DROPS

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.9

Lifting Dichotomies

Authors: Yaroslav Alekseev, Yuval Filmus, and Alexander Smal

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

Abstract

Lifting theorems are used for transferring lower bounds between Boolean function complexity measures. Given a lower bound on a complexity measure A for some function f, we compose f with a carefully chosen gadget function g and get essentially the same lower bound on a complexity measure B for the lifted function f ⋄ g. Lifting theorems have a number of applications in many different areas such as circuit complexity, communication complexity, proof complexity, etc. One of the main question in the context of lifting is how to choose a suitable gadget g. Generally, to get better results, i.e., to minimize the losses when transferring lower bounds, we need the gadget to be of a constant size (number of inputs). Unfortunately, in many settings we know lifting results only for gadgets of size that grows with the size of f, and it is unclear whether it can be improved to a constant size gadget. This motivates us to identify the properties of gadgets that make lifting possible. In this paper, we systematically study the question "For which gadgets does the lifting result hold?" in the following four settings: lifting from decision tree depth to decision tree size, lifting from conjunction DAG width to conjunction DAG size, lifting from decision tree depth to parity decision tree depth and size, and lifting from block sensitivity to deterministic and randomized communication complexities. In all the cases, we prove the complete classification of gadgets by exposing the properties of gadgets that make lifting results hold. The structure of the results shows that there is no intermediate cases - for every gadget there is either a polynomial lifting or no lifting at all. As a byproduct of our studies, we prove the log-rank conjecture for the class of functions that can be represented as f ⋄ OR ⋄ XOR for some function f. In this extended abstract, the proofs are omitted. Full proofs are given in the full version [Yaroslav Alekseev et al., 2024].

Cite as

Yaroslav Alekseev, Yuval Filmus, and Alexander Smal. Lifting Dichotomies. In 39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 300, pp. 9:1-9:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{alekseev_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2024.9,
  author =	{Alekseev, Yaroslav and Filmus, Yuval and Smal, Alexander},
  title =	{{Lifting Dichotomies}},
  booktitle =	{39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024)},
  pages =	{9:1--9:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-331-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{300},
  editor =	{Santhanam, Rahul},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.9},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-204051},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.9},
  annote =	{Keywords: decision trees, log-rank conjecture, lifting, parity decision trees}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.15

Quantum Automating TC⁰-Frege Is LWE-Hard

Authors: Noel Arteche, Gaia Carenini, and Matthew Gray

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

Abstract

We prove the first hardness results against efficient proof search by quantum algorithms. We show that under Learning with Errors (LWE), the standard lattice-based cryptographic assumption, no quantum algorithm can weakly automate TC⁰-Frege. This extends the line of results of Krajíček and Pudlák (Information and Computation, 1998), Bonet, Pitassi, and Raz (FOCS, 1997), and Bonet, Domingo, Gavaldà, Maciel, and Pitassi (Computational Complexity, 2004), who showed that Extended Frege, TC⁰-Frege and AC⁰-Frege, respectively, cannot be weakly automated by classical algorithms if either the RSA cryptosystem or the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol are secure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first interaction between quantum computation and propositional proof search.

Cite as

Noel Arteche, Gaia Carenini, and Matthew Gray. Quantum Automating TC⁰-Frege Is LWE-Hard. In 39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 300, pp. 15:1-15:25, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{arteche_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2024.15,
  author =	{Arteche, Noel and Carenini, Gaia and Gray, Matthew},
  title =	{{Quantum Automating TC⁰-Frege Is LWE-Hard}},
  booktitle =	{39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024)},
  pages =	{15:1--15:25},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-331-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{300},
  editor =	{Santhanam, Rahul},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.15},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-204117},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.15},
  annote =	{Keywords: automatability, post-quantum cryptography, feasible interpolation}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.22

Depth-d Frege Systems Are Not Automatable Unless 𝖯 = NP

Authors: Theodoros Papamakarios

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

Abstract

We show that for any integer d > 0, depth-d Frege systems are NP-hard to automate. Namely, given a set S of depth-d formulas, it is NP-hard to find a depth-d Frege refutation of S in time polynomial in the size of the shortest such refutation. This extends the result of Atserias and Müller [JACM, 2020] for the non-automatability of resolution - a depth-1 Frege system - to Frege systems of any depth d > 0.

