84 Search Results for "Watson, Thomas"

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.2026.66
Computational Hardness of Estimating Quantum Entropies via Binary Entropy Bounds

Authors: Yupan Liu

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

Abstract
We investigate the computational hardness of estimating the quantum α-Rényi entropy S^𝚁_α(ρ) = (ln Tr(ρ^α))/(1-α) and the quantum q-Tsallis entropy S^𝚃_q(ρ) = (1-Tr(ρ^q))/(q-1), both converging to the von Neumann entropy as the order approaches 1. The promise problems Quantum α-Rényi Entropy Approximation (RényiQEA_α) and Quantum q-Tsallis Entropy Approximation (TsallisQEA_q) ask whether S^𝚁_α(ρ) or S^𝚃_q(ρ), respectively, is at least τ_Y or at most τ_N, where τ_Y - τ_N is typically a positive constant. Previous hardness results cover only the von Neumann entropy (order 1) and some cases of the quantum q-Tsallis entropy, while existing approaches do not readily extend to other orders. We establish that for all positive real orders, the rank-2 variants Rank2RényiQEA_α and Rank2TsallisQEA_q are BQP-hard. Combined with prior (rank-dependent) quantum query algorithms in Wang, Guan, Liu, Zhang, and Ying (TIT 2024), Wang, Zhang, and Li (TIT 2024), and Liu and Wang (SODA 2025), our results imply: - For all real order α > 0 and 0 < q ≤ 1, LowRankRényiQEA_α and LowRankTsallisQEA_q are BQP-complete, where both are restricted versions of RényiQEA_α and TsallisQEA_q with ρ of polynomial rank. - For all real order q > 1, TsallisQEA_q is BQP-complete. Our hardness results stem from reductions based on new inequalities relating the α-Rényi or q-Tsallis binary entropies of different orders, where the reductions differ substantially from previous approaches, and the inequalities are also of independent interest.
Cite as

Yupan Liu. Computational Hardness of Estimating Quantum Entropies via Binary Entropy Bounds. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 66:1-66:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{liu:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.66,
  author =	{Liu, Yupan},
  title =	{{Computational Hardness of Estimating Quantum Entropies via Binary Entropy Bounds}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{66:1--66:23},
  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.2026.66},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255550},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.66},
  annote =	{Keywords: computational hardness, quantum state testing, quantum R\'{e}nyi entropy, quantum Tsallis entropy, von Neumann entropy}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.54
A 13/6-Approximation for Strip Packing via the Bottom-Left Algorithm

Authors: Stefan Hougardy and Bart Zondervan

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

Abstract
In the Strip Packing problem, we are given a vertical strip of fixed width and unbounded height, along with a set of axis‑parallel rectangles. The task is to place all rectangles within the strip, without overlaps, while minimizing the height of the packing. This problem is known to be NP-hard. The Bottom-Left Algorithm is a simple and widely used heuristic for Strip Packing. Given a fixed order of the rectangles, it places them one by one, always choosing the lowest feasible position in the strip and, in case of ties, the leftmost one. Baker, Coffman, and Rivest proved in 1980 that the Bottom-Left Algorithm has approximation ratio 3 if the rectangles are sorted by decreasing width [Brenda S. Baker et al., 1980]. For the past 45 years, no alternative ordering has been found that improves this bound. We introduce a new rectangle ordering and show that with this ordering the Bottom-Left Algorithm achieves a 13/6 approximation for the Strip Packing problem.
Cite as

Stefan Hougardy and Bart Zondervan. A 13/6-Approximation for Strip Packing via the Bottom-Left Algorithm. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 54:1-54:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{hougardy_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.54,
  author =	{Hougardy, Stefan and Zondervan, Bart},
  title =	{{A 13/6-Approximation for Strip Packing via the Bottom-Left Algorithm}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{54:1--54:17},
  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.2026.54},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255432},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.54},
  annote =	{Keywords: Approximation Algorithm, Strip Packing, Bottom-Left Algorithm, Rectangle Packing}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.59
When Is Local Search Both Effective and Efficient?

