Tal, Avishay},
  title =	{{AC^0\lbrackp\rbrack Lower Bounds Against MCSP via the Coin Problem}},
  booktitle =	{46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019)},
  pages =	{66:1--66:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-109-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{132},
  editor =	{Baier, Christel and Chatzigiannakis, Ioannis and Flocchini, Paola and Leonardi, Stefano},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.66},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-106422},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.66},
  annote =	{Keywords: Minimum Circuit Size Problem (MCSP), circuit lower bounds, AC0\lbrackp\rbrack, coin problem, hybrid argument, MKTP, biased random boolean functions}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagRep.8.9.133
Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 18391)

Authors: Markus Bläser, Valentine Kabanets, Jacobo Torán, and Christopher Umans

Published in: Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 8, Issue 9 (2019)

Abstract
Computational Complexity is concerned with the resources that are required for algorithms to detect properties of combinatorial objects and structures. It has often proven true that the best way to argue about these combinatorial objects is by establishing a connection (perhaps approximate) to a more well-behaved algebraic setting. Indeed, many of the deepest and most powerful results in Computational Complexity rely on algebraic proof techniques. The Razborov-Smolensky polynomial-approximation method for proving constant-depth circuit lower bounds, the PCP characterization of NP, and the Agrawal-Kayal-Saxena polynomial-time primality test are some of the most prominent examples. In some of the most exciting recent progress in Computational Complexity the algebraic theme still plays a central role. There have been significant recent advances in algebraic circuit lower bounds, and the so-called chasm at depth 4 suggests that the restricted models now being considered are not so far from ones that would lead to a general result. There have been similar successes concerning the related problems of polynomial identity testing and circuit reconstruction in the algebraic model (and these are tied to central questions regarding the power of randomness in computation). Also the areas of derandomization and coding theory have experimented important advances. The seminar aimed to capitalize on recent progress and bring together researchers who are using a diverse array of algebraic methods in a variety of settings. Researchers in these areas are relying on ever more sophisticated and specialized mathematics and the goal of the seminar was to play an important role in educating a diverse community about the latest new techniques.
Cite as

Markus Bläser, Valentine Kabanets, Jacobo Torán, and Christopher Umans. Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 18391). In Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 8, Issue 9, pp. 133-153, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@Article{blaser_et_al:DagRep.8.9.133,
  author =	{Bl\"{a}ser, Markus and Kabanets, Valentine and Tor\'{a}n, Jacobo and Umans, Christopher},
  title =	{{Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 18391)}},
  pages =	{133--153},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Reports},
  ISSN =	{2192-5283},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{8},
  number =	{9},
  editor =	{Bl\"{a}ser, Markus and Kabanets, Valentine and Tor\'{a}n, Jacobo and Umans, Christopher},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagRep.8.9.133},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-103438},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagRep.8.9.133},
  annote =	{Keywords: computational complexity, algebra, (de-) randomization, circuits, coding, lower bounds}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2018.46
Satisfiability and Derandomization for Small Polynomial Threshold Circuits

Authors: Valentine Kabanets and Zhenjian Lu

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 116, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2018)