Cite as

Theodoros Papamakarios. Depth-d Frege Systems Are Not Automatable Unless 𝖯 = NP. In 39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 300, pp. 22:1-22:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{papamakarios:LIPIcs.CCC.2024.22,
  author =	{Papamakarios, Theodoros},
  title =	{{Depth-d Frege Systems Are Not Automatable Unless 𝖯 = NP}},
  booktitle =	{39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024)},
  pages =	{22:1--22:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-331-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{300},
  editor =	{Santhanam, Rahul},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.22},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-204187},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.22},
  annote =	{Keywords: Proof complexity, Automatability, Bounded-depth Frege}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.23

Exponential Separation Between Powers of Regular and General Resolution over Parities

Authors: Sreejata Kishor Bhattacharya, Arkadev Chattopadhyay, and Pavel Dvořák

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

Abstract

Proving super-polynomial lower bounds on the size of proofs of unsatisfiability of Boolean formulas using resolution over parities is an outstanding problem that has received a lot of attention after its introduction by Itsykson and Sokolov [Dmitry Itsykson and Dmitry Sokolov, 2014]. Very recently, Efremenko, Garlík and Itsykson [Klim Efremenko et al., 2023] proved the first exponential lower bounds on the size of ResLin proofs that were additionally restricted to be bottom-regular. We show that there are formulas for which such regular ResLin proofs of unsatisfiability continue to have exponential size even though there exist short proofs of their unsatisfiability in ordinary, non-regular resolution. This is the first super-polynomial separation between the power of general ResLin and that of regular ResLin for any natural notion of regularity. Our argument, while building upon the work of Efremenko et al. [Klim Efremenko et al., 2023], uses additional ideas from the literature on lifting theorems.

Cite as

Sreejata Kishor Bhattacharya, Arkadev Chattopadhyay, and Pavel Dvořák. Exponential Separation Between Powers of Regular and General Resolution over Parities. In 39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 300, pp. 23:1-23:32, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bhattacharya_et_al:LIPIcs.CCC.2024.23,
  author =	{Bhattacharya, Sreejata Kishor and Chattopadhyay, Arkadev and Dvo\v{r}\'{a}k, Pavel},
  title =	{{Exponential Separation Between Powers of Regular and General Resolution over Parities}},
  booktitle =	{39th Computational Complexity Conference (CCC 2024)},
  pages =	{23:1--23:32},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-331-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{300},
  editor =	{Santhanam, Rahul},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.23},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-204191},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CCC.2024.23},
  annote =	{Keywords: Proof Complexity, Regular Reslin, Branching Programs, Lifting}
}

Document

Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.12

From Proof Complexity to Circuit Complexity via Interactive Protocols

Authors: Noel Arteche, Erfan Khaniki, Ján Pich, and Rahul Santhanam

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 297, 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)

Abstract

Folklore in complexity theory suspects that circuit lower bounds against NC¹ or P/poly, currently out of reach, are a necessary step towards proving strong proof complexity lower bounds for systems like Frege or Extended Frege. Establishing such a connection formally, however, is already daunting, as it would imply the breakthrough separation NEXP ⊈ P/poly, as recently observed by Pich and Santhanam [Pich and Santhanam, 2023]. We show such a connection conditionally for the Implicit Extended Frege proof system (iEF) introduced by Krajíček [Krajíček, 2004], capable of formalizing most of contemporary complexity theory. In particular, we show that if iEF proves efficiently the standard derandomization assumption that a concrete Boolean function is hard on average for subexponential-size circuits, then any superpolynomial lower bound on the length of iEF proofs implies #P ⊈ FP/poly (which would in turn imply, for example, PSPACE ⊈ P/poly). Our proof exploits the formalization inside iEF of the soundness of the sum-check protocol of Lund, Fortnow, Karloff, and Nisan [Lund et al., 1992]. This has consequences for the self-provability of circuit upper bounds in iEF. Interestingly, further improving our result seems to require progress in constructing interactive proof systems with more efficient provers.