Authors: Artem Kaznatcheev and Sofia Vazquez Alferez

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

Abstract
Combinatorial optimization problems implicitly define fitness landscapes that combine the numeric structure of the "fitness" function to be maximized with the combinatorial structure of which assignments are "adjacent". Local search starts at an assignment in this landscape and successively moves assignments until no further improvement is possible among the adjacent assignments. Classic analyses of local search algorithms have focused more on the question of effectiveness ("did we find a good solution?") and often implicitly assumed that there are no doubts about their efficiency ("did we find it quickly?"). But there are many reasons to doubt the efficiency of local search. Even if we focus on fitness landscapes on the hypercube that are single peaked on every subcube (known as semismooth fitness landscapes, completely unimodal pseudo-Boolean functions, or acyclic unique sink orientations) where effectiveness is obvious, many local search algorithms are known to be inefficient. Since fitness landscapes are unwieldy exponentially large objects, we focus on their polynomial-sized representations by instances of valued constraint satisfaction problems (VCSP). We define a "direction" for valued constraints such that directed VCSPs generate semismooth fitness landscapes. We call directed VCSPs oriented if they do not have any pair of variables with arcs in both directions. Since recognizing if a VCSP-instance is directed or oriented is coNP-complete, we generalized oriented VCSPs as conditionally-smooth fitness landscapes where the structural property of "conditionally-smooth" is recognizable in polynomial time for a VCSP-instance. We prove that many popular local search algorithms like random ascent, simulated annealing, history-based rules, jumping rules, and the Kernighan-Lin heuristic are very efficient on conditionally-smooth landscapes. But conditionally-smooth landscapes are still expressive enough so that other well-regarded local search algorithms like steepest ascent and random facet require a super-polynomial number of steps to find the fitness peak.
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Artem Kaznatcheev and Sofia Vazquez Alferez. When Is Local Search Both Effective and Efficient?. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 59:1-59:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{kaznatcheev_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.59,
  author =	{Kaznatcheev, Artem and Vazquez Alferez, Sofia},
  title =	{{When Is Local Search Both Effective and Efficient?}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{59:1--59:19},
  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.2026.59},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255480},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.59},
  annote =	{Keywords: valued constraint satisfaction problem, local search, algorithm analysis, constraint graphs, pseudo-Boolean functions, parameterized complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.40
Maker-Maker Games of Rank 4 Are PSPACE-Complete

Authors: Florian Galliot and Jonas Sénizergues

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

Abstract
The Maker-Maker convention of positional games is played on a hypergraph whose edges are interpreted as winning sets. Two players take turns picking a previously unpicked vertex, aiming at being first to pick all the vertices of some edge. Optimal play can only lead to a first player win or a draw, and deciding between the two is known to be PSPACE-complete even for 6-uniform hypergraphs. We establish PSPACE-completeness for hypergraphs of rank 4. As an intermediary, we use the recently introduced achievement positional games, a more general convention in which each player has their own winning sets (blue and red). We show that deciding whether the blue player has a winning strategy as the first player is PSPACE-complete even with blue edges of size 2 or 3 and pairwise disjoint red edges of size 2. The result for hypergraphs of rank 4 in the Maker-Maker convention follows as a simple corollary.
Cite as

Florian Galliot and Jonas Sénizergues. Maker-Maker Games of Rank 4 Are PSPACE-Complete. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 40:1-40:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{galliot_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.40,
  author =	{Galliot, Florian and S\'{e}nizergues, Jonas},
  title =	{{Maker-Maker Games of Rank 4 Are PSPACE-Complete}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{40:1--40:17},
  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.2026.40},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255298},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.40},
  annote =	{Keywords: Game theory, Positional games, Combinatorial games, Complexity, Hypergraphs}
}
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.2026.76
Ideal Private Simultaneous Messages Schemes and Their Applications