Abstract
A polynomial threshold function (PTF) is defined as the sign of a polynomial p : {0,1}^n ->R. A PTF circuit is a Boolean circuit whose gates are PTFs. We study the problems of exact and (promise) approximate counting for PTF circuits of constant depth. - Satisfiability (#SAT). We give the first zero-error randomized algorithm faster than exhaustive search that counts the number of satisfying assignments of a given constant-depth circuit with a super-linear number of wires whose gates are s-sparse PTFs, for s almost quadratic in the input size of the circuit; here a PTF is called s-sparse if its underlying polynomial has at most s monomials. More specifically, we show that, for any large enough constant c, given a depth-d circuit with (n^{2-1/c})-sparse PTF gates that has at most n^{1+epsilon_d} wires, where epsilon_d depends only on c and d, the number of satisfying assignments of the circuit can be computed in randomized time 2^{n-n^{epsilon_d}} with zero error. This generalizes the result by Chen, Santhanam and Srinivasan (CCC, 2016) who gave a SAT algorithm for constant-depth circuits of super-linear wire complexity with linear threshold function (LTF) gates only. - Quantified derandomization. The quantified derandomization problem, introduced by Goldreich and Wigderson (STOC, 2014), asks to compute the majority value of a given Boolean circuit, under the promise that the minority-value inputs to the circuit are very few. We give a quantified derandomization algorithm for constant-depth PTF circuits with a super-linear number of wires that runs in quasi-polynomial time. More specifically, we show that for any sufficiently large constant c, there is an algorithm that, given a degree-Delta PTF circuit C of depth d with n^{1+1/c^d} wires such that C has at most 2^{n^{1-1/c}} minority-value inputs, runs in quasi-polynomial time exp ((log n)^{O (Delta^2)}) and determines the majority value of C. (We obtain a similar quantified derandomization result for PTF circuits with n^{Delta}-sparse PTF gates.) This extends the recent result of Tell (STOC, 2018) for constant-depth LTF circuits of super-linear wire complexity. - Pseudorandom generators. We show how the classical Nisan-Wigderson (NW) generator (JCSS, 1994) yields a nontrivial pseudorandom generator for PTF circuits (of unrestricted depth) with sub-linearly many gates. As a corollary, we get a PRG for degree-Delta PTFs with the seed length exp (sqrt{Delta * log n})* log^2(1/epsilon).
Cite as

Valentine Kabanets and Zhenjian Lu. Satisfiability and Derandomization for Small Polynomial Threshold Circuits. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2018). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 116, pp. 46:1-46:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2018)

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@InProceedings{kabanets_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2018.46,
  author =	{Kabanets, Valentine and Lu, Zhenjian},
  title =	{{Satisfiability and Derandomization for Small Polynomial Threshold Circuits}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2018)},
  pages =	{46:1--46:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-085-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2018},
  volume =	{116},
  editor =	{Blais, Eric and Jansen, Klaus and D. P. Rolim, Jos\'{e} and Steurer, David},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2018.46},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-94507},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2018.46},
  annote =	{Keywords: constant-depth circuits, polynomial threshold functions, circuit analysis algorithms, SAT, derandomization, quantified derandomization, pseudorandom generators.}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2018.7
The Power of Natural Properties as Oracles

Authors: Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Ilya Volkovich

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 102, 33rd Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2018)

Abstract
We study the power of randomized complexity classes that are given oracle access to a natural property of Razborov and Rudich (JCSS, 1997) or its special case, the Minimal Circuit Size Problem (MCSP). We show that in a number of complexity-theoretic results that use the SAT oracle, one can use the MCSP oracle instead. For example, we show that ZPEXP^{MCSP} !subseteq P/poly, which should be contrasted with the previously known circuit lower bound ZPEXP^{NP} !subseteq P/poly. We also show that, assuming the existence of Indistinguishability Obfuscators (IO), SAT and MCSP are equivalent in the sense that one has a ZPP algorithm if and only the other one does. We interpret our results as providing some evidence that MCSP may be NP-hard under randomized polynomial-time reductions.
Cite as

Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Ilya Volkovich. The Power of Natural Properties as Oracles. In 33rd Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2018). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 102, pp. 7:1-7:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2018)

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@InProceedings{impagliazzo_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2018.7,
  author =	{Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Volkovich, Ilya},
  title =	{{The Power of Natural Properties as Oracles}},
  booktitle =	{33rd Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2018)},
  pages =	{7:1--7:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-069-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2018},
  volume =	{102},
  editor =	{Servedio, Rocco A.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2018.7},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-88824},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2018.7},
  annote =	{Keywords: natural properties, Minimal Circuit Size Problem (MCSP), circuit lower bounds, hardness of MCSP, learning algorithms, obfuscation, Indistinguishability Obfuscators (IO)}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2017.1
Does Looking Inside a Circuit Help?