Cite as

Noel Arteche, Erfan Khaniki, Ján Pich, and Rahul Santhanam. From Proof Complexity to Circuit Complexity via Interactive Protocols. In 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 297, pp. 12:1-12:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{arteche_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.12,
  author =	{Arteche, Noel and Khaniki, Erfan and Pich, J\'{a}n and Santhanam, Rahul},
  title =	{{From Proof Complexity to Circuit Complexity via Interactive Protocols}},
  booktitle =	{51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)},
  pages =	{12:1--12:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-322-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{297},
  editor =	{Bringmann, Karl and Grohe, Martin and Puppis, Gabriele and Svensson, Ola},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.12},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-201557},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.12},
  annote =	{Keywords: proof complexity, circuit complexity, interactive protocols}
}

Document

Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.116

One-Way Communication Complexity of Partial XOR Functions

Authors: Vladimir V. Podolskii and Dmitrii Sluch

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 297, 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)

Abstract

Boolean function F(x,y) for x,y ∈ {0,1}ⁿ is an XOR function if F(x,y) = f(x⊕ y) for some function f on n input bits, where ⊕ is a bit-wise XOR. XOR functions are relevant in communication complexity, partially for allowing the Fourier analytic technique. For total XOR functions, it is known that deterministic communication complexity of F is closely related to parity decision tree complexity of f. Montanaro and Osbourne (2009) observed that one-way communication complexity D_{cc}^{→}(F) of F is exactly equal to non-adaptive parity decision tree complexity NADT^{⊕}(f) of f. Hatami et al. (2018) showed that unrestricted communication complexity of F is polynomially related to parity decision tree complexity of f. We initiate the study of a similar connection for partial functions. We show that in the case of one-way communication complexity whether these measures are equal, depends on the number of undefined inputs of f. More precisely, if D_{cc}^{→}(F) = t and f is undefined on at most O((2^{n-t})/(√{n-t})) inputs, then NADT^{⊕}(f) = t. We also provide stronger bounds in extreme cases of small and large complexity. We show that the restriction on the number of undefined inputs in these results is unavoidable. That is, for a wide range of values of D_{cc}^{→}(F) and NADT^{⊕}(f) (from constant to n-2) we provide partial functions (with more than Ω((2^{n-t})/(√{n-t})) undefined inputs, where t = D_{cc}^{→}) for which D_{cc}^{→}(F) < NADT^{⊕}(f). In particular, we provide a function with an exponential gap between the two measures. Our separation results translate to the case of two-way communication complexity as well, in particular showing that the result of Hatami et al. (2018) cannot be generalized to partial functions. Previous results for total functions heavily rely on the Boolean Fourier analysis and thus, the technique does not translate to partial functions. For the proofs of our results we build a linear algebraic framework instead. Separation results are proved through the reduction to covering codes.

Cite as

Vladimir V. Podolskii and Dmitrii Sluch. One-Way Communication Complexity of Partial XOR Functions. In 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 297, pp. 116:1-116:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{podolskii_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.116,
  author =	{Podolskii, Vladimir V. and Sluch, Dmitrii},
  title =	{{One-Way Communication Complexity of Partial XOR Functions}},
  booktitle =	{51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)},
  pages =	{116:1--116:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-322-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{297},
  editor =	{Bringmann, Karl and Grohe, Martin and Puppis, Gabriele and Svensson, Ola},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.116},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-202591},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.116},
  annote =	{Keywords: Partial functions, XOR functions, communication complexity, decision trees, covering codes}
}

Document

Track A: Algorithms, Complexity and Games

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.117

Bounds on the Total Coefficient Size of Nullstellensatz Proofs of the Pigeonhole Principle

Authors: Aaron Potechin and Aaron Zhang

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 297, 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)

Abstract

We show that the minimum total coefficient size of a Nullstellensatz proof of the pigeonhole principle on n+1 pigeons and n holes is 2^{Θ(n)}. We also investigate the ordering principle and construct an explicit Nullstellensatz proof for the ordering principle on n elements with total coefficient size 2ⁿ - n.