Authors: Keitaro Hiwatashi and Reo Eriguchi

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

Abstract
Private Simultaneous Messages (PSM) is a minimal model for secure computation, where two parties, Alice and Bob, have private inputs x,y and a shared random string. Each of them sends a single message to an external party, Charlie, who can compute f(x,y) for a public function f but learns nothing else. The problem of narrowing the gap between upper and lower bounds on the communication complexity of PSM has been widely studied, but the gap still remains exponential. In this work, we study the communication complexity of PSM from a different perspective and introduce a special class of PSM, referred to as ideal PSM, in which each party’s message length attains the minimum, that is, their messages are taken from the same domain as inputs. We initiate a systematic study of ideal PSM with a complete characterization, several positive results, and applications. First, we provide a characterization of the class of functions that admit ideal PSM, based on permutation groups acting on the input domain. This characterization allows us to derive asymptotic upper bounds on the total number of such functions and a complete list for small domains. We also present several infinite families of functions of practical interest that admit ideal PSM. Interestingly, by simply restricting the input domains of these ideal PSM schemes, we can recover most of the existing PSM schemes that achieve the best known communication complexity in various computation models. As applications, we show that these ideal PSM schemes yield novel communication-efficient PSM schemes for functions with sparse or dense truth-tables and those with low-rank truth-tables. Furthermore, we obtain a PSM scheme for general functions that improves the constant factor in the dominant term of the best known communication complexity. An additional advantage is that our scheme simplifies the existing construction by avoiding the hierarchical design of internally invoking PSM schemes for smaller functions.
Cite as

Keitaro Hiwatashi and Reo Eriguchi. Ideal Private Simultaneous Messages Schemes and Their Applications. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 76:1-76:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{hiwatashi_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.76,
  author =	{Hiwatashi, Keitaro and Eriguchi, Reo},
  title =	{{Ideal Private Simultaneous Messages Schemes and Their Applications}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{76:1--76:23},
  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.2026.76},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253633},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.76},
  annote =	{Keywords: secure computation, private simultaneous messages, communication complexity}
}
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.2026.27
Identity Check Problem for Shallow Quantum Circuits

Authors: Sergey Bravyi, Natalie Parham, and Minh Tran

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

Abstract
Verifying that a quantum circuit correctly implements a desired transformation is essential for validating quantum algorithms. We consider the closely related identity check problem: given a quantum circuit U, estimate the diamond-norm distance between U and the identity channel. Ji and Wu showed that estimating this distance to within an additive 1/poly error is QMA-hard, even when U is constant-depth and 1D local - ruling out efficient algorithms in this regime. We show that this hardness barrier disappears if one seeks a constant multiplicative-approximation instead. We present a classical algorithm that, for shallow geometrically local D-dimensional circuits, approximates the distance to the identity within a factor α = D+1, provided that the circuit is sufficiently close to the identity. The runtime of the algorithm scales linearly with the number of qubits for any constant circuit depth and spatial dimension. We also show that the operator-norm distance to the identity ‖U-I‖ can be efficiently approximated within a factor α = 5 for shallow 1D circuits and, under a certain technical condition, within a factor α = 2D+3 for shallow D-dimensional circuits. A numerical implementation of the identity check algorithm is reported for 1D Trotter circuits with up to 100 qubits.
Cite as

Sergey Bravyi, Natalie Parham, and Minh Tran. Identity Check Problem for Shallow Quantum Circuits. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 27:1-27:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{bravyi_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.27,
  author =	{Bravyi, Sergey and Parham, Natalie and Tran, Minh},
  title =	{{Identity Check Problem for Shallow Quantum Circuits}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{27:1--27:17},
  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.2026.27},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253147},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.27},
  annote =	{Keywords: Quantum computing, Identity check problem, quantum circuits, classical simulation of quantum computation, shallow circuits}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.37
New Algebrization Barriers to Circuit Lower Bounds via Communication Complexity of Missing-String

