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A Survey of Real-Time Support, Analysis, and Advancements in ROS 2

Authors: Daniel Casini, Jian-Jia Chen, Jing Li, Federico Reghenzani, and Harun Teper

Published in: LITES, Volume 11, Issue 1 (2026). Leibniz Transactions on Embedded Systems, Volume 11, Issue 1

Abstract

The Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) has emerged as a relevant middleware framework for robotic applications, offering modularity, distributed execution, and communication. In the last six years, ROS 2 has drawn increasing attention from the real-time systems community and industry. This survey presents a comprehensive overview of research efforts that analyze, enhance, and extend ROS 2 to support real-time execution. We first provide a detailed description of the internal scheduling mechanisms of ROS 2 and its layered architecture, including the interaction with DDS-based communication and other communication middleware. We then review key contributions from the literature, covering timing analysis for both single- and multi-threaded executors, metrics such as response time, reaction time, and data age, and different communication modes. The survey also discusses community-driven enhancements to the ROS 2 runtime, including new executor algorithm designs, real-time GPU management, and microcontroller support via micro-ROS. Furthermore, we summarize techniques for bounding DDS communication delays, message filters, and profiling tools that have been developed to support analysis and experimentation. To help systematize this growing body of work, we introduce taxonomies that classify the surveyed contributions based on different criteria. This survey aims to guide both researchers and practitioners in understanding and improving the real-time capabilities of ROS 2.

Cite as

Daniel Casini, Jian-Jia Chen, Jing Li, Federico Reghenzani, and Harun Teper. A Survey of Real-Time Support, Analysis, and Advancements in ROS 2. In LITES, Volume 11, Issue 1 (2026). Leibniz Transactions on Embedded Systems, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 1:1-1:37, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@Article{casini_et_al:LITES.11.1.1,
  author =	{Casini, Daniel and Chen, Jian-Jia and Li, Jing and Reghenzani, Federico and Teper, Harun},
  title =	{{A Survey of Real-Time Support, Analysis, and Advancements in ROS 2}},
  journal =	{Leibniz Transactions on Embedded Systems},
  pages =	{1:1--1:37},
  ISSN =	{2199-2002},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{11},
  number =	{1},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LITES.11.1.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-257914},
  doi =		{10.4230/LITES.11.1.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: ROS 2, middleware, real-time, timing predictability, publish-subscribe}
}

Document

Research

DOI: 10.4230/TGDK.4.1.1

On the Computational Cost of Knowledge Graph Embeddings

Authors: Victor Charpenay, Mansour Zoubeirou A Mayaki, and Antoine Zimmermann

Published in: TGDK, Volume 4, Issue 1 (2026). Transactions on Graph Data and Knowledge, Volume 4, Issue 1

Abstract

Over a decade, numerous Knowledge Graph Embedding (KGE) models have been designed and evaluated on reference datasets, always with increasing performance. In this paper, we re-evaluate these models with respect to their computational efficiency during training, by estimating the computational cost of the procedure expressed in floating-point operations. We design a cost model based on analytical expressions and apply it on a collection of 20 KGE models, representative of the state-of-the-art. We show that dimensionality or parameter efficiency, used in the literature to compare models with each other, are not suitable to evaluate the true cost of models. Through fixed-budget experiments, a novel approach to evaluate KGE models based on cost estimates, we re-assess the relative performance of model families compared to the state-of-the-art. Bilinear models such as ComplEx underperform with a low computational budget while hyperbolic linear models appear to offer no particular benefit compared to simpler Euclidian models, especially the MuRE model. Neural models, such as ConvE or CompGCN, achieve reasonable performance in the literature but their high computational cost appears unnecessary when compared with other models. The trade-off between efficiency and expressivity of both linear and neural models is to be further explored.