Cite as

Aaron Potechin and Aaron Zhang. Bounds on the Total Coefficient Size of Nullstellensatz Proofs of the Pigeonhole Principle. In 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 297, pp. 117:1-117:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{potechin_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.117,
  author =	{Potechin, Aaron and Zhang, Aaron},
  title =	{{Bounds on the Total Coefficient Size of Nullstellensatz Proofs of the Pigeonhole Principle}},
  booktitle =	{51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)},
  pages =	{117:1--117:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-322-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{297},
  editor =	{Bringmann, Karl and Grohe, Martin and Puppis, Gabriele and Svensson, Ola},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.117},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-202604},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.117},
  annote =	{Keywords: Proof complexity, Nullstellensatz, pigeonhole principle, coefficient size}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2024.59

Lower Bounds for Set-Blocked Clauses Proofs

Authors: Emre Yolcu

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 289, 41st International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2024)

Abstract

We study propositional proof systems with inference rules that formalize restricted versions of the ability to make assumptions that hold without loss of generality, commonly used informally to shorten proofs. Each system we study is built on resolution. They are called BC⁻, RAT⁻, SBC⁻, and GER⁻, denoting respectively blocked clauses, resolution asymmetric tautologies, set-blocked clauses, and generalized extended resolution - all "without new variables." They may be viewed as weak versions of extended resolution (ER) since they are defined by first generalizing the extension rule and then taking away the ability to introduce new variables. Except for SBC⁻, they are known to be strictly between resolution and extended resolution. Several separations between these systems were proved earlier by exploiting the fact that they effectively simulate ER. We answer the questions left open: We prove exponential lower bounds for SBC⁻ proofs of a binary encoding of the pigeonhole principle, which separates ER from SBC⁻. Using this new separation, we prove that both RAT⁻ and GER⁻ are exponentially separated from SBC⁻. This completes the picture of their relative strengths.

Cite as

Emre Yolcu. Lower Bounds for Set-Blocked Clauses Proofs. In 41st International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 289, pp. 59:1-59:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{yolcu:LIPIcs.STACS.2024.59,
  author =	{Yolcu, Emre},
  title =	{{Lower Bounds for Set-Blocked Clauses Proofs}},
  booktitle =	{41st International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2024)},
  pages =	{59:1--59:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-311-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{289},
  editor =	{Beyersdorff, Olaf and Kant\'{e}, Mamadou Moustapha and Kupferman, Orna and Lokshtanov, Daniel},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2024.59},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-197698},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2024.59},
  annote =	{Keywords: proof complexity, separations, resolution, extended resolution, blocked clauses}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2023.26

Proof Logging for Smart Extensional Constraints

Authors: Matthew J. McIlree and Ciaran McCreesh

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 280, 29th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2023)

Abstract

Proof logging provides an auditable way of guaranteeing that a solver has produced a correct answer using sound reasoning. This is standard practice for Boolean satisfiability solving, but for constraint programming, a challenge is that every propagator must be able to justify all inferences it performs. Here we demonstrate how to support proof logging for a wide range of previously uncertified global constraints. We do this by showing how to justify every inference that could be performed by the propagation algorithms for two families of generalised extensional constraint: "Smart Table" and "Regular Language Membership".

Cite as

Matthew J. McIlree and Ciaran McCreesh. Proof Logging for Smart Extensional Constraints. In 29th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 280, pp. 26:1-26:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{mcilree_et_al:LIPIcs.CP.2023.26,
  author =	{McIlree, Matthew J. and McCreesh, Ciaran},
  title =	{{Proof Logging for Smart Extensional Constraints}},
  booktitle =	{29th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2023)},
  pages =	{26:1--26:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-300-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{280},
  editor =	{Yap, Roland H. C.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2023.26},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-190633},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2023.26},
  annote =	{Keywords: Constraint programming, proof logging, extensional constraints}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2023.27

Improving Conflict Analysis in MIP Solvers by Pseudo-Boolean Reasoning

Authors: Gioni Mexi, Timo Berthold, Ambros Gleixner, and Jakob Nordström

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 280, 29th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2023)

Abstract

Conflict analysis has been successfully generalized from Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solving to mixed integer programming (MIP) solvers, but although MIP solvers operate with general linear inequalities, the conflict analysis in MIP has been limited to reasoning with the more restricted class of clausal constraint. This is in contrast to how conflict analysis is performed in so-called pseudo-Boolean solving, where solvers can reason directly with 0-1 integer linear inequalities rather than with clausal constraints extracted from such inequalities. In this work, we investigate how pseudo-Boolean conflict analysis can be integrated in MIP solving, focusing on 0-1 integer linear programs (0-1 ILPs). Phrased in MIP terminology, conflict analysis can be understood as a sequence of linear combinations and cuts. We leverage this perspective to design a new conflict analysis algorithm based on mixed integer rounding (MIR) cuts, which theoretically dominates the state-of-the-art division-based method in pseudo-Boolean solving. We also report results from a first proof-of-concept implementation of different pseudo-Boolean conflict analysis methods in the open-source MIP solver SCIP. When evaluated on a large and diverse set of 0-1 ILP instances from MIPLIB2017, our new MIR-based conflict analysis outperforms both previous pseudo-Boolean methods and the clause-based method used in MIP. Our conclusion is that pseudo-Boolean conflict analysis in MIP is a promising research direction that merits further study, and that it might also make sense to investigate the use of such conflict analysis to generate stronger no-goods in constraint programming.