Authors: Lijie Chen, Yang Hu, and Hanlin Ren

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

Abstract
The algebrization barrier, proposed by Aaronson and Wigderson (STOC '08, ToCT '09), captures the limitations of many complexity-theoretic techniques based on arithmetization. Notably, several circuit lower bounds that overcome the relativization barrier (Buhrman-Fortnow-Thierauf, CCC '98; Vinodchandran, TCS '05; Santhanam, STOC '07, SICOMP '09) remain subject to the algebrization barrier. In this work, we establish several new algebrization barriers to circuit lower bounds by studying the communication complexity of the following problem, called XOR-Missing-String: For m < 2^{n/2}, Alice gets a list of m strings x₁, … , x_m ∈ {0, 1}ⁿ, Bob gets a list of m strings y₁, … , y_m ∈ {0, 1}ⁿ, and the goal is to output a string s ∈ {0, 1}ⁿ that is not equal to x_i⊕ y_j for any i, j ∈ [m]. 1) We construct an oracle A₁ and its multilinear extension A₁̃ such that PostBPE^{A₁̃} has linear-size A₁-oracle circuits on infinitely many input lengths. That is, proving PostBPE ̸ ⊆ i.o.- SIZE[O(n)] requires non-algebrizing techniques. This barrier follows from a PostBPP communication lower bound for XOR-Missing-String. This is in contrast to the well-known algebrizing lower bound MA_E (⊆ PostBPE) ̸ ⊆ P/_poly. 2) We construct an oracle A₂ and its multilinear extension A₂̃ such that BPE^{A₂̃} has linear-size A₂-oracle circuits on all input lengths. Previously, a similar barrier was demonstrated by Aaronson and Wigderson, but in their result, A₂̃ is only a multiquadratic extension of A₂. Our results show that communication complexity is more useful than previously thought for proving algebrization barriers, as Aaronson and Wigderson wrote that communication-based barriers were "more contrived". This serves as an example of how XOR-Missing-String forms new connections between communication lower bounds and algebrization barriers. 3) Finally, we study algebrization barriers to circuit lower bounds for MA_E. Buhrman, Fortnow, and Thierauf proved a sub-half-exponential circuit lower bound for MA_E via algebrizing techniques. Toward understanding whether the half-exponential bound can be improved, we define a natural subclass of MA_E that includes their hard MA_E language, and prove the following result: For every super-half-exponential function h(n), we construct an oracle A₃ and its multilinear extension A₃̃ such that this natural subclass of MA_E^{A₃̃} has h(n)-size A₃-oracle circuits on all input lengths. This suggests that half-exponential might be the correct barrier for MA_E circuit lower bounds w.r.t. algebrizing techniques.
Cite as

Lijie Chen, Yang Hu, and Hanlin Ren. New Algebrization Barriers to Circuit Lower Bounds via Communication Complexity of Missing-String. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 37:1-37:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{chen_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.37,
  author =	{Chen, Lijie and Hu, Yang and Ren, Hanlin},
  title =	{{New Algebrization Barriers to Circuit Lower Bounds via Communication Complexity of Missing-String}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{37:1--37:20},
  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.2026.37},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253246},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.37},
  annote =	{Keywords: circuit lower bound, algebrization barrier, missing string, communication complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.112
Lower Bounds Beyond DNF of Parities

Authors: Artur Riazanov, Anastasia Sofronova, and Dmitry Sokolov

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

Abstract
We consider a subclass of AC⁰[2] circuits that simultaneously captures DNF∘Xor and depth-3 AC⁰ circuits. For this class we show a technique for proving lower bounds inspired by the top-down approach. We give lower bounds for the middle slice function, inner product function, and affine dispersers.
Cite as

Artur Riazanov, Anastasia Sofronova, and Dmitry Sokolov. Lower Bounds Beyond DNF of Parities. In 17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 362, pp. 112:1-112:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{riazanov_et_al:LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.112,
  author =	{Riazanov, Artur and Sofronova, Anastasia and Sokolov, Dmitry},
  title =	{{Lower Bounds Beyond DNF of Parities}},
  booktitle =	{17th Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (ITCS 2026)},
  pages =	{112:1--112:15},
  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.2026.112},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-253996},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ITCS.2026.112},
  annote =	{Keywords: boolean circuits, top-down, unpredictability}
}
Document
PACE Solver Description
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.37
PACE Solver Description: Minimum Hitting Set Computation via Core-Guided MaxSAT Solving

Authors: André Schidler

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 358, 20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025)

