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DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.34

Testing Classical Properties from Quantum Data

Authors: Matthias C. Caro, Preksha Naik, and Joseph Slote

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 362, 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)

Abstract

Many properties of Boolean functions can be tested far more efficiently than the function itself can be learned. However, this dramatic advantage often disappears when testers are limited to random samples of f instead of adaptively chosen queries to f. In this work we investigate the quantum version of this restriction: quantum algorithms that test properties of a Boolean function f solely from copies of either the function state |f⟩∝ ∑_x|x,f(x)⟩ or the phase state |(-1)^f⟩∝ ∑_x (-1)^{f(x)}|x⟩. Quantum advantage in testing from data. For monotonicity, symmetry, and triangle-freeness, we show passive quantum testers are unboundedly or super-polynomially better than their classical passive testing counterparts. They are competitive with classic query-based testers in each case. Inadequacy of Fourier sampling. Our new testers use techniques beyond quantum Fourier sampling, and it turns out this is necessary: we show a certain class of bent functions can be tested from 𝒪(1) function states but has a sample complexity lower bound of 2^{Ω(n)} for any tester relying exclusively on Fourier and classical samples. Classical queries vs. quantum data. Our passive quantum testers are competitive with classical query-based testers, but this isn't universal: we exhibit a testing problem that can be solved from 𝒪(1) classical queries but requires Ω(2^{n/2}) function state copies. The Forrelation problem provides a separation of the same magnitude in the opposite direction, so we conclude that quantum data and classical queries are "maximally incomparable" resources for testing. Towards lower bounds. We also begin the study of lower bounds for testing from quantum data. For quantum monotonicity testing, we prove that the ensembles of [Goldreich et al., 2000; Black, 2024], which give exponential lower bounds for classical sample-based testing, do not yield any nontrivial lower bounds for testing from quantum data. New insights specific to quantum data will be required for proving copy complexity lower bounds for testing in this model.

Cite as

Matthias C. Caro, Preksha Naik, and Joseph Slote. Testing Classical Properties from Quantum Data. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 34:1-34:26, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{caro_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.34,
  author =	{Caro, Matthias C. and Naik, Preksha and Slote, Joseph},
  title =	{{Testing Classical Properties from Quantum Data}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{34:1--34:26},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-410-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{362},
  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.ITCS.2026.34},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253213},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.34},
  annote =	{Keywords: Quantum Property Testing, Quantum Data, Boolean Functions}
}

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DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2024.69

Quantum and Classical Low-Degree Learning via a Dimension-Free Remez Inequality

Authors: Ohad Klein, Joseph Slote, Alexander Volberg, and Haonan Zhang

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 287, 15th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2024)

Abstract

Recent efforts in Analysis of Boolean Functions aim to extend core results to new spaces, including to the slice binom([n],k), the hypergrid [K]ⁿ, and noncommutative spaces (matrix algebras). We present here a new way to relate functions on the hypergrid (or products of cyclic groups) to their harmonic extensions over the polytorus. We show the supremum of a function f over products of the cyclic group {exp(2π i k/K)}_{k = 1}^K controls the supremum of f over the entire polytorus ({z ∈ ℂ:|z| = 1}ⁿ), with multiplicative constant C depending on K and deg(f) only. This Remez-type inequality appears to be the first such estimate that is dimension-free (i.e., C does not depend on n). This dimension-free Remez-type inequality removes the main technical barrier to giving 𝒪(log n) sample complexity, polytime algorithms for learning low-degree polynomials on the hypergrid and low-degree observables on level-K qudit systems. In particular, our dimension-free Remez inequality implies new Bohnenblust-Hille-type estimates which are central to the learning algorithms and appear unobtainable via standard techniques. Thus we extend to new spaces a recent line of work [Eskenazis and Ivanisvili, 2022; Huang et al., 2022; Volberg and Zhang, 2023] that gave similarly efficient methods for learning low-degree polynomials on the hypercube and observables on qubits. An additional product of these efforts is a new class of distributions over which arbitrary quantum observables are well-approximated by their low-degree truncations - a phenomenon that greatly extends the reach of low-degree learning in quantum science [Huang et al., 2022].