Cite as

Gioni Mexi, Timo Berthold, Ambros Gleixner, and Jakob Nordström. Improving Conflict Analysis in MIP Solvers by Pseudo-Boolean Reasoning. In 29th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 280, pp. 27:1-27:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{mexi_et_al:LIPIcs.CP.2023.27,
  author =	{Mexi, Gioni and Berthold, Timo and Gleixner, Ambros and Nordstr\"{o}m, Jakob},
  title =	{{Improving Conflict Analysis in MIP Solvers by Pseudo-Boolean Reasoning}},
  booktitle =	{29th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2023)},
  pages =	{27:1--27:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-300-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{280},
  editor =	{Yap, Roland H. C.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2023.27},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-190641},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2023.27},
  annote =	{Keywords: Integer programming, pseudo-Boolean solving, conflict analysis, cutting planes proof system, mixed integer rounding, division, saturation}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAT.2023.28

Explaining SAT Solving Using Causal Reasoning

Authors: Jiong Yang, Arijit Shaw, Teodora Baluta, Mate Soos, and Kuldeep S. Meel

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 271, 26th International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing (SAT 2023)

Abstract

The past three decades have witnessed notable success in designing efficient SAT solvers, with modern solvers capable of solving industrial benchmarks containing millions of variables in just a few seconds. The success of modern SAT solvers owes to the widely-used CDCL algorithm, which lacks comprehensive theoretical investigation. Furthermore, it has been observed that CDCL solvers still struggle to deal with specific classes of benchmarks comprising only hundreds of variables, which contrasts with their widespread use in real-world applications. Consequently, there is an urgent need to uncover the inner workings of these seemingly weak yet powerful black boxes. In this paper, we present a first step towards this goal by introducing an approach called {CausalSAT}, which employs causal reasoning to gain insights into the functioning of modern SAT solvers. {CausalSAT} initially generates observational data from the execution of SAT solvers and learns a structured graph representing the causal relationships between the components of a SAT solver. Subsequently, given a query such as whether a clause with low literals blocks distance (LBD) has a higher clause utility, {CausalSAT} calculates the causal effect of LBD on clause utility and provides an answer to the question. We use {CausalSAT} to quantitatively verify hypotheses previously regarded as "rules of thumb" or empirical findings, such as the query above or the notion that clauses with high LBD experience a rapid drop in utility over time. Moreover, {CausalSAT} can address previously unexplored questions, like which branching heuristic leads to greater clause utility in order to study the relationship between branching and clause management. Experimental evaluations using practical benchmarks demonstrate that {CausalSAT} effectively fits the data, verifies four "rules of thumb", and provides answers to three questions closely related to implementing modern solvers.

Cite as

Jiong Yang, Arijit Shaw, Teodora Baluta, Mate Soos, and Kuldeep S. Meel. Explaining SAT Solving Using Causal Reasoning. In 26th International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing (SAT 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 271, pp. 28:1-28:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{yang_et_al:LIPIcs.SAT.2023.28,
  author =	{Yang, Jiong and Shaw, Arijit and Baluta, Teodora and Soos, Mate and Meel, Kuldeep S.},
  title =	{{Explaining SAT Solving Using Causal Reasoning}},
  booktitle =	{26th International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing (SAT 2023)},
  pages =	{28:1--28:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-286-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{271},
  editor =	{Mahajan, Meena and Slivovsky, Friedrich},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAT.2023.28},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-184909},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAT.2023.28},
  annote =	{Keywords: Satisfiability, Causality, SAT solver, Clause management}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/DagRep.12.10.84

Theory and Practice of SAT and Combinatorial Solving (Dagstuhl Seminar 22411)

Authors: Olaf Beyersdorff, Armin Biere, Vijay Ganesh, Jakob Nordström, and Andy Oertel

Published in: Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 12, Issue 10 (2023)