Abstract
This paper describes our hybrid MaxSAT and mixed integer programming approach for finding minimum hitting sets as submitted to the 2025 PACE challenge. We also discuss hitting set specific challenges, lower bounds, preprocessing and design choices.
Cite as

André Schidler. PACE Solver Description: Minimum Hitting Set Computation via Core-Guided MaxSAT Solving. In 20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 358, pp. 37:1-37:4, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{schidler:LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.37,
  author =	{Schidler, Andr\'{e}},
  title =	{{PACE Solver Description: Minimum Hitting Set Computation via Core-Guided MaxSAT Solving}},
  booktitle =	{20th International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC 2025)},
  pages =	{37:1--37:4},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-407-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{358},
  editor =	{Agrawal, Akanksha and van Leeuwen, Erik Jan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.37},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-251692},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.IPEC.2025.37},
  annote =	{Keywords: hitting set, maxsat, core-guided}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.20
Sparse Induced Subgraphs in P₇-Free Graphs of Bounded Clique Number

Authors: Maria Chudnovsky, Jadwiga Czyżewska, Kacper Kluk, Marcin Pilipczuk, and Paweł Rzążewski

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

Abstract
Many natural computational problems, including e.g. Max Weight Independent Set, Feedback Vertex Set, or Vertex Planarization, can be unified under an umbrella of finding the largest sparse induced subgraph that satisfies some property definable in CMSO₂ logic. It is believed that each problem expressible with this formalism can be solved in polynomial time in graphs that exclude a fixed path as an induced subgraph. This belief is supported by the existence of a quasipolynomial-time algorithm by Gartland, Lokshtanov, Pilipczuk, Pilipczuk, and Rzążewski [STOC 2021], and a recent polynomial-time algorithm for P₆-free graphs by Chudnovsky, McCarty, Pilipczuk, Pilipczuk, and Rzążewski [SODA 2024]. In this work we extend polynomial-time tractability of all such problems to P₇-free graphs of bounded clique number.
Cite as

Maria Chudnovsky, Jadwiga Czyżewska, Kacper Kluk, Marcin Pilipczuk, and Paweł Rzążewski. Sparse Induced Subgraphs in P₇-Free Graphs of Bounded Clique Number. In 36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 359, pp. 20:1-20:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{chudnovsky_et_al:LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.20,
  author =	{Chudnovsky, Maria and Czy\.{z}ewska, Jadwiga and Kluk, Kacper and Pilipczuk, Marcin and Rz\k{a}\.{z}ewski, Pawe{\l}},
  title =	{{Sparse Induced Subgraphs in P₇-Free Graphs of Bounded Clique Number}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025)},
  pages =	{20:1--20:16},
  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.2025.20},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-249282},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.20},
  annote =	{Keywords: P\underlinet-free graphs, maximum weight induced subgraph, maximum weight independent set}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.40
Minimum Sum Coloring with Bundles in Trees and Bipartite Graphs

Authors: Takehiro Ito, Naonori Kakimura, Naoyuki Kamiyama, Yusuke Kobayashi, and Yoshio Okamoto

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

Abstract
The minimum sum coloring problem with bundles was introduced by Darbouy and Friggstad (SWAT 2024) as a common generalization of the minimum coloring problem and the minimum sum coloring problem. During their presentation, the following open problem was raised: whether the minimum sum coloring problem with bundles could be solved in polynomial time for trees. We answer their question in the negative by proving that the minimum sum coloring problem with bundles is NP-hard even for paths. We complement this hardness by providing algorithms of the following types. First, we provide a fixed-parameter algorithm for trees when the number of bundles is a parameter; this can be extended to graphs of bounded treewidth. Second, we provide a polynomial-time algorithm for trees when bundles form a partition of the vertex set and the difference between the number of vertices and the number of bundles is constant. Third, we provide a polynomial-time algorithm for trees when bundles form a partition of the vertex set and each bundle induces a connected subgraph. We further show that for bipartite graphs, the problem with weights is NP-hard even when the number of bundles is at least three, but is polynomial-time solvable when the number of bundles is at most two. The threshold shifts to three versus four for the problem without weights.
Cite as

