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Computational Complexity: a Modern Approach
i Computational Complexity: A Modern Approach Draft of a book: Dated January 2007 Comments welcome! Sanjeev Arora and Boaz Barak Princeton University [email protected] Not to be reproduced or distributed without the authors’ permission This is an Internet draft. Some chapters are more finished than others. References and attributions are very preliminary and we apologize in advance for any omissions (but hope you will nevertheless point them out to us). Please send us bugs, typos, missing references or general comments to [email protected] — Thank You!! DRAFT ii DRAFT Chapter 9 Complexity of counting “It is an empirical fact that for many combinatorial problems the detection of the existence of a solution is easy, yet no computationally efficient method is known for counting their number.... for a variety of problems this phenomenon can be explained.” L. Valiant 1979 The class NP captures the difficulty of finding certificates. However, in many contexts, one is interested not just in a single certificate, but actually counting the number of certificates. This chapter studies #P, (pronounced “sharp p”), a complexity class that captures this notion. Counting problems arise in diverse fields, often in situations having to do with estimations of probability. Examples include statistical estimation, statistical physics, network design, and more. Counting problems are also studied in a field of mathematics called enumerative combinatorics, which tries to obtain closed-form mathematical expressions for counting problems. To give an example, in the 19th century Kirchoff showed how to count the number of spanning trees in a graph using a simple determinant computation. Results in this chapter will show that for many natural counting problems, such efficiently computable expressions are unlikely to exist. -
The Complexity Zoo
The Complexity Zoo Scott Aaronson www.ScottAaronson.com LATEX Translation by Chris Bourke [email protected] 417 classes and counting 1 Contents 1 About This Document 3 2 Introductory Essay 4 2.1 Recommended Further Reading ......................... 4 2.2 Other Theory Compendia ............................ 5 2.3 Errors? ....................................... 5 3 Pronunciation Guide 6 4 Complexity Classes 10 5 Special Zoo Exhibit: Classes of Quantum States and Probability Distribu- tions 110 6 Acknowledgements 116 7 Bibliography 117 2 1 About This Document What is this? Well its a PDF version of the website www.ComplexityZoo.com typeset in LATEX using the complexity package. Well, what’s that? The original Complexity Zoo is a website created by Scott Aaronson which contains a (more or less) comprehensive list of Complexity Classes studied in the area of theoretical computer science known as Computa- tional Complexity. I took on the (mostly painless, thank god for regular expressions) task of translating the Zoo’s HTML code to LATEX for two reasons. First, as a regular Zoo patron, I thought, “what better way to honor such an endeavor than to spruce up the cages a bit and typeset them all in beautiful LATEX.” Second, I thought it would be a perfect project to develop complexity, a LATEX pack- age I’ve created that defines commands to typeset (almost) all of the complexity classes you’ll find here (along with some handy options that allow you to conveniently change the fonts with a single option parameters). To get the package, visit my own home page at http://www.cse.unl.edu/~cbourke/. -
Polynomial Hierarchy
CSE200 Lecture Notes – Polynomial Hierarchy Lecture by Russell Impagliazzo Notes by Jiawei Gao February 18, 2016 1 Polynomial Hierarchy Recall from last class that for language L, we defined PL is the class of problems poly-time Turing reducible to L. • NPL is the class of problems with witnesses verifiable in P L. • In other words, these problems can be considered as computed by deterministic or nonde- terministic TMs that can get access to an oracle machine for L. The polynomial hierarchy (or polynomial-time hierarchy) can be defined by a hierarchy of problems that have oracle access to the lower level problems. Definition 1 (Oracle definition of PH). Define classes P Σ1 = NP. P • P Σi For i 1, Σi 1 = NP . • ≥ + Symmetrically, define classes P Π1 = co-NP. • P ΠP For i 1, Π co-NP i . i+1 = • ≥ S P S P The Polynomial Hierarchy (PH) is defined as PH = i Σi = i Πi . 1.1 If P = NP, then PH collapses to P P Theorem 2. If P = NP, then P = Σi i. 8 Proof. By induction on i. P Base case: For i = 1, Σi = NP = P by definition. P P ΣP P Inductive step: Assume P NP and Σ P. Then Σ NP i NP P. = i = i+1 = = = 1 CSE 200 Winter 2016 P ΣP Figure 1: An overview of classes in PH. The arrows denote inclusion. Here ∆ P i . (Image i+1 = source: Wikipedia.) Similarly, if any two different levels in PH turn out to be the equal, then PH collapses to the lower of the two levels. -
The Polynomial Hierarchy and Alternations
