97 Search Results for "Moore, Cristopher"


Volume

LIPIcs, Volume 28

Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2014)

APPROX/RANDOM 2014, September 4-6, 2014, Barcelona, Spain

Editors: Klaus Jansen, José Rolim, Nikhil R. Devanur, and Cristopher Moore

Document
On the Complexity of Language Membership for Probabilistic Words

Authors: Antoine Amarilli, Mikaël Monet, Paul Raphaël, and Sylvain Salvati

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


Abstract
We study the membership problem to context-free languages L (CFLs) on probabilistic words, that specify for each position a probability distribution on the letters (assuming independence across positions). Our task is to compute, given a probabilistic word, what is the probability that a word drawn according to the distribution belongs to L. This problem generalizes the problem of counting how many words of length n belong to L, or of counting how many completions of a partial word belong to L. We show that this problem is in polynomial time for unambiguous context-free languages (uCFLs), but can be #P-hard already for unions of two linear uCFLs. More generally, we show that the problem is in polynomial time for so-called poly-slicewise-unambiguous languages, where given a length n we can tractably compute an uCFL for the words of length n in the language. This class includes some inherently ambiguous languages, and implies the tractability of bounded CFLs and of languages recognized by unambiguous polynomial-time counter automata; but we show that the problem can be #P-hard for nondeterministic counter automata, even for Parikh automata with a single counter. We then introduce classes of circuits from knowledge compilation which we use for tractable counting, and show that this covers the tractability of poly-slicewise-unambiguous languages and of some CFLs that are not poly-slicewise-unambiguous. Extending these circuits with negation further allows us to show tractability for the language of primitive words, and for the language of concatenations of two palindromes. We finally show the conditional undecidability of the meta-problem that asks, given a CFG, whether the probabilistic membership problem for that CFG is tractable or #P-hard.

Cite as

Antoine Amarilli, Mikaël Monet, Paul Raphaël, and Sylvain Salvati. On the Complexity of Language Membership for Probabilistic Words. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 5:1-5:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{amarilli_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.5,
  author =	{Amarilli, Antoine and Monet, Mika\"{e}l and Rapha\"{e}l, Paul and Salvati, Sylvain},
  title =	{{On the Complexity of Language Membership for Probabilistic Words}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{5:1--5:21},
  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.2026.5},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-254943},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.5},
  annote =	{Keywords: Automaton, probabilistic words, context-free grammar, membership problem}
}
Document
The Diameter of (Threshold) Geometric Inhomogeneous Random Graphs

Authors: Zylan Benjert, Kostas Lakis, Johannes Lengler, and Raghu Raman Ravi

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


Abstract
We prove that the diameter of threshold (zero temperature) Geometric Inhomogeneous Random Graphs (GIRG) is asymptotically almost surely Θ(log n). This has strong implications for the runtime of many distributed protocols on those graphs, which often have runtimes bounded as a function of the diameter. The GIRG model exhibits many properties empirically found in real-world networks, and the runtime of various practical algorithms has empirically been found to scale in the same way for GIRG and for real-world networks, in particular related to computing distances, diameter, clustering, cliques and chromatic numbers. Thus the GIRG model is a promising candidate for deriving insight about the performance of algorithms in real-world instances. The diameter was previously only known in the one-dimensional case, and the proof relied very heavily on dimension one. Our proof employs a similar Peierls-type argument alongside a novel renormalization scheme. Moreover, instead of using topological arguments (which become complicated in high dimensions) in establishing the connectivity of certain boundaries, we employ some comparatively recent and clearer graph-theoretic machinery. The lower bound is proven via a simple ad-hoc construction.