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Victor Charpenay, Mansour Zoubeirou A Mayaki, and Antoine Zimmermann. On the Computational Cost of Knowledge Graph Embeddings. In Transactions on Graph Data and Knowledge (TGDK), Volume 4, Issue 1, pp. 1:1-1:30, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@Article{charpenay_et_al:TGDK.4.1.1,
  author =	{Charpenay, Victor and Zoubeirou A Mayaki, Mansour and Zimmermann, Antoine},
  title =	{{On the Computational Cost of Knowledge Graph Embeddings}},
  journal =	{Transactions on Graph Data and Knowledge},
  pages =	{1:1--1:30},
  ISSN =	{2942-7517},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{4},
  number =	{1},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/TGDK.4.1.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-256863},
  doi =		{10.4230/TGDK.4.1.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: Knowledge Graph Embedding, Parameter Efficiency, Computational Budget, Green AI}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/OASIcs.NG-RES.2026.3

Integrated Memory Grouping and Power-Aware MBIST Scheduling for MPSoCs

Authors: Koki Asahina and Yasuhiko Nakashima

Published in: OASIcs, Volume 140, 7th Workshop on Next Generation Real-Time Embedded Systems (NG-RES 2026)

Abstract

Memory Built-In Self-Test (MBIST) is a widely adopted technique for testing memory. In modern large-scale SoCs, hundreds to thousands of embedded memories are integrated, and to test them efficiently, methods that group memories and test them in parallel within each group are employed. However, many existing approaches either do not account for test scheduling or rely on evolutionary methods, such as genetic algorithms (GAs), for grouping, which incur high computational costs. In this work, we propose a framework that covers the flow from memory grouping to test scheduling. Taking the specifications and layout information of multiple SRAMs into account, the framework comprises a flexible, fast memory grouping method and a scheduling method that minimizes the total test time under a power-constrained constraint. In the proposed approach, DBSCAN and rectangular partitioning are used to perform fast grouping while suppressing long routing connections, and an LPT-based greedy heuristic is employed to shorten the total test time under constraints on the power limit and the number of simultaneously active BIST controllers. Experimental evaluation using SRAM placement data based on the ASAP7 PDK shows that, compared with existing K-means, Greedy, and GA-based methods, the proposed method reduces the number of groups by up to 48% while achieving approximately 87× speedup in clustering runtime. Furthermore, compared with a commercial Industrial Solution, it reduces the test time by 53%. These results demonstrate that the proposed method provides high scalability and practical effectiveness for MBIST design, even in large-scale MPSoCs with a large number and variety of embedded memories.

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Koki Asahina and Yasuhiko Nakashima. Integrated Memory Grouping and Power-Aware MBIST Scheduling for MPSoCs. In 7th Workshop on Next Generation Real-Time Embedded Systems (NG-RES 2026). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 140, pp. 3:1-3:13, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{asahina_et_al:OASIcs.NG-RES.2026.3,
  author =	{Asahina, Koki and Nakashima, Yasuhiko},
  title =	{{Integrated Memory Grouping and Power-Aware MBIST Scheduling for MPSoCs}},
  booktitle =	{7th Workshop on Next Generation Real-Time Embedded Systems (NG-RES 2026)},
  pages =	{3:1--3:13},
  series =	{Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-415-4},
  ISSN =	{2190-6807},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{140},
  editor =	{Ali, Hazem Ismail and Kurunathan, Harrison},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/OASIcs.NG-RES.2026.3},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-254214},
  doi =		{10.4230/OASIcs.NG-RES.2026.3},
  annote =	{Keywords: MBIST, DfT, Memory Grouping, Power-Aware Scheduling}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.23

Simple Circuit Extensions for XOR in PTIME

Authors: Marco Carmosino, Ngu Dang, and Tim Jackman

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 364, 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)

