English

Maximal automatic complexity and context-free languages

Formal Languages and Automata Theory 2022-06-22 v1 Logic

Abstract

Let ANA_N denote nondeterministic automatic complexity and Lk,c={x[k]:AN(x)>x/c}. L_{k,c}=\{x\in [k]^* : A_N(x)> |x|/c\}. In particular, Lk,2L_{k,2} is the language of all kk-ary words for which ANA_N is maximal, while Lk,3L_{k,3} gives a rough dividing line between complex and simple. Let CFL\mathbf{CFL} denote the complexity class consisting of all context-free languages. While it is not known that L2,2L_{2,2} is infinite, Kjos-Hanssen (2017) showed that L3,2L_{3,2} is CFL\mathbf{CFL}-immune but not coCFL\mathbf{coCFL}-immune. We complete the picture by showing that L3,2∉coCFLL_{3,2}\not\in\mathbf{coCFL}. Turning to Boolean circuit complexity, we show that L2,3L_{2,3} is SAC0\mathbf{SAC}^0-immune and SAC0\mathbf{SAC}^0-coimmune. Here SAC0\mathbf{SAC}^0 denotes the complexity class consisting of all languages computed by (non-uniform) constant-depth circuits with semi-unbounded fanin. As for arithmetic circuits, we show that {x:AN(x)>1}∉SAC0\{x:A_N(x)>1\}\not\in\oplus\mathbf{SAC}^0. In particular, SAC0⊈SAC0\mathbf{SAC}^0\not\subseteq\oplus \mathbf{SAC}^0, which resolves an open implication from the Complexity Zoo.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2206.10130,
  title  = {Maximal automatic complexity and context-free languages},
  author = {Bjørn Kjos-Hanssen},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2206.10130},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

Automata Theory and Applications: Games, Learning and Structures (20-24 Sep 2021). Lecture Notes Series, Institute for Mathematical Sciences, National University of Singapore

R2 v1 2026-06-24T11:58:00.329Z