Abstract

This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 22411 "Theory and Practice of SAT and Combinatorial Solving". The purpose of this workshop was to explore the Boolean satisfiability (SAT) problem, which plays a fascinating dual role in computer science. By the theory of NP-completeness, this problem captures thousands of important applications in different fields, and a rich mathematical theory has been developed showing that all these problems are likely to be infeasible to solve in the worst case. But real-world problems are typically not worst-case, and in recent decades exceedingly efficient algorithms based on so-called conflict-driven clause learning (CDCL) have turned SAT solvers into highly practical tools for solving large-scale real-world problems in a wide range of application areas. Analogous developments have taken place for problems beyond NP such as SAT-based optimization (MaxSAT), pseudo-Boolean optimization, satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solving, quantified Boolean formula (QBF) solving, constraint programming, and mixed integer programming, where the conflict-driven paradigm has sometimes been added to other powerful techniques. The current state of the art in combinatorial solving presents a host of exciting challenges at the borderline between theory and practice. Can we gain a deeper scientific understanding of the techniques and heuristics used in modern combinatorial solvers and why they are so successful? Can we develop tools for rigorous analysis of the potential and limitations of these algorithms? Can computational complexity theory be extended to shed light on real-world settings that go beyond worst case? Can more powerful methods of reasoning developed in theoretical research be harnessed to yield improvements in practical performance? And can state-of-the-art combinatorial solvers be enhanced to not only solve problems, but also provide verifiable proofs of correctness for the solutions they produce? This workshop gathered leading applied and theoretical researchers working on SAT and combinatorial optimization more broadly in order to stimulate an exchange of ideas and techniques. We see great opportunities for fruitful interplay between theory and practice in these areas, as well as for technology transfer between different paradigms in combinatorial optimization, and our assessment is that this workshop demonstrated very convincingly that a more vigorous interaction has potential for major long-term impact in computer science, as well for applications in industry.

Cite as

Olaf Beyersdorff, Armin Biere, Vijay Ganesh, Jakob Nordström, and Andy Oertel. Theory and Practice of SAT and Combinatorial Solving (Dagstuhl Seminar 22411). In Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 12, Issue 10, pp. 84-105, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@Article{beyersdorff_et_al:DagRep.12.10.84,
  author =	{Beyersdorff, Olaf and Biere, Armin and Ganesh, Vijay and Nordstr\"{o}m, Jakob and Oertel, Andy},
  title =	{{Theory and Practice of SAT and Combinatorial Solving (Dagstuhl Seminar 22411)}},
  pages =	{84--105},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Reports},
  ISSN =	{2192-5283},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{12},
  number =	{10},
  editor =	{Beyersdorff, Olaf and Biere, Armin and Ganesh, Vijay and Nordstr\"{o}m, Jakob and Oertel, Andy},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagRep.12.10.84},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-178212},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagRep.12.10.84},
  annote =	{Keywords: Boolean satisfiability (SAT), SAT solving, computational complexity, proof complexity, combinatorial solving, combinatorial optimization, constraint programming, mixed integer linear programming}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2023.101

Exponential Separations Using Guarded Extension Variables

Authors: Emre Yolcu and Marijn J. H. Heule

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 251, 14th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2023)

Abstract

We study the complexity of proof systems augmenting resolution with inference rules that allow, given a formula Γ in conjunctive normal form, deriving clauses that are not necessarily logically implied by Γ but whose addition to Γ preserves satisfiability. When the derived clauses are allowed to introduce variables not occurring in Γ, the systems we consider become equivalent to extended resolution. We are concerned with the versions of these systems without new variables. They are called BC⁻, RAT⁻, SBC⁻, and GER⁻, denoting respectively blocked clauses, resolution asymmetric tautologies, set-blocked clauses, and generalized extended resolution. Each of these systems formalizes some restricted version of the ability to make assumptions that hold "without loss of generality," which is commonly used informally to simplify or shorten proofs. Except for SBC⁻, these systems are known to be exponentially weaker than extended resolution. They are, however, all equivalent to it under a relaxed notion of simulation that allows the translation of the formula along with the proof when moving between proof systems. By taking advantage of this fact, we construct formulas that separate RAT⁻ from GER⁻ and vice versa. With the same strategy, we also separate SBC⁻ from RAT⁻. Additionally, we give polynomial-size SBC⁻ proofs of the pigeonhole principle, which separates SBC⁻ from GER⁻ by a previously known lower bound. These results also separate the three systems from BC⁻ since they all simulate it. We thus give an almost complete picture of their relative strengths.

