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arXiv:quant-ph/9904093 · Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science

Optimal lower bounds for quantum automata and random access codes

Ashwin Nayak

Published Jan 20, 2003• 274 citations

Abstract

Consider the finite regular language L/sub n/={w0|w/spl isin/{0,1}*,|w|/spl les/n}. A. Ambainis et al. (1999) showed that while this language is accepted by a deterministic finite automaton of size O(n), any one-way quantum finite automaton (QFA) for it has size 2/sup /spl Omega/(n/logn)/. This was based on the fact that the evolution of a QFA is required to be reversible. When arbitrary intermediate measurements are allowed, this intuition breaks down. Nonetheless, we show a 2/sup /spl Omega/(n)/ lower bound for such QFA for L/sub n/, thus also improving the previous bound. The improved bound is obtained from simple entropy arguments based on A.S. Holevo's (1973) theorem. This method also allows us to obtain an asymptotically optimal (1-H(p))n bound for the dense quantum codes (random access codes) introduced by A. Ambainis et al. We then turn to Holevo's theorem, and show that in typical situations, it may be replaced by a tighter and more transparent in-probability bound.

DOI: 10.1109/sffcs.1999.814608

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In this paper, we introduce 1-way and 2-way quantum finite state automata (1qfa's and 2qfa's), which are the quantum analogues of deterministic, nondeterministic and probabilistic 1-way and 2-way finite state automata. We prove the following facts regarding 2qfa's. 1. For any /spl epsiv/>0, there is a 2qfa M which recognizes the non-regular language L={a/sup m/b/sup m/|m/spl ges/1} with (one-sided) error bounded by E, and which halts in linear time. Specifically, M accepts any string in L with probability 1 and rejects any string not in L with probability at least 1-/spl epsiv/. 2. For every regular language L, there is a reversible (and hence quantum) 2-way finite state automaton which recognizes L and which runs in linear time. In fact, it is possible to define 2qfar's which recognize the non-context-free language {a/sup m/b/sup m/c/sup m/|m/spl ges/1}, based on the same technique used for 1. Consequently, the class of languages recognized by linear time, bounded error 2qfa's properly includes the regular languages. Since it is known that 2-way deterministic, nondeterministic and polynomial expected time, bounded error probabilistic finite automata can recognize only regular languages, it follows that 2qfa's are strictly more powerful than these "classical" models. In the case of 1-way automata, the situation is reversed. We prove that the class of languages recognizable by bounded error 1qfa's is properly contained in the class of regular languages.

We consider the possibility of encoding m classical bits into much fewer n quantum bits so that an arbitrary bit from the original m bits can be recovered with a good probability, and we show that non-trivial quantum encodings exist that have no classical counterparts. On the other hand, we show that quantum encodings cannot be much more succint as compared to classical encodings, and we provide a lower bound on such quantum encodings. Finally, using this lower bound, we prove an exponential lower bound on the size of 1-way quantum finite automata for a family of languages accepted by linear sized deterministic finite automata.

We study 1-way quantum finite automata (QFAs). First, we compare them with their classical counterparts. We show that, if an automaton is required to give the correct answer with a large probability (greater than 7/9), then any 1-way QFAs can be simulated by a 1-way reversible automaton. However, quantum automata giving the correct answer with smaller probabilities are more powerful than reversible automata. Second, we show that 1-way QFAs can be very space-efficient. We construct a 1-way QFA that is exponentially smaller than any equivalent classical (even randomized) finite automaton. We think that this construction may be useful for design of other space-efficient quantum algorithms. Third, we consider several generalizations of 1-way QFAs. Here, our goal is to find a model which is more powerful than 1-way QFAs keeping the quantum part as simple as possible.

We consider the possibility of encoding m classical bits into much fewer n quantum bits so that an arbitrary bit from the original m bits can be recovered with a good probability, and we show that non-trivial quantum encodings exist that have no classical counterparts.On the other hand, we show that quantum encodings cannot be much more succint as compared to classical encodings, and we provide a lower bound on such quantum encodings.Finally, using this lower bound, we prove an exponential lower bound an the size of l-way quantum linite automata for a family of languages accepted by linear sized deterministic linite automata.