Cite as

Zylan Benjert, Kostas Lakis, Johannes Lengler, and Raghu Raman Ravi. The Diameter of (Threshold) Geometric Inhomogeneous Random Graphs. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 11:1-11:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{benjert_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.11,
  author =	{Benjert, Zylan and Lakis, Kostas and Lengler, Johannes and Ravi, Raghu Raman},
  title =	{{The Diameter of (Threshold) Geometric Inhomogeneous Random Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{11:1--11:21},
  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.2026.11},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255009},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.11},
  annote =	{Keywords: GIRG, Diameter, Distributed Algorithms, Complex Networks}
}
Document
A General Framework for Low Soundness Homomorphism Testing

Authors: Tushant Mittal and Sourya Roy

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


Abstract
We introduce a general framework to design and analyze algorithms for the problem of testing homomorphisms between finite groups in the low-soundness regime. In this regime, we give the first constant-query tests for various families of groups. These include tests for: (i) homomorphisms between arbitrary cyclic groups, (ii) homomorphisms between any finite group and ℤ_p, (iii) automorphisms of dihedral and symmetric groups, (iv) inner automorphisms of non-abelian finite simple groups and extraspecial groups, and (v) testing linear characters of GL_n(F_q), and finite-dimensional Lie algebras over F_q. We also recover the result of Kiwi [TCS'03] for testing homomorphisms between F_qⁿ and F_q. Prior to this work, such tests were only known for abelian groups with a constant maximal order (such as F_qⁿ). No tests were known for non-abelian groups. As an additional corollary, our framework gives combinatorial list decoding bounds for cyclic groups with list size dependence of O(ε^{-2}) (for agreement parameter ε). This improves upon the currently best-known bound of O(ε^{-105}) due to Dinur, Grigorescu, Kopparty, and Sudan [STOC'08], and Guo and Sudan [RANDOM'14].

Cite as

Tushant Mittal and Sourya Roy. A General Framework for Low Soundness Homomorphism Testing. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 103:1-103:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{mittal_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.103,
  author =	{Mittal, Tushant and Roy, Sourya},
  title =	{{A General Framework for Low Soundness Homomorphism Testing}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{103:1--103:18},
  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.2026.103},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253901},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.103},
  annote =	{Keywords: Property Testing, Coding Theory}
}
Document
An Unholy Trinity: TFNP, Polynomial Systems, and the Quantum Satisfiability Problem

Authors: Marco Aldi, Sevag Gharibian, and Dorian Rudolph

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


Abstract
The theory of Total Function NP (TFNP) and its subclasses says that, even if one is promised an efficiently verifiable proof exists for a problem, finding this proof can be intractable. Despite the success of the theory at showing intractability of problems such as computing Brouwer fixed points and Nash equilibria, subclasses of TFNP remain arguably few and far between. In this work, we define two new subclasses of TFNP borne of the study of complex polynomial systems: Multi-homogeneous Systems (MHS) and Sparse Fundamental Theorem of Algebra (SFTA). The first of these is based on Bézout’s theorem from algebraic geometry, marking the first TFNP subclass based on an algebraic geometric principle. At the heart of our study is the computational problem known as Quantum SAT (QSAT) with a System of Distinct Representatives (SDR), first studied by [Laumann, Läuchli, Moessner, Scardicchio, and Sondhi 2010]. Among other results, we show that QSAT with SDR is MHS-complete, thus giving not only the first link between quantum complexity theory and TFNP, but also the first TFNP problem whose classical variant (SAT with SDR) is easy but whose quantum variant is hard. We also show how to embed the roots of a sparse, high-degree, univariate polynomial into QSAT with SDR, obtaining that SFTA is contained in a zero-error version of MHS. We conjecture this construction also works in the low-error setting, which would imply SFTA ⊆ MHS.

Cite as

Marco Aldi, Sevag Gharibian, and Dorian Rudolph. An Unholy Trinity: TFNP, Polynomial Systems, and the Quantum Satisfiability Problem. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 7:1-7:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{aldi_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.7,
  author =	{Aldi, Marco and Gharibian, Sevag and Rudolph, Dorian},
  title =	{{An Unholy Trinity: TFNP, Polynomial Systems, and the Quantum Satisfiability Problem}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{7:1--7:24},
  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.2026.7},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-252946},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.7},
  annote =	{Keywords: quantum complexity theory, Quantum Merlin Arthur (QMA), Quantum Satisfiability Problem (QSAT), total function NP (TFNP)}
}
Document
Recovering Communities in Structured Random Graphs