Chapter 5 The Polynomial Hierarchy and Alternations “..synthesizing circuits is exceedingly difficulty. It is even more difficult to show that a circuit found in this way is the most economical one to realize a function. The difficulty springs from the large number of essentially different networks available.” Claude Shannon 1949 This chapter discusses the polynomial hierarchy, a generalization of P, NP and coNP that tends to crop up in many complexity theoretic inves- tigations (including several chapters of this book). We will provide three equivalent definitions for the polynomial hierarchy, using quantified pred- icates, alternating Turing machines, and oracle TMs (a fourth definition, using uniform families of circuits, will be given in Chapter 6). We also use the hierarchy to show that solving the SAT problem requires either linear space or super-linear time. p p 5.1 The classes Σ2 and Π2 To understand the need for going beyond nondeterminism, let’s recall an NP problem, INDSET, for which we do have a short certificate of membership: INDSET = {hG, ki : graph G has an independent set of size ≥ k} . Consider a slight modification to the above problem, namely, determin- ing the largest independent set in a graph (phrased as a decision problem): EXACT INDSET = {hG, ki : the largest independent set in G has size exactly k} . Web draft 2006-09-28 18:09 95 Complexity Theory: A Modern Approach. c 2006 Sanjeev Arora and Boaz Barak. DRAFTReferences and attributions are still incomplete. P P 96 5.1. THE CLASSES Σ2 AND Π2 Now there seems to be no short certificate for membership: hG, ki ∈ EXACT INDSET iff there exists an independent set of size k in G and every other independent set has size at most k. -
Lecture 10: Space Complexity III
Space Complexity Classes: NL and L Reductions NL-completeness The Relation between NL and coNL A Relation Among the Complexity Classes Lecture 10: Space Complexity III Arijit Bishnu 27.03.2010 Space Complexity Classes: NL and L Reductions NL-completeness The Relation between NL and coNL A Relation Among the Complexity Classes Outline 1 Space Complexity Classes: NL and L 2 Reductions 3 NL-completeness 4 The Relation between NL and coNL 5 A Relation Among the Complexity Classes Space Complexity Classes: NL and L Reductions NL-completeness The Relation between NL and coNL A Relation Among the Complexity Classes Outline 1 Space Complexity Classes: NL and L 2 Reductions 3 NL-completeness 4 The Relation between NL and coNL 5 A Relation Among the Complexity Classes Definition for Recapitulation S c NPSPACE = c>0 NSPACE(n ). The class NPSPACE is an analog of the class NP. Definition L = SPACE(log n). Definition NL = NSPACE(log n). Space Complexity Classes: NL and L Reductions NL-completeness The Relation between NL and coNL A Relation Among the Complexity Classes Space Complexity Classes Definition for Recapitulation S c PSPACE = c>0 SPACE(n ). The class PSPACE is an analog of the class P. Definition L = SPACE(log n). Definition NL = NSPACE(log n). Space Complexity Classes: NL and L Reductions NL-completeness The Relation between NL and coNL A Relation Among the Complexity Classes Space Complexity Classes Definition for Recapitulation S c PSPACE = c>0 SPACE(n ). The class PSPACE is an analog of the class P. Definition for Recapitulation S c NPSPACE = c>0 NSPACE(n ). -
NP-Complete Problems and Physical Reality
NP-complete Problems and Physical Reality Scott Aaronson∗ Abstract Can NP-complete problems be solved efficiently in the physical universe? I survey proposals including soap bubbles, protein folding, quantum computing, quantum advice, quantum adia- batic algorithms, quantum-mechanical nonlinearities, hidden variables, relativistic time dilation, analog computing, Malament-Hogarth spacetimes, quantum gravity, closed timelike curves, and “anthropic computing.” The section on soap bubbles even includes some “experimental” re- sults. While I do not believe that any of the proposals will let us solve NP-complete problems efficiently, I argue that by studying them, we can learn something not only about computation but also about physics. 1 Introduction “Let a computer smear—with the right kind of quantum randomness—and you create, in effect, a ‘parallel’ machine with an astronomical number of processors . All you have to do is be sure that when you collapse the system, you choose the version that happened to find the needle in the mathematical haystack.” —From Quarantine [31], a 1992 science-fiction novel by Greg Egan If I had to debate the science writer John Horgan’s claim that basic science is coming to an end [48], my argument would lean heavily on one fact: it has been only a decade since we learned that quantum computers could factor integers in polynomial time. In my (unbiased) opinion, the showdown that quantum computing has forced—between our deepest intuitions about computers on the one hand, and our best-confirmed theory of the physical world on the other—constitutes one of the most exciting scientific dramas of our time. -
Complexes of Technetium with Pyrophosphate, Etidronate, and Medronate