Authors: Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, Antonina Kolokolova, Pierre McKenzie, and Shadab Romani

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 83, 42nd International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2017)

Abstract
The Black-Box Hypothesisstates that any property of Boolean functions decided efficiently (e.g., in BPP) with inputs represented by circuits can also be decided efficiently in the black-box setting, where an algorithm is given an oracle access to the input function and an upper bound on its circuit size. If this hypothesis is true, then P neq NP. We focus on the consequences of the hypothesis being false, showing that (under general conditions on the structure of a counterexample) it implies a non-trivial algorithm for CSAT. More specifically, we show that if there is a property F of boolean functions such that F has high sensitivity on some input function f of subexponential circuit complexity (which is a sufficient condition for F being a counterexample to the Black-Box Hypothesis), then CSAT is solvable by a subexponential-size circuit family. Moreover, if such a counterexample F is symmetric, then CSAT is in Ppoly. These results provide some evidence towards the conjecture (made in this paper) that the Black-Box Hypothesis is false if and only if CSAT is easy.
Cite as

Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, Antonina Kolokolova, Pierre McKenzie, and Shadab Romani. Does Looking Inside a Circuit Help?. In 42nd International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2017). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 83, pp. 1:1-1:13, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2017)

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@InProceedings{impagliazzo_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2017.1,
  author =	{Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Kolokolova, Antonina and McKenzie, Pierre and Romani, Shadab},
  title =	{{Does Looking Inside a Circuit Help?}},
  booktitle =	{42nd International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2017)},
  pages =	{1:1--1:13},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-046-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2017},
  volume =	{83},
  editor =	{Larsen, Kim G. and Bodlaender, Hans L. and Raskin, Jean-Francois},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2017.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-80975},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2017.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: Black-Box Hypothesis, Rice's theorem, circuit complexity, SAT, sensitivity of boolean functions, decision tree complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2017.31
Expander Construction in VNC1

Authors: Sam Buss, Valentine Kabanets, Antonina Kolokolova, and Michal Koucky

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 67, 8th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2017)

Abstract
We give a combinatorial analysis (using edge expansion) of a variant of the iterative expander construction due to Reingold, Vadhan, and Wigderson (2002), and show that this analysis can be formalized in the bounded arithmetic system VNC^1 (corresponding to the "NC^1 reasoning"). As a corollary, we prove the assumption made by Jerabek (2011) that a construction of certain bipartite expander graphs can be formalized in VNC^1. This in turn implies that every proof in Gentzen's sequent calculus LK of a monotone sequent can be simulated in the monotone version of LK (MLK) with only polynomial blowup in proof size, strengthening the quasipolynomial simulation result of Atserias, Galesi, and Pudlak (2002).
Cite as

Sam Buss, Valentine Kabanets, Antonina Kolokolova, and Michal Koucky. Expander Construction in VNC1. In 8th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2017). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 67, pp. 31:1-31:26, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2017)

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@InProceedings{buss_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2017.31,
  author =	{Buss, Sam and Kabanets, Valentine and Kolokolova, Antonina and Koucky, Michal},
  title =	{{Expander Construction in VNC1}},
  booktitle =	{8th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2017)},
  pages =	{31:1--31:26},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-029-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2017},
  volume =	{67},
  editor =	{Papadimitriou, Christos H.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2017.31},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-81871},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2017.31},
  annote =	{Keywords: expander graphs, bounded arithmetic, alternating log time, sequent calculus, monotone propositional logic}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2017.35
Agnostic Learning from Tolerant Natural Proofs

Authors: Marco L. Carmosino, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 81, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2017)