Authors: Michael Kapralov, Luca Trevisan, and Weronika Wrzos-Kaminska

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


Abstract
The problem of recovering planted community structure in random graphs has received a lot of attention in the literature on the stochastic block model, where the input is a random graph in which edges crossing between different communities appear with smaller probability than edges induced by communities. The communities themselves form a collection of vertex-disjoint sparse cuts in the expected graph, and can be recovered, often exactly, from a sample as long as a separation condition on the intra- and inter-community edge probabilities is satisfied. In this paper, we ask whether the presence of a large number of overlapping sparsest cuts in the expected graph still allows recovery. For example, the d-dimensional hypercube graph admits d distinct (balanced) sparsest cuts, one for every coordinate. Can these cuts be identified given a random sample of the edges of the hypercube where each edge is present independently with some probability p ∈ (0, 1)? We show that this is the case, in a very strong sense: the sparsest balanced cut in a sample of the hypercube at rate p = Clog d/d for a sufficiently large constant C is 1/poly(d)-close to a coordinate cut with high probability. This is asymptotically optimal and allows approximate recovery of all d cuts simultaneously. Furthermore, for an appropriate sample of hypercube-like graphs recovery can be made exact. The proof is essentially a strong hypercube cut sparsification bound that combines a theorem of Friedgut, Kalai and Naor on boolean functions whose Fourier transform concentrates on the first level of the Fourier spectrum with Karger’s cut counting argument.

Cite as

Michael Kapralov, Luca Trevisan, and Weronika Wrzos-Kaminska. Recovering Communities in Structured Random Graphs. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 85:1-85:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{kapralov_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.85,
  author =	{Kapralov, Michael and Trevisan, Luca and Wrzos-Kaminska, Weronika},
  title =	{{Recovering Communities in Structured Random Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{85:1--85:23},
  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.2026.85},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253727},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.85},
  annote =	{Keywords: Hypercube graphs, Community detection, Fourier analysis of Boolean functions}
}
Document
Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange from Commutativity to Group Laws

Authors: Dung Hoang Duong, Youming Qiao, and Chuanqi Zhang

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


Abstract
In Diffie-Hellman key exchange, the commutativity of power operations is instrumental in the agreement of keys. Viewing commutativity as a law in abelian groups, we propose Diffie-Hellman key exchange in the group action framework (Brassard-Yung, Crypto'90; Ji-Qiao-Song-Yun, TCC'19), for actions of non-abelian groups with laws. The security of this protocol is shown, following Fischlin, Günther, Schmidt, and Warinschi (IEEE S&P'16), based on a pseudorandom group action assumption. A concrete instantiation is proposed based on the monomial code equivalence problem.

Cite as

Dung Hoang Duong, Youming Qiao, and Chuanqi Zhang. Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange from Commutativity to Group Laws. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 52:1-52:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{duong_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.52,
  author =	{Duong, Dung Hoang and Qiao, Youming and Zhang, Chuanqi},
  title =	{{Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange from Commutativity to Group Laws}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{52:1--52:20},
  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.2026.52},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253396},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.52},
  annote =	{Keywords: Diffie-Hellman, Key Exchange, Group Laws, Group Actions, Code Equivalence}
}
Document
Random Unitaries in Constant (Quantum) Time

Authors: Ben Foxman, Natalie Parham, Francisca Vasconcelos, and Henry Yuen

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


Abstract
Random unitaries are a central object of study in quantum information, with applications to quantum computation, quantum many-body physics, and quantum cryptography. Recent work has constructed unitary designs and pseudorandom unitaries (PRUs) using Θ(log log n)-depth unitary circuits with two-qubit gates. In this work, we show that unitary designs and PRUs can be efficiently constructed in several well-studied models of constant-time quantum computation (i.e., the time complexity on the quantum computer is independent of the system size). These models are constant-depth circuits augmented with certain nonlocal operations, such as (a) many-qubit TOFFOLI gates, (b) many-qubit FANOUT gates, or (c) mid-circuit measurements with classical feedforward control. Recent advances in quantum computing hardware suggest experimental feasibility of these models in the near future. Our results demonstrate that unitary designs and PRUs can be constructed in much weaker circuit models than previously thought. Furthermore, our construction of PRUs in constant-depth with many-qubit TOFFOLI gates shows that, under cryptographic assumptions, there is no polynomial-time learning algorithm for the circuit class QAC⁰. Finally, our results suggest a new approach towards proving that PARITY is not computable in QAC⁰, a long-standing question in quantum complexity theory.

