Aleksandrs Belovs

Span programs for functions with constant-sized 1-certificates: extended abstract

Besides the Hidden Subgroup Problem, the second large class of quantum speed-ups is for functions with constant-sized 1-certificates. This includes the OR function, solvable by the Grover algorithm, the element distinctness, the triangle and other problems. The usual way to solve them is by quantum walk on the Johnson graph. We propose a solution for the same problems using span programs. The span program is a computational model equivalent to the quantum query algorithm in its strength, and yet very different in its outfit. We prove the power of our approach by designing a quantum algorithm for the triangle problem with query complexity O(n35/27) that is better than O(n13/10) of the best previously known algorithm by Magniez et al.

Separations in query complexity based on pointer functions

In 1986, Saks and Wigderson conjectured that the largest separation between deterministic and zero-error randomized query complexity for a total boolean function is given by the function f on n=2k bits defined by a complete binary tree of NAND gates of depth k, which achieves R0(f) = O(D(f)0.7537…). We show this is false by giving an example of a total boolean function f on n bits whose deterministic query complexity is Ω(n/log(n)) while its zero-error randomized query complexity is Õ(√n). We further show that the quantum query complexity of the same function is Õ(n1/4), giving the first example of a total function with a super-quadratic gap between its quantum and deterministic query complexities. We also construct a total boolean function g on n variables that has zero-error randomized query complexity Ω(n/log(n)) and bounded-error randomized query complexity R(g) = Õ(√n). This is the first super-linear separation between these two complexity measures. The exact quantum query complexity of the same function is QE(g) = Õ(√n). These functions show that the relations D(f) = O(R1(f)2) and R0(f) = Õ(R(f)2) are optimal, up to poly-logarithmic factors. Further variations of these functions give additional separations between other query complexity measures: a cubic separation between Q and R0, a 3/2-power separation between QE and R, and a 4th power separation between approximate degree and bounded-error randomized query complexity. All of these examples are variants of a function recently introduced by Goos, Pitassi, and Watson which they used to separate the unambiguous 1-certificate complexity from deterministic query complexity and to resolve the famous Clique versus Independent Set problem in communication complexity.

Adversary lower bound for the k-sum problem

We prove a tight quantum query lower bound Omega(nk/(k+1)) for the problem of deciding whether there exist k numbers among n that sum up to a prescribed number, provided that the alphabet size is sufficiently large.

On the Power of Non-adaptive Learning Graphs

We introduce a notion of the quantum query complexity of a certificate structure. This is a formalisation of a well-known observation that many quantum query algorithms only require the knowledge of the disposition of possible certificates in the input string, not the precise values therein. Next, we derive a dual formulation of the complexity of a non-adaptive learning graph, and use it to show that non-adaptive learning graphs are tight for all certificate structures. By this, we mean that there exists a function possessing the certificate structure and such that a learning graph gives an optimal quantum query algorithm for it. For a special case of certificate structures generated by certificates of bounded size, we construct a relatively general class of functions having this property. The construction is based on orthogonal arrays, and generalizes the quantum query lower bound for the k-sum problem derived recently. Finally, we use these results to show that the best known learning graph for the triangle problem is almost optimal in these settings. This also gives a quantum query lower bound for the triangle-sum problem.

Time-Efficient quantum walks for 3-distinctness

We present two quantum walk algorithms for 3-Distinctness. Both algorithms have time complexity

A polynomial lower bound for testing monotonicity

\tilde{O}(n^{5/7})

Quantum Algorithms for Learning Symmetric Juntas via Adversary Bound

, improving the previous

Separations in Communication Complexity Using Cheat Sheets and Information Complexity

\tilde{O}(n^{3/4})

Quantum Algorithm for Monotonicity Testing on the Hypercube

and matching the best known upper bound for query complexity (obtained via learning graphs) up to log factors. The first algorithm is based on a connection between quantum walks and electric networks. The second algorithm uses an extension of the quantum walk search framework that facilitates quantum walks with nested updates.

Non-intersecting complexity

We show that every algorithm for testing n-variate Boolean functions for monotonicityhas query complexity Ω(n1/4). All previous lower bounds for this problem were designed for non-adaptive algorithms and, as a result, the best previous lower bound for general (possibly adaptive) monotonicity testers was only Ω(logn). Combined with the query complexity of the non-adaptive monotonicity tester of Khot, Minzer, and Safra (FOCS 2015), our lower bound shows that adaptivity can result in at most a quadratic reduction in the query complexity for testing monotonicity. By contrast, we show that there is an exponential gap between the query complexity of adaptive and non-adaptive algorithms for testing regular linear threshold functions (LTFs) for monotonicity. Chen, De, Servedio, and Tan (STOC 2015)recently showed that non-adaptive algorithms require almost Ω(n1/2) queries for this task. We introduce a new adaptive monotonicity testing algorithm which has query complexity O(logn) when the input is a regular LTF.