Abstract

The Minimum Circuit Size Problem for Partial Functions (MCSP^*) is hard assuming the Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH) (Ilango, 2020). This breakthrough result leveraged a characterization of the optimal {∧, ∨, ¬} circuits for n-bit OR (OR_n) and a reduction from the partial f-Simple Extension Problem where f = OR_n. It remains open to extend that reduction to show ETH-hardness of total MCSP. However, Ilango observed that the total f-Simple Extension Problem is easy whenever f is computed by read-once formulas (like OR_n). Therefore, extending Ilango’s proof to total MCSP would require replacing OR_n with a more complex but similarly well-understood Boolean function. This work shows that the f-Simple Extension problem remains easy when f is the next natural candidate: XOR_n. We first develop a fixed-parameter tractable algorithm for the f-Simple Extension Problem that is efficient whenever the optimal circuits for f are (1) linear in size, (2) polynomially "few" and efficiently enumerable in the truth-table size (up to isomorphism and permutation of inputs), and (3) all have constant bounded fan-out. XOR_n satisfies all three of these conditions. When ¬ gates count towards circuit size, optimal XOR_n circuits are binary trees of n-1 subcircuits computing (¬)XOR₂ (Kombarov, 2011). We extend this characterization when ¬ gates do not contribute the circuit size. Thus, the XOR-Simple Extension Problem is in polynomial time under both measures of circuit complexity. We conclude by discussing conjectures about the complexity of the f-Simple Extension problem for each explicit function f with known and unrestricted circuit lower bounds over the DeMorgan basis. Examining the conditions under which our Simple Extension Solver is efficient, we argue that multiplexer functions (MUX) are the most promising candidate for ETH-hardness of a Simple Extension Problem, towards proving ETH-hardness of total MCSP.

Cite as

Marco Carmosino, Ngu Dang, and Tim Jackman. Simple Circuit Extensions for XOR in PTIME. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 23:1-23:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{carmosino_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.23,
  author =	{Carmosino, Marco and Dang, Ngu and Jackman, Tim},
  title =	{{Simple Circuit Extensions for XOR in PTIME}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{23:1--23:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-412-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{364},
  editor =	{Mahajan, Meena and Manea, Florin and McIver, Annabelle and Thắng, Nguy\~{ê}n Kim},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.23},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255127},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.23},
  annote =	{Keywords: Minimum Circuit Size Problem, Circuit Lower Bounds, Exponential Time Hypothesis}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.71

Broadcast in Almost Mixing Time

Authors: Anton Paramonov and Roger Wattenhofer

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 364, 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)

Abstract

We study the problem of broadcasting multiple messages in the CONGEST model. In this problem, a dedicated source node s possesses a set M of messages with every message of size O(log n) where n is the total number of nodes. The objective is to ensure that every node in the network learns all messages in M. The execution of an algorithm progresses in rounds, and we focus on optimizing the round complexity of broadcasting multiple messages. Our primary contribution is a randomized algorithm for networks with expander topology. The algorithm succeeds with high probability and achieves a round complexity that is optimal up to a factor of the network’s mixing time and polylogarithmic terms. It leverages a multi-COBRA primitive, which uses multiple branching random walks running in parallel. A crucial aspect of our method is the use of these branching random walks to construct an optimal (up to a polylogarithmic factor) tree packing of a random graph, which is then used for efficient broadcasting. We also prove the problem to be NP-hard in a centralized setting and provide insights into why lower bounds that can be matched in expanders, namely graph diameter and |M|/minCut, cannot be tight in general graphs.

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Anton Paramonov and Roger Wattenhofer. Broadcast in Almost Mixing Time. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 71:1-71:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{paramonov_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.71,
  author =	{Paramonov, Anton and Wattenhofer, Roger},
  title =	{{Broadcast in Almost Mixing Time}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{71:1--71:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-412-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{364},
  editor =	{Mahajan, Meena and Manea, Florin and McIver, Annabelle and Thắng, Nguy\~{ê}n Kim},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.71},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255603},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.71},
  annote =	{Keywords: Distributed algorithms, Expander Graphs, Random graphs, Broadcast, Branching random walks, Tree packing, CONGEST model}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.40

A Simple and Robust Protocol for Distributed Counting

Authors: Edith Cohen, Moshe Shechner, and Uri Stemmer

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

Abstract

We revisit the distributed counting problem, where a server must continuously approximate the total number of events occurring across k sites while minimizing communication. The communication complexity of this problem is known to be Θ(k/(ε)log N) for deterministic protocols. Huang, Yi, and Zhang (2012) showed that randomization can reduce this to Θ((√k)/ε log N), but their analysis is restricted to the oblivious setting, where the stream of events is independent of the protocol’s outputs. Xiong, Zhu, and Huang (2023) presented a robust protocol for distributed counting that removes the oblivious assumption. However, their communication complexity is suboptimal by a polylog(k) factor and their protocol is substantially more complex than the oblivious protocol of Huang et al. (2012). This left open a natural question: could it be that the simple protocol of Huang et al. (2012) is already robust? We resolve this question with two main contributions. First, we show that the protocol of Huang et al. (2012) is itself not robust by constructing an explicit adaptive attack that forces it to lose its accuracy. Second, we present a new, surprisingly simple, robust protocol for distributed counting that achieves the optimal communication complexity of O((√k)/ε log N). Our protocol is simpler than that of Xiong et al. (2023), perhaps even simpler than that of Huang et al. (2012), and is the first to match the optimal oblivious complexity in the adaptive setting.