Abstract
We generalize the "learning algorithms from natural properties" framework of [CIKK16] to get agnostic learning algorithms from natural properties with extra features. We show that if a natural property (in the sense of Razborov and Rudich [RR97]) is useful also against functions that are close to the class of "easy" functions, rather than just against "easy" functions, then it can be used to get an agnostic learning algorithm over the uniform distribution with membership queries. * For AC0[q], any prime q (constant-depth circuits of polynomial size, with AND, OR, NOT, and MODq gates of unbounded fanin), which happens to have a natural property with the requisite extra feature by [Raz87, Smo87, RR97], we obtain the first agnostic learning algorithm for AC0[q], for every prime q. Our algorithm runs in randomized quasi-polynomial time, uses membership queries, and outputs a circuit for a given Boolean function f that agrees with f on all but at most polylog(n)*opt fraction of inputs, where opt is the relative distance between f and the closest function h in the class AC0[q]. * For the ideal case, a natural proof of strongly exponential correlation circuit lower bounds against a circuit class C containing AC0[2] (i.e., circuits of size exp(Omega(n)) cannot compute some n-variate function even with exp(-Omega(n)) advantage over random guessing) would yield a polynomial-time query agnostic learning algorithm for C with the approximation error O(opt).
Cite as

Marco L. Carmosino, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova. Agnostic Learning from Tolerant Natural Proofs. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2017). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 81, pp. 35:1-35:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2017)

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@InProceedings{carmosino_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2017.35,
  author =	{Carmosino, Marco L. and Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Kolokolova, Antonina},
  title =	{{Agnostic Learning from Tolerant Natural Proofs}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2017)},
  pages =	{35:1--35:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-044-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2017},
  volume =	{81},
  editor =	{Jansen, Klaus and Rolim, Jos\'{e} D. P. and Williamson, David P. and Vempala, Santosh S.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2017.35},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-75842},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2017.35},
  annote =	{Keywords: agnostic learning, natural proofs, circuit lower bounds, meta-algorithms, AC0\lbrackq\rbrack, Nisan-Wigderson generator}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagRep.6.10.13
Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 16411)

Authors: Valentine Kabanets, Thomas Thierauf, Jacobo Tóran, and Christopher Umans

Published in: Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 6, Issue 10 (2017)

Abstract
Computational Complexity is concerned with the resources that are required for algorithms to detect properties of combinatorial objects and structures. It has often proven true that the best way to argue about these combinatorial objects is by establishing a connection (perhaps approximate) to a more well-behaved algebraic setting. Indeed, many of the deepest and most powerful results in Computational Complexity rely on algebraic proof techniques. The Razborov-Smolensky polynomial-approximation method for proving constant-depth circuit lower bounds, the PCP characterization of NP, and the Agrawal-Kayal-Saxena polynomial-time primality test are some of the most prominent examples. The algebraic theme continues in some of the most exciting recent progress in computational complexity. There have been significant recent advances in algebraic circuit lower bounds, and the so-called chasm at depth 4 suggests that the restricted models now being considered are not so far from ones that would lead to a general result. There have been similar successes concerning the related problems of polynomial identity testing and circuit reconstruction in the algebraic model (and these are tied to central questions regarding the power of randomness in computation). Another surprising connection is that the algebraic techniques invented to show lower bounds now prove useful to develop efficient algorithms. For example, Williams showed how to use the polynomial method to obtain faster all-pair-shortest-path algorithms. This emphases once again the central role of algebra in computer science. The seminar aims to capitalize on recent progress and bring together researchers who are using a diverse array of algebraic methods in a variety of settings. Researchers in these areas are relying on ever more sophisticated and specialized mathematics and this seminar can play an important role in educating a diverse community about the latest new techniques, spurring further progress.
Cite as

Valentine Kabanets, Thomas Thierauf, Jacobo Tóran, and Christopher Umans. Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 16411). In Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 6, Issue 10, pp. 13-32, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2017)