Cite as

Ben Foxman, Natalie Parham, Francisca Vasconcelos, and Henry Yuen. Random Unitaries in Constant (Quantum) Time. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 61:1-61:25, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)


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@InProceedings{foxman_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.61,
  author =	{Foxman, Ben and Parham, Natalie and Vasconcelos, Francisca and Yuen, Henry},
  title =	{{Random Unitaries in Constant (Quantum) Time}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{61:1--61:25},
  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.2026.61},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253481},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.61},
  annote =	{Keywords: Quantum Information, Pseudorandomness, Circuit Complexity}
}
Document
How Pinball Wizards Simulate a Turing Machine

Authors: Rosemary U. Adejoh, Andreas Jakoby, Sneha Mohanty, and Christian Schindelhauer

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 360, 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)


Abstract
We introduce and investigate the computational complexity of a novel physical problem known as the Pinball Wizard problem. It involves an idealized pinball moving through a maze composed of one-way gates (outswing doors), plane walls, parabolic walls, moving plane walls, and bumpers that cause acceleration or deceleration. Given the initial position and velocity of the pinball, the task is to decide whether it will hit a specified target point. By simulating a two-stack pushdown automaton, we show that the problem is Turing-complete - even in two-dimensional space. In our construction, each step of the automaton corresponds to a constant number of reflections. Thus, deciding the Pinball Wizard problem is at least as hard as the Halting problem. Furthermore, our construction allows bumpers to be replaced with moving walls. In this case, even a ball moving at constant speed - a so-called ray particle - can be used, demonstrating that the Ray Particle Tracing problem is also Turing-complete.

Cite as

Rosemary U. Adejoh, Andreas Jakoby, Sneha Mohanty, and Christian Schindelhauer. How Pinball Wizards Simulate a Turing Machine. In 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 360, pp. 4:1-4:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{adejoh_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.4,
  author =	{Adejoh, Rosemary U. and Jakoby, Andreas and Mohanty, Sneha and Schindelhauer, Christian},
  title =	{{How Pinball Wizards Simulate a Turing Machine}},
  booktitle =	{45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)},
  pages =	{4:1--4:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-406-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{360},
  editor =	{Aiswarya, C. and Mehta, Ruta and Roy, Subhajit},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.4},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-250832},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.4},
  annote =	{Keywords: Pinball Wizard problem, Halting problem, Turing-complete}
}
Document
Approximation Schemes for k-Subset Sum Ratio and k-Way Number Partitioning Ratio

Authors: Sotiris Kanellopoulos, Giorgos Mitropoulos, Antonis Antonopoulos, Nikos Leonardos, Aris Pagourtzis, Christos Pergaminelis, Stavros Petsalakis, and Kanellos Tsitouras

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 359, 36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025)


Abstract
The Subset Sum Ratio problem (SSR) asks, given a multiset A of positive integers, to find two disjoint subsets of A such that the largest-to-smallest ratio of their sums is minimized. In this paper we study the k-version of SSR, namely k-Subset Sum Ratio (k-SSR), which asks to minimize the largest-to-smallest ratio of sums of k disjoint subsets of A. We develop an approximation scheme for k-SSR running in O(n^{2k}/ε^{k-1}) time, where n = |A| and ε is the error parameter. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first FPTAS for k-SSR for fixed k > 2. We also study the k-way Number Partitioning Ratio (k-PART) problem, which differs from k-SSR in that the k subsets must constitute a partition of A; this problem in fact corresponds to the objective of minimizing the largest-to-smallest sum ratio in the family of Multiway Number Partitioning problems. We present a more involved FPTAS for k-PART, also achieving O(n^{2k}/ε^{k-1}) time complexity. Notably, k-PART is also equivalent to the Minimum Envy-Ratio problem with identical valuation functions, which has been studied in the context of fair division of indivisible goods. Thus, for the case of identical valuations, our FPTAS represents a significant improvement over the O(n^{4k²+1}/ε^{2k²}) bound obtained by Nguyen and Rothe’s FPTAS [Trung Thanh Nguyen and Jörg Rothe, 2014] for Minimum Envy-Ratio with general additive valuations. Lastly, we propose a second FPTAS for k-SSR, which employs carefully designed calls to the first one; the new scheme has a time complexity of Õ(n/ε^{3k-1}), thus being much faster when n≫ 1/ ε.