Takehiro Ito, Naonori Kakimura, Naoyuki Kamiyama, Yusuke Kobayashi, and Yoshio Okamoto. Minimum Sum Coloring with Bundles in Trees and Bipartite Graphs. In 36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 359, pp. 40:1-40:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{ito_et_al:LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.40,
  author =	{Ito, Takehiro and Kakimura, Naonori and Kamiyama, Naoyuki and Kobayashi, Yusuke and Okamoto, Yoshio},
  title =	{{Minimum Sum Coloring with Bundles in Trees and Bipartite Graphs}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Symposium on Algorithms and Computation (ISAAC 2025)},
  pages =	{40:1--40:14},
  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.2025.40},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-249482},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ISAAC.2025.40},
  annote =	{Keywords: graph algorithms, minimum sum coloring, minimum coloring, fixed-parameter tractability, NP-hardness}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.25
Model-Agnostic Approximation of Constrained Forest Problems

Authors: Corinna Coupette, Alipasha Montaseri, and Christoph Lenzen

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 356, 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025)

Abstract
Constrained Forest Problems (CFPs) as introduced by Goemans and Williamson in 1995 capture a wide range of network design problems with edge subsets as solutions, such as Minimum Spanning Tree, Steiner Forest, and Point-to-Point Connection. While individual CFPs have been studied extensively in individual computational models, a unified approach to solving general CFPs in multiple computational models has been lacking. Against this background, we present the shell-decomposition algorithm, a model-agnostic meta-algorithm that efficiently computes a (2+ε)-approximation to CFPs for a broad class of forest functions. The shell-decomposition algorithm isolates the problem-specific hardness of individual CFPs in a single computational subroutine, breaking the remainder of the computation into fundamental tasks that are studied extensively in a wide range of computational models. In contrast to prior work, our framework is compatible with the use of approximate distances. To demonstrate the power and flexibility of this result, we instantiate our algorithm for three fundamental, NP-hard CFPs (Steiner Forest, Point-to-Point Connection, and Facility Placement and Connection) in three different computational models (Congest, PRAM, and Multi-Pass Streaming). For constant ε, we obtain the following (2+ε)-approximations in the Congest model: [(1)] 1) For Steiner Forest specified via input components (SF-IC), where each node knows the identifier of one of k disjoint subsets of V (the input components), we achieve a deterministic (2+ε)-approximation in 𝒪̃(√n+D+k) rounds, where D is the hop diameter of the graph, significantly improving over the state of the art. 2) For Steiner Forest specified via symmetric connection requests (SF-SCR), where connection requests are issued to pairs of nodes u,v ∈ V, we leverage randomized equality testing to reduce the running time to 𝒪̃(√n+D), succeeding with high probability. 3) For Point-to-Point Connection, we provide a (2+ε)-approximation in 𝒪̃(√n+D) rounds. 4) For Facility Placement and Connection, a relative of non-metric Uncapacitated Facility Location, we obtain a (2+ε)-approximation in 𝒪̃(√n + D) rounds. We further show how to replace the √n+D term by the complexity of solving Partwise Aggregation, achieving (near-)universal optimality in any setting in which a solution to Partwise Aggregation in near-shortcut-quality time is known. Notably, all of our concrete results can be derived with relative ease once our model-agnostic meta-algorithm has been specified. This demonstrates the power of our modularization approach to algorithm design.
Cite as

Corinna Coupette, Alipasha Montaseri, and Christoph Lenzen. Model-Agnostic Approximation of Constrained Forest Problems. In 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 356, pp. 25:1-25:24, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{coupette_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2025.25,
  author =	{Coupette, Corinna and Montaseri, Alipasha and Lenzen, Christoph},
  title =	{{Model-Agnostic Approximation of Constrained Forest Problems}},
  booktitle =	{39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025)},
  pages =	{25:1--25:24},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-402-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{356},
  editor =	{Kowalski, Dariusz R.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.25},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-248420},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.25},
  annote =	{Keywords: Distributed Graph Algorithms, Model-Agnostic Algorithms, Steiner Forest}
}
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