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@Article{kabanets_et_al:DagRep.6.10.13,
  author =	{Kabanets, Valentine and Thierauf, Thomas and T\'{o}ran, Jacobo and Umans, Christopher},
  title =	{{Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 16411)}},
  pages =	{13--32},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Reports},
  ISSN =	{2192-5283},
  year =	{2017},
  volume =	{6},
  number =	{10},
  editor =	{Kabanets, Valentine and Thierauf, Thomas and T\'{o}ran, Jacobo and Umans, Christopher},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagRep.6.10.13},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-69504},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagRep.6.10.13},
  annote =	{Keywords: Computational Complexity, lower bounds, approximation, pseudo-randomness, derandomization, circuits}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2016.9
Pseudorandomness When the Odds are Against You

Authors: Sergei Artemenko, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Ronen Shaltiel

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 50, 31st Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC 2016)

Abstract
Impagliazzo and Wigderson (STOC 1997) showed that if E=DTIME(2^O(n)) requires size 2^Omega(n) circuits, then every time T constant-error randomized algorithm can be simulated deterministically in time poly(T). However, such polynomial slowdown is a deal breaker when T=2^(alpha*n), for a constant alpha>0, as is the case for some randomized algorithms for NP-complete problems. Paturi and Pudlak (STOC 2010) observed that many such algorithms are obtained from randomized time T algorithms, for T < 2^o(n), with large one-sided error 1-epsilon, for epsilon=2^(-alpha*n), that are repeated 1/epsilon times to yield a constant-error randomized algorithm running in time T/epsilon=2^((alpha+o(1))*n). We show that if E requires size 2^Omega(n) nondeterministic circuits, then there is a poly(n)-time epsilon-HSG (Hitting-Set Generator) H:{0,1}^(O(log(n)) + log(1/epsilon) -> {0,1}^n, implying that time T randomized algorithms with one-sided error 1-epsilon can be simulated in deterministic time poly(T)/epsilon. In particular, under this hardness assumption, the fastest known constant-error randomized algorithm for k-SAT (for k > 3) by Paturi et al. (J. ACM 2005) can be made deterministic with essentially the same time bound. This is the first hardness versus randomness tradeoff for algorithms for NP-complete problems. We address the necessity of our assumption by showing that HSGs with very low error imply hardness for nondeterministic circuits with "few" nondeterministic bits. Applebaum et al. (CCC 2015) showed that "black-box techniques" cannot achieve poly(n)-time computable epsilon-PRGs (Pseudo-Random Generators) for epsilon=n^-omega(1), even if we assume hardness against circuits with oracle access to an arbitrary language in the polynomial time hierarchy. We introduce weaker variants of PRGs with relative error, that do follow under the latter hardness assumption. Specifically, we say that a function G:{0,1}^r -> {0,1}^n is an (epsilon,delta)-re-PRG for a circuit C if (1-epsilon)*Pr[C(U_n)=1] - delta < Pr[C(G(U_r)=1] < (1+epsilon)*Pr[C(U_n)=1] + delta. We construct poly(n)-time computable (epsilon,delta)-re-PRGs with arbitrary polynomial stretch, epsilon=n^-O(1) and delta=2^(-n^Omega(1)). We also construct PRGs with relative error that fool non-boolean distinguishers (in the sense introduced by Dubrov and Ishai (STOC 2006)). Our techniques use ideas from Paturi and Pudlak (STOC 2010), Trevisan and Vadhan (FOCS 2000), Applebaum et al. (CCC 2015). Common themes in our proofs are "composing" a PRG/HSG with a combinatorial object such as dispersers and extractors, and the use of nondeterministic reductions in the spirit of Feige and Lund (Comp. Complexity 1997).
Cite as

Sergei Artemenko, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Ronen Shaltiel. Pseudorandomness When the Odds are Against You. In 31st Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC 2016). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 50, pp. 9:1-9:35, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2016)

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@InProceedings{artemenko_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2016.9,
  author =	{Artemenko, Sergei and Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Shaltiel, Ronen},
  title =	{{Pseudorandomness When the Odds are Against You}},
  booktitle =	{31st Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC 2016)},
  pages =	{9:1--9:35},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-008-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2016},
  volume =	{50},
  editor =	{Raz, Ran},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2016.9},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-58375},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2016.9},
  annote =	{Keywords: Derandomization, pseudorandom generator, hitting-set generator, relative error}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2016.10
Learning Algorithms from Natural Proofs

