Polynomial-Time Random Oracles and Separating Complexity Classes

Bennett and Gill [1981] showed that P A ≠ NP A ≠ coNP A for a random oracle A , with probability 1. We investigate whether this result extends to individual polynomial-time random oracles. We consider two notions of random oracles: p-random oracles in the sense of martingales and resource-bounded measure [Lutz 1992; Ambos-Spies et al. 1997], and p-betting-game random oracles using the betting games generalization of resource-bounded measure [Buhrman et al. 2000]. Every p-betting-game random oracle is also p-random; whether the two notions are equivalent is an open problem. (1) We first show that P A ≠ NP A for every oracle A that is p-betting-game random. Ideally, we would extend (1) to p-random oracles. We show that answering this either way would imply an unrelativized complexity class separation: (2) If P A ≠ NP A relative to every p-random oracle A , then BPP ≠ EXP. (3) If P A ≠ NP A relative to some p-random oracle A , then P ≠ PSPACE. Rossman, Servedio, and Tan [2015] showed that the polynomial-time hierarchy is infinite relative to a random oracle, solving a longstanding open problem. We consider whether we can extend (1) to show that PH A is infinite relative to oracles A that are p-betting-game random. Showing that PH A separates at even its first level would also imply an unrelativized complexity class separation: (4) If NP A ≠ coNP A for a p-betting-game measure 1 class of oracles A , then NP ≠ EXP. (5) If PH A is infinite relative to every p-random oracle A , then PH ≠ EXP. We also consider random oracles for time versus space, for example: (6) L A ≠ P A relative to every oracle A that is p-betting-game random.

Impossibility of blind quantum sampling for classical client

Blind quantum computing enables a client, who can only generate or measure single-qubit states, to delegate quantum computing to a remote quantum server in such a way that the input, output, and program are hidden from the server. It is an open problem whether a completely classical client can delegate quantum computing blindly (in the information theoretic sense). In this paper, we show that if a completely classical client can blindly delegate sampling of subuniversal models, such as the DQC1 model and the IQP model, then the polynomial-time hierarchy collapses to the third level. Our delegation protocol is the one where the client first sends a polynomial-length bit string to the server and then the server returns a single bit to the client. Generalizing the no-go result to more general setups is an open problem.

A PSPACE Subclass of Dependency Quantified Boolean Formulas and Its Effective Solving

Dependency quantified Boolean formulas (DQBFs) are a powerful formalism, which subsumes quantified Boolean formulas (QBFs) and allows an explicit specification of dependencies of existential variables on universal variables. This enables a succinct encoding of decision problems in the NEXPTIME complexity class. As solving general DQBFs is NEXPTIME complete, in contrast to the PSPACE completeness of QBF solving, characterizing DQBF subclasses of lower computational complexity allows their effective solving and is of practical importance.Recently a DQBF proof calculus based on a notion of fork extension, in addition to resolution and universal reduction, was proposed by Rabe in 2017. We show that this calculus is in fact incomplete for general DQBFs, but complete for a subclass of DQBFs, where any two existential variables have either identical or disjoint dependency sets over the universal variables. We further characterize this DQBF subclass to be ΣP3 complete in the polynomial time hierarchy. Essentially using fork extension, a DQBF in this subclass can be converted to an equisatisfiable 3QBF with only a linear increase in formula size. We exploit this conversion for effective solving of this DQBF subclass and point out its potential as a general strategy for DQBF quantifier localization. Experimental results show that the method outperforms state-of-the-art DQBF solvers on a number of benchmarks, including the 2018 DQBF evaluation benchmarks.

Universal first-order logic is superfluous in the second level of the polynomial-time hierarchy

In this paper we prove that $\forall \textrm{FO}$, the universal fragment of first-order logic, is superfluous in $\varSigma _2^p$ and $\varPi _2^p$. As an example, we show that this yields a syntactic proof of the $\varSigma _2^p$-completeness of value-cost satisfiability. The superfluity method is interesting since it gives a way to prove completeness of problems involving numerical data such as lengths, weights and costs and it also adds to the programme started by Immerman and Medina about the syntactic approach in the study of completeness.

Tensor network non-zero testing

Tensor networks are an important tool in condensed matter physics. In this paper, we study the task of tensor network non-zero testing (\tnit): Given a tensor network $T$, does $T$ represent a non-zero vector? We show that \tnit~is not in the Polynomial-Time Hierarchy unless the hierarchy collapses. We next show (among other results) that the special cases of \tnit~on non-negative and injective tensor networks are in NP. Using this, we make a simple observation: The commuting variant of the MA-complete stoquastic $k$-SAT problem on $D$-dimensional qudits is in NP for $k\in O(\log n)$ and $D\in O(1)$. This reveals the first class of quantum Hamiltonians whose commuting variant is known to be in NP for all (1) logarithmic $k$, (2) constant $D$, and (3) for arbitrary interaction graphs.