Complexes of Technetium with Pyrophosphate, Etidronate, and Medronate Charles D. Russell and Anna G. Cash Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham, Alabama The reduction of [9Tc ]pertechnetate was studied as a function ofpH in complexing media of pyrophosphate, methylene dipkosphonate (MDP), and ethane-1, hydroxy-1, and l-diphosphonate (HEDP). Tast (sampled d-c) and normal-pulse polarography were used to study the reduction of pertechnetate, and normal-pulse polarography (sweeping in the anodic direction) to study the reoxidation of the products. Below pH 6 TcOi *as reduced to Tc(IH), which could be reoxidized to Tc(IV). Above pH 10, TcO," was reduced in two steps to Tc(V) and Tc(IV), each of which could be reoxidized to Tc(),~. Between pH 6 and 10 the results differed according to the ligand present. In pyrophosphate and MDP, TcOA ~ was reduced in two steps to Tc(IV) and Tc(IIl); Tc(IIl) could be reoxidized in two steps to Tc(IV) and TcO 4~. In HEDP, on the other hand, TcO, ~ was reduced in two steps to Tc(V) and Tc(III), and could be reoxidized to Tc(IV) and TcO.,". Additional waves were observed; they apparently led to unstable products. J Nucl Med 20: 532-537, 1979 The practical importance of the diphosphonate complexes of technetium with all three ligands in and pyrophosphate complexes of technetium lies in clinical use. Stable oxidation states were positively their medical use for radionuclide bone scanning. identified for a wide range of pH, and unstable Their structures unknown, they are prepared by states were characterized by their polarographic reducing tracer (nanomolar) amounts of [99nTc] per half-wave potentials. -
Computational Complexity: a Modern Approach
i Computational Complexity: A Modern Approach Draft of a book: Dated January 2007 Comments welcome! Sanjeev Arora and Boaz Barak Princeton University [email protected] Not to be reproduced or distributed without the authors’ permission This is an Internet draft. Some chapters are more finished than others. References and attributions are very preliminary and we apologize in advance for any omissions (but hope you will nevertheless point them out to us). Please send us bugs, typos, missing references or general comments to [email protected] — Thank You!! DRAFT ii DRAFT Chapter 5 The Polynomial Hierarchy and Alternations “..synthesizing circuits is exceedingly difficulty. It is even more difficult to show that a circuit found in this way is the most economical one to realize a function. The difficulty springs from the large number of essentially different networks available.” Claude Shannon 1949 This chapter discusses the polynomial hierarchy, a generalization of P, NP and coNP that tends to crop up in many complexity theoretic investigations (including several chapters of this book). We will provide three equivalent definitions for the polynomial hierarchy, using quantified predicates, alternating Turing machines, and oracle TMs (a fourth definition, using uniform families of circuits, will be given in Chapter 6). We also use the hierarchy to show that solving the SAT problem requires either linear space or super-linear time. p p 5.1 The classes Σ2 and Π2 To understand the need for going beyond nondeterminism, let’s recall an NP problem, INDSET, for which we do have a short certificate of membership: INDSET = {hG, ki : graph G has an independent set of size ≥ k} . -
Quantum Computational Complexity Theory Is to Un- Derstand the Implications of Quantum Physics to Computational Complexity Theory
Quantum Computational Complexity John Watrous Institute for Quantum Computing and School of Computer Science University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Article outline I. Definition of the subject and its importance II. Introduction III. The quantum circuit model IV. Polynomial-time quantum computations V. Quantum proofs VI. Quantum interactive proof systems VII. Other selected notions in quantum complexity VIII. Future directions IX. References Glossary Quantum circuit. A quantum circuit is an acyclic network of quantum gates connected by wires: the gates represent quantum operations and the wires represent the qubits on which these operations are performed. The quantum circuit model is the most commonly studied model of quantum computation. Quantum complexity class. A quantum complexity class is a collection of computational problems that are solvable by a cho- sen quantum computational model that obeys certain resource constraints. For example, BQP is the quantum complexity class of all decision problems that can be solved in polynomial time by a arXiv:0804.3401v1 [quant-ph] 21 Apr 2008 quantum computer. Quantum proof. A quantum proof is a quantum state that plays the role of a witness or certificate to a quan- tum computer that runs a verification procedure. The quantum complexity class QMA is defined by this notion: it includes all decision problems whose yes-instances are efficiently verifiable by means of quantum proofs. Quantum interactive proof system. A quantum interactive proof system is an interaction between a verifier and one or more provers, involving the processing and exchange of quantum information, whereby the provers attempt to convince the verifier of the answer to some computational problem. -
