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DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2025.33

A Min-Entropy Approach to Multi-Party Communication Lower Bounds

Authors: Mi-Ying (Miryam) Huang, Xinyu Mao, Shuo Wang, Guangxu Yang, and Jiapeng Zhang

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 339, 40th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2025)

Abstract

Information complexity is one of the most powerful techniques to prove information-theoretical lower bounds, in which Shannon entropy plays a central role. Though Shannon entropy has some convenient properties, such as the chain rule, it still has inherent limitations. One of the most notable barriers is the square-root loss, which appears in the square-root gap between entropy gaps and statistical distances, e.g., Pinsker’s inequality. To bypass this barrier, we introduce a new method based on min-entropy analysis. Building on this new method, we prove the following results. - An Ω(N^{∑_i α_i - max_i {α_i}}/k) randomized communication lower bound of the k-party set-intersection problem where the i-th party holds a random set of size ≈ N^{1-α_i}. - A tight Ω(n/k) randomized lower bound of the k-party Tree Pointer Jumping problems, improving an Ω(n/k²) lower bound by Chakrabarti, Cormode, and McGregor (STOC 08). - An Ω(n/k+√n) lower bound of the Chained Index problem, improving an Ω(n/k²) lower bound by Cormode, Dark, and Konrad (ICALP 19). Since these problems served as hard problems for numerous applications in streaming lower bounds and cryptography, our new lower bounds directly improve these streaming lower bounds and cryptography lower bounds. On the technical side, min-entropy does not have nice properties such as the chain rule. To address this issue, we enhance the structure-vs-pseudorandomness decomposition used by Göös, Pitassi, and Watson (FOCS 17) and Yang and Zhang (STOC 24); both papers used this decomposition to prove communication lower bounds. In this paper, we give a new breath to this method in the multi-party setting, presenting a new toolkit for proving multi-party communication lower bounds.

Cite as

Mi-Ying (Miryam) Huang, Xinyu Mao, Shuo Wang, Guangxu Yang, and Jiapeng Zhang. A Min-Entropy Approach to Multi-Party Communication Lower Bounds. In 40th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 339, pp. 33:1-33:29, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{huang_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2025.33,
  author =	{Huang, Mi-Ying (Miryam) and Mao, Xinyu and Wang, Shuo and Yang, Guangxu and Zhang, Jiapeng},
  title =	{{A Min-Entropy Approach to Multi-Party Communication Lower Bounds}},
  booktitle =	{40th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2025)},
  pages =	{33:1--33:29},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-379-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{339},
  editor =	{Srinivasan, Srikanth},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2025.33},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-237273},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2025.33},
  annote =	{Keywords: communication complexity, lifting theorems, set intersection, chained index}
}

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DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.75

Gadgetless Lifting Beats Round Elimination: Improved Lower Bounds for Pointer Chasing

Authors: Xinyu Mao, Guangxu Yang, and Jiapeng Zhang

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 325, 16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025)

Abstract

We prove an Ω(n / k + k) communication lower bound on (k - 1)-round distributional complexity of the k-step pointer chasing problem under uniform input distribution, improving the Ω(n/k - klog n) lower bound due to Yehudayoff (Combinatorics Probability and Computing, 2020). Our lower bound almost matches the upper bound of Õ(n/k + k) communication by Nisan and Wigderson (STOC 91). As part of our approach, we put forth gadgetless lifting, a new framework that lifts lower bounds for a family of restricted protocols into lower bounds for general protocols. A key step in gadgetless lifting is choosing the appropriate definition of restricted protocols. In this paper, our definition of restricted protocols is inspired by the structure-vs-pseudorandomness decomposition by Göös, Pitassi, and Watson (FOCS 17) and Yang and Zhang (STOC 24). Previously, round-communication trade-offs were mainly obtained by round elimination and information complexity. Both methods have some barriers in some situations, and we believe gadgetless lifting could potentially address these barriers.

Cite as

Xinyu Mao, Guangxu Yang, and Jiapeng Zhang. Gadgetless Lifting Beats Round Elimination: Improved Lower Bounds for Pointer Chasing. In 16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 325, pp. 75:1-75:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{mao_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.75,
  author =	{Mao, Xinyu and Yang, Guangxu and Zhang, Jiapeng},
  title =	{{Gadgetless Lifting Beats Round Elimination: Improved Lower Bounds for Pointer Chasing}},
  booktitle =	{16th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2025)},
  pages =	{75:1--75:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-361-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{325},
  editor =	{Meka, Raghu},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.75},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-227038},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2025.75},
  annote =	{Keywords: communication complexity, lifting theorems, pointer chasing}
}

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Documents authored by Mao, Xinyu

A Min-Entropy Approach to Multi-Party Communication Lower Bounds

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Gadgetless Lifting Beats Round Elimination: Improved Lower Bounds for Pointer Chasing

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