Cite as

Sotiris Kanellopoulos, Giorgos Mitropoulos, Antonis Antonopoulos, Nikos Leonardos, Aris Pagourtzis, Christos Pergaminelis, Stavros Petsalakis, and Kanellos Tsitouras. Approximation Schemes for k-Subset Sum Ratio and k-Way Number Partitioning Ratio. In 36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 359, pp. 44:1-44:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{kanellopoulos_et_al:LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.44,
  author =	{Kanellopoulos, Sotiris and Mitropoulos, Giorgos and Antonopoulos, Antonis and Leonardos, Nikos and Pagourtzis, Aris and Pergaminelis, Christos and Petsalakis, Stavros and Tsitouras, Kanellos},
  title =	{{Approximation Schemes for k-Subset Sum Ratio and k-Way Number Partitioning Ratio}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025)},
  pages =	{44:1--44:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-408-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{359},
  editor =	{Chen, Ho-Lin and Hon, Wing-Kai and Tsai, Meng-Tsung},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.44},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-249521},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.44},
  annote =	{Keywords: Fully polynomial-time approximation schemes, Subset Sum Ratio, Number Partitioning, Fair division, Envy minimization, Pseudo-polynomial time algorithms}
}
Document
Optimistic Message Dissemination

Authors: Chen-Da Liu-Zhang, Christian Matt, and Søren Eller Thomsen

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 354, 7th Conference on Advances in Financial Technologies (AFT 2025)


Abstract
Message dissemination is a fundamental building block in distributed systems and guarantees that any message sent eventually reaches all parties. State of the art provably secure protocols for disseminating messages have a per-party communication complexity that is linear in the inverse of the fraction of parties that are guaranteed to be honest in the worst case. Unfortunately, this per-party communication complexity arises even in cases where the actual fraction of parties that behave honestly is close to 1. In this paper, we propose an optimistic message dissemination protocol that adopts to the actual conditions in which it is deployed, with optimal worst-case per-party communication complexity. Our protocol cuts the complexity of prior provably secure protocols for 49% worst-case corruption almost in half under optimistic conditions and allows practitioners to combine efficient heuristics with secure fallback mechanisms.

Cite as

Chen-Da Liu-Zhang, Christian Matt, and Søren Eller Thomsen. Optimistic Message Dissemination. In 7th Conference on Advances in Financial Technologies (AFT 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 354, pp. 14:1-14:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{liuzhang_et_al:LIPIcs.AFT.2025.14,
  author =	{Liu-Zhang, Chen-Da and Matt, Christian and Thomsen, S{\o}ren Eller},
  title =	{{Optimistic Message Dissemination}},
  booktitle =	{7th Conference on Advances in Financial Technologies (AFT 2025)},
  pages =	{14:1--14:24},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-400-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{354},
  editor =	{Avarikioti, Zeta and Christin, Nicolas},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.AFT.2025.14},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-247332},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.AFT.2025.14},
  annote =	{Keywords: flooding, message dissemination, optimistic}
}
Document
RANDOM
Algorithmic Contiguity from Low-Degree Conjecture and Applications in Correlated Random Graphs

Authors: Zhangsong Li

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 353, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)


Abstract
In this paper, assuming a natural strengthening of the low-degree conjecture, we provide evidence of computational hardness for two problems: (1) the (partial) matching recovery problem in the sparse correlated Erdős-Rényi graphs G(n,q;ρ) when the edge-density q = n^{-1+o(1)} and the correlation ρ < √{α} lies below the Otter’s threshold, this resolves a remaining problem in [Jian Ding et al., 2023]; (2) the detection problem between a pair of correlated sparse stochastic block model S(n,λ/n;k,ε;s) and a pair of independent stochastic block models S(n,λs/n;k,ε) when ε² λ s < 1 lies below the Kesten-Stigum (KS) threshold and s < √α lies below the Otter’s threshold, this resolves a remaining problem in [Guanyi Chen et al., 2024]. One of the main ingredient in our proof is to derive certain forms of algorithmic contiguity between two probability measures based on bounds on their low-degree advantage. To be more precise, consider the high-dimensional hypothesis testing problem between two probability measures ℙ and ℚ based on the sample Y. We show that if the low-degree advantage Adv_{≤D}(dℙ/dℚ) = O(1), then (assuming the low-degree conjecture) there is no efficient algorithm A such that ℚ(A(Y) = 0) = 1-o(1) and ℙ(A(Y) = 1) = Ω(1). This framework provides a useful tool for performing reductions between different inference tasks.