Cite as

Ohad Klein, Joseph Slote, Alexander Volberg, and Haonan Zhang. Quantum and Classical Low-Degree Learning via a Dimension-Free Remez Inequality. In 15th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 287, pp. 69:1-69:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{klein_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2024.69,
  author =	{Klein, Ohad and Slote, Joseph and Volberg, Alexander and Zhang, Haonan},
  title =	{{Quantum and Classical Low-Degree Learning via a Dimension-Free Remez Inequality}},
  booktitle =	{15th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2024)},
  pages =	{69:1--69:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-309-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{287},
  editor =	{Guruswami, Venkatesan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2024.69},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-195977},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2024.69},
  annote =	{Keywords: Analysis of Boolean Functions, Remez Inequality, Bohnenblust-Hille Inequality, Statistical Learning Theory, Qudits}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2024.92

Parity vs. AC0 with Simple Quantum Preprocessing

Authors: Joseph Slote

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 287, 15th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2024)

Abstract

A recent line of work [Bravyi et al., 2018; Watts et al., 2019; Grier and Schaeffer, 2020; Bravyi et al., 2020; Watts and Parham, 2023] has shown the unconditional advantage of constant-depth quantum computation, or QNC⁰, over NC⁰, AC⁰, and related models of classical computation. Problems exhibiting this advantage include search and sampling tasks related to the parity function, and it is natural to ask whether QNC⁰ can be used to help compute parity itself. Namely, we study AC⁰∘QNC⁰ - a hybrid circuit model where AC⁰ operates on measurement outcomes of a QNC⁰ circuit - and we ask whether Par ∈ AC⁰∘QNC⁰. We believe the answer is negative. In fact, we conjecture AC⁰∘QNC⁰ cannot even achieve Ω(1) correlation with parity. As evidence for this conjecture, we prove: - When the QNC⁰ circuit is ancilla-free, this model can achieve only negligible correlation with parity, even when AC⁰ is replaced with any function having LMN-like decay in its Fourier spectrum. - For the general (non-ancilla-free) case, we show via a connection to nonlocal games that the conjecture holds for any class of postprocessing functions that has approximate degree o(n) and is closed under restrictions. Moreover, this is true even when the QNC⁰ circuit is given arbitrary quantum advice. By known results [Bun et al., 2019], this confirms the conjecture for linear-size AC⁰ circuits. - Another approach to proving the conjecture is to show a switching lemma for AC⁰∘QNC⁰. Towards this goal, we study the effect of quantum preprocessing on the decision tree complexity of Boolean functions. We find that from the point of view of decision tree complexity, nonlocal channels are no better than randomness: a Boolean function f precomposed with an n-party nonlocal channel is together equal to a randomized decision tree with worst-case depth at most DT_depth[f]. Taken together, our results suggest that while QNC⁰ is surprisingly powerful for search and sampling tasks, that power is "locked away" in the global correlations of its output, inaccessible to simple classical computation for solving decision problems.

Cite as

Joseph Slote. Parity vs. AC0 with Simple Quantum Preprocessing. In 15th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 287, pp. 92:1-92:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{slote:LIPIcs.ITCS.2024.92,
  author =	{Slote, Joseph},
  title =	{{Parity vs. AC0 with Simple Quantum Preprocessing}},
  booktitle =	{15th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2024)},
  pages =	{92:1--92:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-309-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{287},
  editor =	{Guruswami, Venkatesan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2024.92},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-196209},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2024.92},
  annote =	{Keywords: QNC0, AC0, Nonlocal games, k-wise indistinguishability, approximate degree, switching lemma, Fourier concentration}
}

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Documents authored by Slote, Joseph

Testing Classical Properties from Quantum Data

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Quantum and Classical Low-Degree Learning via a Dimension-Free Remez Inequality

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Parity vs. AC0 with Simple Quantum Preprocessing

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