Cite as

Edith Cohen, Moshe Shechner, and Uri Stemmer. A Simple and Robust Protocol for Distributed Counting. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 40:1-40:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{cohen_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.40,
  author =	{Cohen, Edith and Shechner, Moshe and Stemmer, Uri},
  title =	{{A Simple and Robust Protocol for Distributed Counting}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{40:1--40:24},
  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.2026.40},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253272},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.40},
  annote =	{Keywords: Distributed Streaming, Adversarial Streaming}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.73

Quantum Advantage from Sampling Shallow Circuits: Beyond Hardness of Marginals

Authors: Daniel Grier, Daniel M. Kane, Jackson Morris, Anthony Ostuni, and Kewen Wu

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

Abstract

We construct a family of distributions {𝒟_n}_n with 𝒟_n over {0, 1}ⁿ and a family of depth-7 quantum circuits {C_n}_n such that 𝒟_n is produced exactly by C_n with the all zeros state as input, yet any constant-depth classical circuit with bounded fan-in gates evaluated on any binary product distribution has total variation distance 1 - e^{-Ω(n)} from 𝒟_n. Moreover, the quantum circuits we construct are geometrically local and use a relatively standard gate set: Hadamard, controlled-phase, CNOT, and Toffoli gates. All previous separations of this type suffer from some undesirable constraint on the classical circuit model or the quantum circuits witnessing the separation. Our family of distributions is inspired by the Parity Halving Problem of Watts, Kothari, Schaeffer, and Tal (STOC, 2019), which built on the work of Bravyi, Gosset, and König (Science, 2018) to separate shallow quantum and classical circuits for relational problems.

Cite as

Daniel Grier, Daniel M. Kane, Jackson Morris, Anthony Ostuni, and Kewen Wu. Quantum Advantage from Sampling Shallow Circuits: Beyond Hardness of Marginals. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 73:1-73:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{grier_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.73,
  author =	{Grier, Daniel and Kane, Daniel M. and Morris, Jackson and Ostuni, Anthony and Wu, Kewen},
  title =	{{Quantum Advantage from Sampling Shallow Circuits: Beyond Hardness of Marginals}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{73:1--73:14},
  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.2026.73},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253607},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.73},
  annote =	{Keywords: Shallow circuits, sampling, quantum circuits}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.75

Prior-Independent and Subgame Optimal Online Algorithms

Authors: Jason Hartline, Aleck Johnsen, and Anant Shah

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

Abstract

This paper develops two game-theoretic notions of beyond worst-case analysis that give better than worst-case guarantees on natural inputs. We illustrate them through the finite-horizon ski-rental problem. First, we consider prior-independent design and analysis of online algorithms where, rather than choosing a worst-case input, the adversary chooses a worst-case independent and identical distribution over inputs. Prior-independent online algorithms are generally analytically intractable; instead we give a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme to compute them. Second, we consider the worst-case design of algorithms. We define "subgame optimality" which is stronger than worst-case optimality in that it requires the algorithm to take advantage of an adversary not playing a worst-case input. Algorithms that focus only on the worst case can be far from subgame optimal. Highlighting the potential improvement from these paradigms for the finite-horizon ski-rental problem, we empirically compare worst-case, subgame optimal, and prior-independent algorithms in the prior-independent framework. Finally, we analyze the structure of their decisions across input sequences: the prior-independent algorithm exhibits more extreme adaptations to observed data, in contrast with the more conservative behavior of worst-case and subgame optimal algorithms.