Cite as

Zhangsong Li. Algorithmic Contiguity from Low-Degree Conjecture and Applications in Correlated Random Graphs. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 353, pp. 30:1-30:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{li:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.30,
  author =	{Li, Zhangsong},
  title =	{{Algorithmic Contiguity from Low-Degree Conjecture and Applications in Correlated Random Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)},
  pages =	{30:1--30:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-397-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{353},
  editor =	{Ene, Alina and Chattopadhyay, Eshan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.30},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-243965},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.30},
  annote =	{Keywords: Algorithmic Contiguity, Low-degree Conjecture, Correlated Random Graphs}
}
Document
RANDOM
On Sums of INW Pseudorandom Generators

Authors: William M. Hoza and Zelin Lv

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 353, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)


Abstract
We study a new approach for constructing pseudorandom generators (PRGs) that fool constant-width standard-order read-once branching programs (ROBPs). Let X be the n-bit output distribution of the INW PRG (Impagliazzo, Nisan, and Wigderson, STOC 1994), instantiated using expansion parameter λ. We prove that the bitwise XOR of t independent copies of X fools width-w programs with error n^{log(w + 1)} ⋅ (λ⋅log n)^t. Notably, this error bound is meaningful even for relatively large values of λ such as λ = 1/O(log n). Admittedly, our analysis does not yet imply any improvement in the bottom-line overall seed length required for fooling such programs - it just gives a new way of re-proving the well-known O(log² n) bound. Furthermore, we prove that this shortcoming is not an artifact of our analysis, but rather is an intrinsic limitation of our "XOR of INW" approach. That is, no matter how many copies of the INW generator we XOR together, and no matter how we set the expansion parameters, if the generator fools width-3 programs and the proof of correctness does not use any properties of the expander graphs except their spectral expansion, then we prove that the seed length of the generator is inevitably Ω(log² n). Still, we hope that our work might be a step toward constructing near-optimal PRGs fooling constant-width ROBPs. We suggest that one could try running the INW PRG on t correlated seeds, sampled via another PRG, and taking the bitwise XOR of the outputs.

Cite as

William M. Hoza and Zelin Lv. On Sums of INW Pseudorandom Generators. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 353, pp. 67:1-67:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{hoza_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.67,
  author =	{Hoza, William M. and Lv, Zelin},
  title =	{{On Sums of INW Pseudorandom Generators}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)},
  pages =	{67:1--67:24},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-397-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{353},
  editor =	{Ene, Alina and Chattopadhyay, Eshan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.67},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-244330},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.67},
  annote =	{Keywords: INW generator, pseudorandomness, space-bounded computation, XOR Lemmas}
}
Document
RANDOM
Sharp Thresholds for the Overlap Gap Property: Ising p-Spin Glass and Random k-SAT

Authors: Eren C. Kızıldağ

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 353, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)


Abstract
The Ising p-spin glass and random k-SAT are two canonical examples of disordered systems that play a central role in understanding the link between geometric features of optimization landscapes and computational tractability. Both models exhibit hard regimes where all known polynomial-time algorithms fail and possess the multi Overlap Gap Property (m-OGP), an intricate geometrical property that rigorously rules out a broad class of algorithms exhibiting input stability. We establish that, in both models, the symmetric m-OGP undergoes a sharp phase transition, and we pinpoint its exact threshold. For the Ising p-spin glass, our results hold for all sufficiently large p; for the random k-SAT, they apply to all k growing mildly with the number of Boolean variables. Notably, our findings yield qualitative insights into the power of OGP-based arguments. A particular consequence for the Ising p-spin glass is that the strength of the m-OGP in establishing algorithmic hardness grows without bound as m increases. These are the first sharp threshold results for the m-OGP. Our analysis hinges on a judicious application of the second moment method, enhanced by concentration. While a direct second moment calculation fails, we overcome this via a refined approach that leverages an argument of Frieze [Frieze, 1990] and exploiting concentration properties of carefully constructed random variables.