1 the Class Conp
80240233: Computational Complexity Lecture 3 ITCS, Tsinghua Univesity, Fall 2007 16 October 2007 Instructor: Andrej Bogdanov Notes by: Jialin Zhang and Pinyan Lu In this lecture, we introduce the complexity class coNP, the Polynomial Hierarchy and the notion of oracle. 1 The class coNP The complexity class NP contains decision problems asking this kind of question: On input x, ∃y : |y| = p(|x|) s.t.V (x, y), where p is a polynomial and V is a relation which can be computed by a polynomial time Turing Machine (TM). Some examples: SAT: given boolean formula φ, does φ have a satisfiable assignment? MATCHING: given a graph G, does it have a perfect matching? Now, consider the opposite problems of SAT and MATCHING. UNSAT: given boolean formula φ, does φ have no satisfiable assignment? UNMATCHING: given a graph G, does it have no perfect matching? This kind of problems are called coNP problems. Formally we have the following definition. Definition 1. For every L ⊆ {0, 1}∗, we say that L ∈ coNP if and only if L ∈ NP, i.e. L ∈ coNP iff there exist a polynomial-time TM A and a polynomial p, such that x ∈ L ⇔ ∀y, |y| = p(|x|) A(x, y) accepts. Then the natural question is how P, NP and coNP relate. First we have the following trivial relationships. Theorem 2. P ⊆ NP, P ⊆ coNP For instance, MATCHING ∈ coNP. And we already know that SAT ∈ NP. Is SAT ∈ coNP? If it is true, then we will have NP = coNP. This is the following theorem. Theorem 3. If SAT ∈ coNP, then NP = coNP. -
Descriptive Complexity Theories
Descriptive Complexity Theories Joerg FLUM ABSTRACT: In this article we review some of the main results of descriptive complexity theory in order to make the reader familiar with the nature of the investigations in this area. We start by presenting the characterization of automata recognizable languages by monadic second-order logic. Afterwards we explain the characteri- zation of various logics by fixed-point logics. We assume familiarity with logic but try to keep knowledge of complexity theory to a minimum. Keywords: Computational complexity theory, complexity classes, descriptive characterizations, monadic second-order logic, fixed-point logic, Turing machine. Complexity theory or more precisely, computational complexity theory (cf. Papadimitriou 1994), tries to classify problems according to the complexity of algorithms solving them. Of course, we can think of various ways of measuring the complexity of an al- gorithm, but the most important and relevant ones are time and space. That is, we think we have a type of machine capable, in principle, to carry out any algorithm, a so-called general purpose machine (or, general purpose computer), and we measure the com- plexity of an algorithm in terms of the time or the number of steps needed to carry out this algorithm. By space, we mean the amount of memory the algorithm uses. Time bounds yield (time) complexity classes consisting of all problems solvable by an algorithm keeping to the time bound. Similarly, space complexity classes are obtained. It turns out that these definitions are quite robust in the sense that, for reasonable time or space bounds, the corresponding complexity classes do not depend on the special type of machine model chosen. -
5. Polynomial Hierarchy.Pdf
Polynomial Hierarchy \A polynomial-bounded version of Kleene's Arithmetic Hierarchy becomes trivial if P = NP." Karp, 1972 Computational Complexity, by Fu Yuxi Polynomial Hierarchy 1/44 Larry Stockmeyer and Albert Meyer introduced polynomial hierarchy. 1. Larry Stockmeyer and Albert Meyer. The Equivalence Problem for Regular Expressions with Squaring Requires Exponential Space. SWAT'72. Computational Complexity, by Fu Yuxi Polynomial Hierarchy 2/44 Synopsis 1. Meyer-Stockmeyer's Polynomial Hierarchy 2. Stockmeyer-Wrathall Characterization 3. Chandra-Kozen-Stockmeyer Theorem 4. Infinite Hierarchy Conjecture 5. Time-Space Trade-Off Computational Complexity, by Fu Yuxi Polynomial Hierarchy 3/44 Meyer-Stockmeyer's Polynomial Hierarchy Computational Complexity, by Fu Yuxi Polynomial Hierarchy 4/44 Problem Beyond NP Meyer and Stockmeyer observed that MINIMAL does not seem to have short witnesses. MINIMAL = f' j ' DNF ^ 8 DNF :j j<j'j ) 9u::( (u),'(u))g: Notice that MINIMAL can be solved by an NDTM that queries SAT a polynomial time. I Why DNF? Computational Complexity, by Fu Yuxi Polynomial Hierarchy 5/44 [ PC = PA; A2C [ NPC = NPA: A2C Computational Complexity, by Fu Yuxi Polynomial Hierarchy 6/44 Meyer-Stockmeyer's Definition p p p The complexity classes Σi ; Πi ; ∆i are defined as follows: p Σ0 = P; p p Σi Σi+1 = NP ; p p Σi ∆i+1 = P ; p p Πi = Σi : The following hold: p p p I Σi ⊆ ∆i+1 ⊆ Σi+1, p p p I Πi ⊆ ∆i+1 ⊆ Πi+1. p p Σi Notice that Πi+1 = coNP by definition. Computational Complexity, by Fu Yuxi Polynomial Hierarchy 7/44 S p The polynomial hierarchy is the complexity class PH = i≥0 Σi .