Cite as

Jason Hartline, Aleck Johnsen, and Anant Shah. Prior-Independent and Subgame Optimal Online Algorithms. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 75:1-75:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{hartline_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.75,
  author =	{Hartline, Jason and Johnsen, Aleck and Shah, Anant},
  title =	{{Prior-Independent and Subgame Optimal Online Algorithms}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{75:1--75:23},
  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.2026.75},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253622},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.75},
  annote =	{Keywords: online algorithms, prior-independent algorithm design, zero-sum games}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.56

The Hardness of Learning Quantum Circuits and Its Cryptographic Applications

Authors: Bill Fefferman, Soumik Ghosh, Makrand Sinha, and Henry Yuen

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

Abstract

We show that concrete hardness assumptions about learning or cloning the output state of a random quantum circuit can be used as the foundation for secure quantum cryptography. In particular, under these assumptions we construct secure one-way state generators (OWSGs), digital signature schemes, quantum bit commitments, and private key encryption schemes. We also discuss evidence for these hardness assumptions by analyzing the best-known quantum learning algorithms, as well as proving black-box lower bounds for cloning and learning given state preparation oracles. Our random circuit-based constructions provide concrete instantiations of quantum cryptographic primitives whose security do not depend on the existence of one-way functions. The use of random circuits in our constructions also opens the door to {NISQ-friendly quantum cryptography}. We discuss noise tolerant versions of our OWSG and digital signature constructions which can potentially be implementable on noisy quantum computers connected by a quantum network. On the other hand, they are still secure against {noiseless} quantum adversaries, raising the intriguing possibility of a useful implementation of an end-to-end cryptographic protocol on near-term quantum computers. Finally, our explorations suggest that the rich interconnections between learning theory and cryptography in classical theoretical computer science also extend to the quantum setting.

Cite as

Bill Fefferman, Soumik Ghosh, Makrand Sinha, and Henry Yuen. The Hardness of Learning Quantum Circuits and Its Cryptographic Applications. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 56:1-56:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{fefferman_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.56,
  author =	{Fefferman, Bill and Ghosh, Soumik and Sinha, Makrand and Yuen, Henry},
  title =	{{The Hardness of Learning Quantum Circuits and Its Cryptographic Applications}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{56:1--56:21},
  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.2026.56},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253431},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.56},
  annote =	{Keywords: quantum learning, quantum circuits, cryptographic hardness, one-way state generators}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.23

Decoding Balanced Linear Codes with Preprocessing

Authors: Andrej Bogdanov, Rohit Chatterjee, Yunqi Li, and Prashant Nalini Vasudevan

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

Abstract

Prange’s information set algorithm is a well-known decoding algorithm for linear codes. It decodes corrupted codewords of most 𝔽₂-linear codes C of message length n up to relative error rate O(log n / n) in poly(n) time. We show that the error rate can be improved to O((log n)² / n), provided: (1) the decoder has access to a polynomial-length advice string that depends on C only, and (2) C is n^{-Ω(1)}-balanced. As a consequence we improve the error tolerance in decoding random linear codes if inefficient preprocessing of the code is allowed. This reveals potential vulnerabilities in cryptographic applications of Learning Noisy Parities with low noise rate. Our main technical result is that the Hamming weight of Hw, where the rows of H are a random sample of short dual codewords, measures the proximity of a received word w to the code in the regime of interest. Given such H as advice, our algorithm corrects errors by locally minimizing this measure. We show that for most codes, the error rate tolerated by our decoder is asymptotically optimal among all algorithms whose decision is based on thresholding Hw for an arbitrary polynomial-size advice matrix H.

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Andrej Bogdanov, Rohit Chatterjee, Yunqi Li, and Prashant Nalini Vasudevan. Decoding Balanced Linear Codes with Preprocessing. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 23:1-23:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{bogdanov_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.23,
  author =	{Bogdanov, Andrej and Chatterjee, Rohit and Li, Yunqi and Vasudevan, Prashant Nalini},
  title =	{{Decoding Balanced Linear Codes with Preprocessing}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{23:1--23:23},
  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.2026.23},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253107},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.23},
  annote =	{Keywords: Linear codes, nearest codeword problem, learning parity with noise}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.16