Authors: Marco L. Carmosino, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 50, 31st Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC 2016)

Abstract
Based on Hastad's (1986) circuit lower bounds, Linial, Mansour, and Nisan (1993) gave a quasipolytime learning algorithm for AC^0 (constant-depth circuits with AND, OR, and NOT gates), in the PAC model over the uniform distribution. It was an open question to get a learning algorithm (of any kind) for the class of AC^0[p] circuits (constant-depth, with AND, OR, NOT, and MOD_p gates for a prime p). Our main result is a quasipolytime learning algorithm for AC^0[p] in the PAC model over the uniform distribution with membership queries. This algorithm is an application of a general connection we show to hold between natural proofs (in the sense of Razborov and Rudich (1997)) and learning algorithms. We argue that a natural proof of a circuit lower bound against any (sufficiently powerful) circuit class yields a learning algorithm for the same circuit class. As the lower bounds against AC^0[p] by Razborov (1987) and Smolensky (1987) are natural, we obtain our learning algorithm for AC^0[p].
Cite as

Marco L. Carmosino, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova. Learning Algorithms from Natural Proofs. In 31st Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC 2016). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 50, pp. 10:1-10:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2016)

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@InProceedings{carmosino_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2016.10,
  author =	{Carmosino, Marco L. and Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Kolokolova, Antonina},
  title =	{{Learning Algorithms from Natural Proofs}},
  booktitle =	{31st Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC 2016)},
  pages =	{10:1--10:24},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-008-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2016},
  volume =	{50},
  editor =	{Raz, Ran},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2016.10},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-58557},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2016.10},
  annote =	{Keywords: natural proofs, circuit complexity, lower bounds, learning, compression}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2015.645
Tighter Connections between Derandomization and Circuit Lower Bounds

Authors: Marco L. Carmosino, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 40, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2015)

Abstract
We tighten the connections between circuit lower bounds and derandomization for each of the following three types of derandomization: - general derandomization of promiseBPP (connected to Boolean circuits), - derandomization of Polynomial Identity Testing (PIT) over fixed finite fields (connected to arithmetic circuit lower bounds over the same field), and - derandomization of PIT over the integers (connected to arithmetic circuit lower bounds over the integers). We show how to make these connections uniform equivalences, although at the expense of using somewhat less common versions of complexity classes and for a less studied notion of inclusion. Our main results are as follows: 1. We give the first proof that a non-trivial (nondeterministic subexponential-time) algorithm for PIT over a fixed finite field yields arithmetic circuit lower bounds. 2. We get a similar result for the case of PIT over the integers, strengthening a result of Jansen and Santhanam [JS12] (by removing the need for advice). 3. We derive a Boolean circuit lower bound for NEXP intersect coNEXP from the assumption of sufficiently strong non-deterministic derandomization of promiseBPP (without advice), as well as from the assumed existence of an NP-computable non-empty property of Boolean functions useful for proving superpolynomial circuit lower bounds (in the sense of natural proofs of [RR97]); this strengthens the related results of [IKW02]. 4. Finally, we turn all of these implications into equivalences for appropriately defined promise classes and for a notion of robust inclusion/separation (inspired by [FS11]) that lies between the classical "almost everywhere" and "infinitely often" notions.
Cite as

Marco L. Carmosino, Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova. Tighter Connections between Derandomization and Circuit Lower Bounds. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2015). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 40, pp. 645-658, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2015)