Cite as

Eren C. Kızıldağ. Sharp Thresholds for the Overlap Gap Property: Ising p-Spin Glass and Random k-SAT. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 353, pp. 48:1-48:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{kizildag:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.48,
  author =	{K{\i}z{\i}lda\u{g}, Eren C.},
  title =	{{Sharp Thresholds for the Overlap Gap Property: Ising p-Spin Glass and Random k-SAT}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)},
  pages =	{48:1--48:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-397-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{353},
  editor =	{Ene, Alina and Chattopadhyay, Eshan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.48},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-244147},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.48},
  annote =	{Keywords: spin glasses, p-spin model, random constraint satisfaction problems, overlap gap property, phase transitions, computational complexity}
}
Document
APPROX
Spectral Refutations of Semirandom k-LIN over Larger Fields

Authors: Nicholas Kocurek and Peter Manohar

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 353, Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)


Abstract
We study the problem of strongly refuting semirandom k-LIN(𝔽) instances: systems of k-sparse inhomogeneous linear equations over a finite field 𝔽. For the case of 𝔽 = 𝔽₂, this is the well-studied problem of refuting semirandom instances of k-XOR, where the works of [Venkatesan Guruswami et al., 2022; Jun-Ting Hsieh et al., 2023] establish a tight trade-off between runtime and clause density for refutation: for any choice of a parameter 𝓁, they give an n^{O(𝓁)}-time algorithm to certify that there is no assignment that can satisfy more than 1/2 + ε-fraction of constraints in a semirandom k-XOR instance, provided that the instance has O(n)⋅(n/𝓁)^{k/2 - 1} log n/ε⁴ constraints, and the work of [Pravesh K. Kothari et al., 2017] provides good evidence that this tight up to a polylog(n) factor via lower bounds for the Sum-of-Squares hierarchy. However, for larger fields, the only known results for this problem are established via black-box reductions to the case of 𝔽₂, resulting in a |𝔽|^{3k} gap between the current best upper and lower bounds. In this paper, we give an algorithm for refuting semirandom k-LIN(𝔽) instances with the "correct" dependence on the field size |𝔽|. For any choice of a parameter 𝓁, our algorithm runs in (|𝔽|)^O(𝓁)-time and strongly refutes semirandom k-LIN(𝔽) instances with at least O(n) ⋅ (|𝔽^*| n/𝓁) ^{k/2 - 1} log(n|𝔽^*|)/ε⁴ constraints. We give good evidence that this dependence on the field size |𝔽| is optimal by proving a lower bound for the Sum-of-Squares hierarchy that matches this threshold up to a polylog(n |𝔽^*|) factor. Our results also extend beyond finite fields to the more general case of ℤ_m and arbitrary finite Abelian groups. Our key technical innovation is a generalization of the "𝔽₂ Kikuchi matrices" of [Alexander S. Wein et al., 2019; Venkatesan Guruswami et al., 2022] to larger fields, and finite Abelian groups more generally.

Cite as

Nicholas Kocurek and Peter Manohar. Spectral Refutations of Semirandom k-LIN over Larger Fields. In Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 353, pp. 17:1-17:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


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@InProceedings{kocurek_et_al:LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.17,
  author =	{Kocurek, Nicholas and Manohar, Peter},
  title =	{{Spectral Refutations of Semirandom k-LIN over Larger Fields}},
  booktitle =	{Approximation, Randomization, and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques (APPROX/RANDOM 2025)},
  pages =	{17:1--17:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-397-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{353},
  editor =	{Ene, Alina and Chattopadhyay, Eshan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.17},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-243834},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.APPROX/RANDOM.2025.17},
  annote =	{Keywords: Spectral Algorithms, CSP Refutation, Kikuchi Matrices}
}
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