Robust Streaming Against Low-Memory Adversaries

Authors: Omri Ben-Eliezer, Krzysztof Onak, and Sandeep Silwal

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

Abstract

Robust streaming, the study of streaming algorithms that provably work when the stream is generated by an adaptive adversary, has seen tremendous progress in recent years. However, fundamental barriers remain: the best known algorithm for turnstile F_p-estimation in the robust streaming setting is exponentially worse than in the oblivious setting, and closing this gap seems difficult. Arguably, one possible cause of this barrier is the adversarial model, which may be too strong: unlike the space-bounded streaming algorithm, the adversary can memorize the entire history of the interaction with the algorithm. Can we then close the exponential gap if we insist that the adversary itself is an adaptive but low-memory entity, roughly as powerful as (or even weaker than) the algorithm? In this work we present the first set of models and results aimed towards this question. We design efficient robust streaming algorithms against adversaries that are fully adaptive but have no long-term memory ("memoryless") or very little memory of the history of interaction. Roughly speaking, a memoryless adversary only sees, at any given round, the last output of the algorithm (and does not even know the current time) and can generate an unlimited number of independent coin tosses. A low-memory adversary is similar, but maintains an additional small buffer. While these adversaries may seem quite limited at first glance, we show that this adversarial model is strong enough to produce streams that have high flip number and density in the context of F₂-estimation, which rules out most known robustification techniques. We then design a new simple approach, similar to the computation paths framework, to obtain efficient algorithms against memoryless and low-memory adversaries for a wide class of order-invariant problems. We conclude by posing various open questions proposing further exploration of the landscape of robust streaming against fully adaptive but computationally constrained adversaries.

Cite as

Omri Ben-Eliezer, Krzysztof Onak, and Sandeep Silwal. Robust Streaming Against Low-Memory Adversaries. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 16:1-16:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{beneliezer_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.16,
  author =	{Ben-Eliezer, Omri and Onak, Krzysztof and Silwal, Sandeep},
  title =	{{Robust Streaming Against Low-Memory Adversaries}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{16:1--16:23},
  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.2026.16},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253037},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.16},
  annote =	{Keywords: robust streaming, adaptive robustness, bounded-space adversaries}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.109

Cloning Games, Black Holes and Cryptography

Authors: Alexander Poremba, Seyoon Ragavan, and Vinod Vaikuntanathan

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

Abstract

In this work, we introduce a new toolkit for analyzing cloning games, a notion that captures stronger and more quantitative versions of the celebrated quantum no-cloning theorem. This framework allows us to analyze a new cloning game based on binary phase states. Our results provide evidence that these games may be able to overcome important limitations of previous candidates based on BB84 states and subspace coset states: in a model where the adversaries are restricted to making a single oracle query, we show that the binary phase variant is t-copy secure when t = o(n/log n). Moreover, for constant t, we obtain the first optimal bounds of O(2^{-n}), asymptotically matching the value attained by a trivial adversarial strategy. We also show a worst-case to average-case reduction which allows us to show the same quantitative results for the new and natural notion of Haar cloning games. Our analytic toolkit, which we believe will find further applications, is based on binary subtypes and uses novel bounds on the operator norms of block-wise tensor products of matrices. To illustrate the effectiveness of these new techniques, we present two applications: first, in black-hole physics, where our asymptotically optimal bound offers quantitative insights into information scrambling in idealized models of black holes; and second, in unclonable cryptography, where we (a) construct succinct unclonable encryption schemes from the existence of pseudorandom unitaries, and (b) propose and provide evidence for the security of multi-copy unclonable encryption schemes.

Cite as

Alexander Poremba, Seyoon Ragavan, and Vinod Vaikuntanathan. Cloning Games, Black Holes and Cryptography. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 109:1-109:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{poremba_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.109,
  author =	{Poremba, Alexander and Ragavan, Seyoon and Vaikuntanathan, Vinod},
  title =	{{Cloning Games, Black Holes and Cryptography}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{109:1--109:21},
  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.2026.109},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253961},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.109},
  annote =	{Keywords: Unclonable cryptography, quantum pseudorandomness, black hole physics}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.111