Cite as

Emre Yolcu and Marijn J. H. Heule. Exponential Separations Using Guarded Extension Variables. In 14th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 251, pp. 101:1-101:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{yolcu_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2023.101,
  author =	{Yolcu, Emre and Heule, Marijn J. H.},
  title =	{{Exponential Separations Using Guarded Extension Variables}},
  booktitle =	{14th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2023)},
  pages =	{101:1--101:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-263-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{251},
  editor =	{Tauman Kalai, Yael},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2023.101},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-176043},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2023.101},
  annote =	{Keywords: proof complexity, separations, resolution, extended resolution, blocked clauses}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SAT.2022.16

Certified CNF Translations for Pseudo-Boolean Solving

Authors: Stephan Gocht, Ruben Martins, Jakob Nordström, and Andy Oertel

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 236, 25th International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing (SAT 2022)

Abstract

The dramatic improvements in Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solving since the turn of the millennium have made it possible to leverage state-of-the-art conflict-driven clause learning (CDCL) solvers for many combinatorial problems in academia and industry, and the use of proof logging has played a crucial role in increasing the confidence that the results these solvers produce are correct. However, the fact that SAT proof logging is performed in conjunctive normal form (CNF) clausal format means that it has not been possible to extend guarantees of correctness to the use of SAT solvers for more expressive combinatorial paradigms, where the first step is an unverified translation of the input to CNF. In this work, we show how cutting-planes-based reasoning can provide proof logging for solvers that translate pseudo-Boolean (a.k.a. 0-1 integer linear) decision problems to CNF and then run CDCL. To support a wide range of encodings, we provide a uniform and easily extensible framework for proof logging of CNF translations. We are hopeful that this is just a first step towards providing a unified proof logging approach that will also extend to maximum satisfiability (MaxSAT) solving and pseudo-Boolean optimization in general.

Cite as

Stephan Gocht, Ruben Martins, Jakob Nordström, and Andy Oertel. Certified CNF Translations for Pseudo-Boolean Solving. In 25th International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing (SAT 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 236, pp. 16:1-16:25, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{gocht_et_al:LIPIcs.SAT.2022.16,
  author =	{Gocht, Stephan and Martins, Ruben and Nordstr\"{o}m, Jakob and Oertel, Andy},
  title =	{{Certified CNF Translations for Pseudo-Boolean Solving}},
  booktitle =	{25th International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing (SAT 2022)},
  pages =	{16:1--16:25},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-242-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{236},
  editor =	{Meel, Kuldeep S. and Strichman, Ofer},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAT.2022.16},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-166901},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAT.2022.16},
  annote =	{Keywords: pseudo-Boolean solving, 0-1 integer linear program, proof logging, certifying algorithms, certified translation, CNF encoding, cutting planes}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2022.25

An Auditable Constraint Programming Solver

Authors: Stephan Gocht, Ciaran McCreesh, and Jakob Nordström

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 235, 28th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2022)

Abstract

We describe the design and implementation of a new constraint programming solver that can produce an auditable record of what problem was solved and how the solution was reached. As well as a solution, this solver provides an independently verifiable proof log demonstrating that the solution is correct. This proof log uses the VeriPB proof system, which is based upon cutting planes reasoning with extension variables. We explain how this system can support global constraints, variables with large domains, and reformulation, despite not natively understanding any of these concepts.

Cite as

Stephan Gocht, Ciaran McCreesh, and Jakob Nordström. An Auditable Constraint Programming Solver. In 28th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 235, pp. 25:1-25:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{gocht_et_al:LIPIcs.CP.2022.25,
  author =	{Gocht, Stephan and McCreesh, Ciaran and Nordstr\"{o}m, Jakob},
  title =	{{An Auditable Constraint Programming Solver}},
  booktitle =	{28th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2022)},
  pages =	{25:1--25:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-240-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{235},
  editor =	{Solnon, Christine},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2022.25},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-166548},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2022.25},
  annote =	{Keywords: Constraint programming, proof logging, auditable solving}
}

30 Search Results for "Nordström, Jakob"

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as

Abstract

Cite as