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Leibniz international proceedings in informatics

Holant Problems for Regular Graphs with Complex Edge Functions

Michael Kowalczyk, Jin‐Yi Cai

Published Jan 1, 2010• 15 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for Holant Problems on $3$-regular graphs with an arbitrary complex-valued edge function. Three new techniques are introduced: (1) higher dimensional iterations in interpolation; (2) Eigenvalue Shifted Pairs, which allow us to prove that a pair of combinatorial gadgets \emph{in combination} succeed in proving \#P-hardness; and (3) algebraic symmetrization, which significantly lowers the \emph{symbolic complexity} of the proof for computational complexity. With \emph{holographic reductions} the classification theorem also applies to problems beyond the basic model.

DOI
10.4230/lipics.stacs.2010.2482

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We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for Holant Problems on 333-regular graphs with an arbitrary complex-valued edge function. Three new techniques are introduced: (1) higher dimensional iterations in interpolation; (2) Eigenvalue Shifted Pairs, which allow us to prove that a pair of combinatorial gadgets \emph{in combination} succeed in proving #P-hardness; and (3) algebraic symmetrization, which significantly lowers the \emph{symbolic complexity} of the proof for computational complexity. With \emph{holographic reductions} the classification theorem also applies to problems beyond the basic model.
We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for Holant Problems on 3-regular graphs with an arbitrary complex-valued edge function. Three new techniques are introduced: (1) higher dimensional iterations in interpolation; (2) Eigenvalue Shifted Pairs, which allow us to prove that a pair of combinatorial gadgets in combination succeed in proving #P-hardness; and (3) algebraic symmetrization, which significantly lowers the symbolic complexity of the proof for computational complexity. With holographic reductions the classification theorem also applies to problems beyond the basic model.
We propose and explore a novel alternative framework to study the complexity of counting problems, called Holant problems. Compared to counting constraint satisfaction problems (#CSP), it is a refinement with a more explicit role for the constraint functions. Both graph homomorphism and #CSP can be viewed as special cases of Holant problems. We prove complexity dichotomy theorems in this framework. Our dichotomy theorems apply to local constraint functions, which are symmetric functions on Boolean input variables and evaluate to arbitrary real or complex values. We discover surprising tractable subclasses of counting problems, which could not easily be specified in the #CSP framework. When all unary functions are assumed to be free (Holant∗\mathrm{Holant}^*Holant∗ problems), the tractable ones consist of functions that are degenerate, or of arity at most two, or holographic transformations of Fibonacci gates. When only two special unary functions, the constant zero and constant one functions, are assumed to be free (Holantc\mathrm{Holant}^cHolantc problems), we further identify three special families of tractable cases. Then we prove that all other cases are #P-hard. The main technical tool we use and develop is holographic reductions. Another technical tool used in combination with holographic reductions is polynomial interpolations.
Holant problems are a general framework to study counting problems. Both counting Constraint Satisfaction Problems (#CSP) and graph homomorphisms are special cases. We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for Holant ∗ (F), where F is a set of constraint functions on Boolean variables and output complex values. The constraint functions need not be symmetric functions. We identify four classes of problems which are polynomial time computable; all other problems are proved to be #P-hard. The main proof technique and indeed the formulation of the theorem use holographic algorithms and reductions. By considering these counting problems over the complex domain, we discover surprising new tractable classes, which are associated with isotropic vectors, i.e., a (non-zero) vector whose inner product with itself is zero. 1
Holant problems are a family of counting problems on graphs, parametrised by sets of complex-valued functions of Boolean inputs. Holant^c denotes a subfamily of those problems, where any function set considered must contain the two unary functions pinning inputs to values 0 or 1. The complexity classification of Holant problems usually takes the form of dichotomy theorems, showing that for any set of functions in the family, the problem is either #P-hard or it can be solved in polynomial time. Previous such results include a dichotomy for real-valued Holant^c and one for Holant^c with complex symmetric functions. Here, we derive a dichotomy theorem for Holant^c with complex-valued, not necessarily symmetric functions. The tractable cases are the complex-valued generalisations of the tractable cases of the real-valued Holant^c dichotomy. The proof uses results from quantum information theory, particularly about entanglement.
The Computational Complexity of Holant Problems on 4-regular Graphs from the Stable Subgroup Sequence of SL(2,C)SL(2,\mathbb{C})SL(2,C)
The Holant framework provides a general setting for studying counting problems and includes graph homomorphisms (\#GH) and counting constraint satisfaction problems (\#CSP) as special cases. Over the past twenty years, a series of computational complexity dichotomies have been established for Holant problems, but the classification for complex-valued signatures is still open. The main obstacle is the case in which all signatures have even arity. In this paper, we establish a dichotomy for Holant problems with a complex-valued 4-ary signature, which is a key base case for the full classification of Holant problems. We present a new strategy by introducing Schur's theorem, the classification of finite subgroups of SL(2,C)\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{C})SL(2,C) and stable subgroup sequences into the proof. These new techniques are of independent interest.
Holant problems are a family of counting problems parameterized by sets of algebraic-complex-valued constraint functions and defined on graphs. They arise from the theory of holographic algorithms, which was originally inspired by concepts from quantum computation. Here, we employ quantum information theory to explain existing results about holant problems in a concise way and to derive two new dichotomies: one for a new family of problems, which we call Holant+{{Holant}}^+Holant+, and, building on this, a full dichotomy for Holantc{{Holant}}^cHolantc. These two families of holant problems assume the availability of certain unary constraint functions---the two pinning functions in the case of Holantc{{Holant}}^cHolantc, and four functions in the case of Holant+{{Holant}}^+Holant+---and allow arbitrary sets of algebraic-complex valued constraint functions otherwise. The dichotomy for Holant+{{Holant}}^+Holant+ also applies when inputs are restricted to instances defined on planar graphs. In proving these complexity classifications, we derive an original result about entangled quantum states.