Hardness of Range Avoidance and Proof Complexity Generators from Demi-Bits

Authors: Hanlin Ren, Yichuan Wang, and Yan Zhong

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

Abstract

Given a circuit G: {0, 1}ⁿ → {0, 1}^m with m > n, the range avoidance problem (Avoid) asks to output a string y ∈ {0, 1}^m that is not in the range of G. Besides its profound connection to circuit complexity and explicit construction problems, this problem is also related to the existence of proof complexity generators - circuits G: {0, 1}ⁿ → {0, 1}^m where m > n but for every y ∈ {0, 1}^m, it is infeasible to prove the statement "y ̸ ∈ Range(G)" in a given propositional proof system. This paper connects these two problems with the existence of demi-bits generators, a fundamental cryptographic primitive against nondeterministic adversaries introduced by Rudich (RANDOM '97). - We show that the existence of demi-bits generators implies Avoid is hard for nondeterministic algorithms. This resolves an open problem raised by Chen and Li (STOC '24). Furthermore, assuming the demi-hardness of certain LPN-style generators or Goldreich’s PRG, we prove the hardness of Avoid even when the instances are constant-degree polynomials over 𝔽₂. - We show that the dual weak pigeonhole principle is unprovable in Cook’s theory PV₁ under the existence of demi-bits generators secure against AM/_{O(1)}, thereby separating Jeřábek’s theory APC₁ from PV₁. Previously, Ilango, Li, and Williams (STOC '23) obtained the same separation under different (and arguably stronger) cryptographic assumptions. - We transform demi-bits generators to proof complexity generators that are pseudo-surjective in certain parameter regime. Pseudo-surjectivity is the strongest form of hardness considered in the literature for proof complexity generators. Our constructions are inspired by the recent breakthroughs on the hardness of Avoid by Ilango, Li, and Williams (STOC '23) and Chen and Li (STOC '24). We use randomness extractors to significantly simplify the construction and the proof.

Cite as

Hanlin Ren, Yichuan Wang, and Yan Zhong. Hardness of Range Avoidance and Proof Complexity Generators from Demi-Bits. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 111:1-111:25, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{ren_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.111,
  author =	{Ren, Hanlin and Wang, Yichuan and Zhong, Yan},
  title =	{{Hardness of Range Avoidance and Proof Complexity Generators from Demi-Bits}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{111:1--111:25},
  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.2026.111},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253982},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.111},
  annote =	{Keywords: Range Avoidance, Proof Complexity Generators}
}

Document

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}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.32

Vanishing Signatures, Orbit Closure, and the Converse of the Holant Theorem

Authors: Jin-Yi Cai and Ben Young

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

Abstract

Valiant’s Holant theorem is a powerful tool for algorithms and reductions for counting problems. It states that if two sets ℱ and 𝒢 of tensors (a.k.a. constraint functions or signatures) are related by a holographic transformation, then ℱ and 𝒢 are Holant-indistinguishable, i.e., every tensor network using tensors from ℱ, respectively from 𝒢, contracts to the same value. Xia (ICALP 2010) conjectured the converse of the Holant theorem, but a counterexample was found based on vanishing signatures, those which are Holant-indistinguishable from 0. We prove two near-converses of the Holant theorem using techniques from invariant theory. (I) Holant-indistinguishable ℱ and 𝒢 always admit two sequences of holographic transformations mapping them arbitrarily close to each other, i.e., their GL_q-orbit closures intersect. (II) We show that vanishing signatures are the only true obstacle to a converse of the Holant theorem. As corollaries of the two theorems we obtain the first characterization of homomorphism-indistinguishability over graphs of bounded degree, a long standing open problem, and show that two graphs with invertible adjacency matrices are isomorphic if and only if they are homomorphism-indistinguishable over graphs with maximum degree at most three. We also show that Holant-indistinguishability is complete for a complexity class TOCI introduced by Lysikov and Walter [Vladimir Lysikov and Michael Walter, 2024], and hence hard for graph isomorphism.

Cite as

Jin-Yi Cai and Ben Young. Vanishing Signatures, Orbit Closure, and the Converse of the Holant Theorem. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 32:1-32:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{cai_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.32,
  author =	{Cai, Jin-Yi and Young, Ben},
  title =	{{Vanishing Signatures, Orbit Closure, and the Converse of the Holant Theorem}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{32:1--32:20},
  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.2026.32},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253198},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.32},
  annote =	{Keywords: Holant, Orbit Closure Intersection, Homomorphism Indistinguishability, Tensor Network}
}

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