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@InProceedings{carmosino_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2015.645,
  author =	{Carmosino, Marco L. and Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Kolokolova, Antonina},
  title =	{{Tighter Connections between Derandomization and Circuit Lower Bounds}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2015)},
  pages =	{645--658},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-939897-89-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2015},
  volume =	{40},
  editor =	{Garg, Naveen and Jansen, Klaus and Rao, Anup and Rolim, Jos\'{e} D. P.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2015.645},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-53285},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX-RANDOM.2015.645},
  annote =	{Keywords: derandomization, circuit lower bounds, polynomial identity testing, promise BPP, hardness vs. randomness}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2015.21
The Minimum Oracle Circuit Size Problem

Authors: Eric Allender, Dhiraj Holden, and Valentine Kabanets

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 30, 32nd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2015)

Abstract
We consider variants of the Minimum Circuit Size Problem MCSP, where the goal is to minimize the size of oracle circuits computing a given function. When the oracle is QBF, the resulting problem MCSP^QBF is known to be complete for PSPACE under ZPP reductions. We show that it is not complete under logspace reductions, and indeed it is not even hard for TC under uniform AC^0 reductions. We obtain a variety of consequences that follow if oracle versions of MCSP are hard for various complexity classes under different types of reductions. We also prove analogous results for the problem of determining the resource-bounded Kolmogorov complexity of strings, for certain types of Kolmogorov complexity measures.
Cite as

Eric Allender, Dhiraj Holden, and Valentine Kabanets. The Minimum Oracle Circuit Size Problem. In 32nd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2015). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 30, pp. 21-33, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2015)

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@InProceedings{allender_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2015.21,
  author =	{Allender, Eric and Holden, Dhiraj and Kabanets, Valentine},
  title =	{{The Minimum Oracle Circuit Size Problem}},
  booktitle =	{32nd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2015)},
  pages =	{21--33},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-939897-78-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2015},
  volume =	{30},
  editor =	{Mayr, Ernst W. and Ollinger, Nicolas},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2015.21},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-49013},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2015.21},
  annote =	{Keywords: Kolmogorov complexity, minimum circuit size problem, PSPACE, NP-intermediate sets}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagRep.4.9.85
Algebra in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 14391)

Authors: Manindra Agrawal, Valentine Kabanets, Thomas Thierauf, and Christopher Umans

Published in: Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 4, Issue 9 (2015)

Abstract
At its core, much of Computational Complexity is concerned with combinatorial objects and structures. But it has often proven true that the best way to prove things about these combinatorial objects is by establishing a connection to a more well-behaved algebraic setting. Indeed, many of the deepest and most powerful results in Computational Complexity rely on algebraic proof techniques. The Razborov-Smolensky polynomial-approximation method for proving constant-depth circuit lower bounds, the PCP characterization of NP, and the Agrawal-Kayal-Saxena polynomial-time primality test are some of the most prominent examples. The algebraic theme continues in some of the most exciting recent progress in computational complexity. There have been significant recent advances in algebraic circuit lower bounds, and the so-called "chasm at depth 4" suggests that the restricted models now being considered are not so far from ones that would lead to a general result. There have been similar successes concerning the related problems of polynomial identity testing and circuit reconstruction in the algebraic model, and these are tied to central questions regarding the power of randomness in computation. Representation theory has emerged as an important tool in three separate lines of work: the "Geometric Complexity Theory" approach to P vs. NP and circuit lower bounds, the effort to resolve the complexity of matrix multiplication, and a framework for constructing locally testable codes. Coding theory has seen several algebraic innovations in recent years, including multiplicity codes, and new lower bounds. This seminar brought together researchers who are using a diverse array of algebraic methods in a variety of settings. It plays an important role in educating a diverse community about the latest new techniques, spurring further progress.
Cite as

Manindra Agrawal, Valentine Kabanets, Thomas Thierauf, and Christopher Umans. Algebra in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 14391). In Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 4, Issue 9, pp. 85-105, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2015)

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@Article{agrawal_et_al:DagRep.4.9.85,
  author =	{Agrawal, Manindra and Kabanets, Valentine and Thierauf, Thomas and Umans, Christopher},
  title =	{{Algebra in Computational Complexity (Dagstuhl Seminar 14391)}},
  pages =	{85--105},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Reports},
  ISSN =	{2192-5283},
  year =	{2015},
  volume =	{4},
  number =	{9},
  editor =	{Agrawal, Manindra and Kabanets, Valentine and Thierauf, Thomas and Umans, Christopher},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagRep.4.9.85},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-48851},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagRep.4.9.85},
  annote =	{Keywords: Computational Complexity, lower bounds, approximazation, pseudo-randomness, derandomization, circuits}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagSemProc.09421.3
An Axiomatic Approach to Algebrization

Authors: Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova

Published in: Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, Volume 9421, Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity (2010)

Abstract
Non-relativization of complexity issues can be interpreted as giving some evidence that these issues cannot be resolved by "black-box" techniques. In the early 1990's, a sequence of important non-relativizing results was proved, mainly using algebraic techniques. Two approaches have been proposed to understand the power and limitations of these algebraic techniques: (1) Fortnow gives a construction of a class of oracles which have a similar algebraic and logical structure, although they are arbitrarily powerful. He shows that many of the non-relativizing results proved using algebraic techniques hold for all such oracles, but he does not show, e.g., that the outcome of the "P vs. NP" question differs between different oracles in that class. (2) Aaronson and Wigderson give definitions of algebrizing separations and collapses of complexity classes, by comparing classes relative to one oracle to classes relative to an algebraic extension of that oracle. Using these definitions, they show both that the standard collapses and separations "algebrize" and that many of the open questions in complexity fail to "algebrize", suggesting that the arithmetization technique is close to its limits. However, it is unclear how to formalize algebrization of more complicated complexity statements than collapses or separations, and whether the algebrizing statements are, e.g., closed under modus ponens; so it is conceivable that several algebrizing premises could imply (in a relativizing way) a non-algebrizing conclusion. Here, building on the work of Arora, Impagliazzo, and Vazirani [4], we propose an axiomatic approach to "algebrization", which complements and clarifies the approaches of Fortnow and Aaronso&Wigderson. We present logical theories formalizing the notion of algebrizing techniques so that most algebrizing results are provable within our theories and separations requiring non-algebrizing techniques are independent of them. Our theories extend the [AIV] theory formalizing relativization by adding an Arithmetic Checkability axiom. We show the following: (i) Arithmetic checkability holds relative to arbitrarily powerful oracles (since Fortnow's algebraic oracles all satisfy Arithmetic Checkability axiom); by contrast, Local Checkability of [AIV] restricts the oracle power to NP cap co-NP. (ii) Most of the algebrizing collapses and separations from [AW], such as IP = PSPACE, NP subset ZKIP if one-way functions exist, MA-EXP not in P/poly, etc., are provable from Arithmetic Checkability. (iii) Many of the open complexity questions (shown to require nonalgebrizing techniques in [AW]), such as "P vs. NP", "NP vs. BPP", etc., cannot be proved from Arithmetic Checkability. (iv) Arithmetic Checkability is also insufficient to prove one known result, NEXP = MIP.
Cite as

Russell Impagliazzo, Valentine Kabanets, and Antonina Kolokolova. An Axiomatic Approach to Algebrization. In Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity. Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, Volume 9421, pp. 1-19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2010)

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@InProceedings{impagliazzo_et_al:DagSemProc.09421.3,
  author =	{Impagliazzo, Russell and Kabanets, Valentine and Kolokolova, Antonina},
  title =	{{An Axiomatic Approach to Algebrization}},
  booktitle =	{Algebraic Methods in Computational Complexity},
  pages =	{1--19},
  series =	{Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings (DagSemProc)},
  ISSN =	{1862-4405},
  year =	{2010},
  volume =	{9421},
  editor =	{Manindra Agrawal and Lance Fortnow and Thomas Thierauf and Christopher Umans},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagSemProc.09421.3},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-24150},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagSemProc.09421.3},
  annote =	{Keywords: Oracles, arithmetization, algebrization}
}
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