Related papers: Optimal Proof Systems for Complex Sets are Hard to…
A neat 1972 result of Pohl asserts that [3n/2]-2 comparisons are sufficient, and also necessary in the worst case, for finding both the minimum and the maximum of an n-element totally ordered set. The set is accessed via an oracle for…
Let $\mathcal{O}$ be an order, that is a commutative ring with $1$ whose additive structure is a free $\mathbb{Z}$-module of finite rank. A generalized number system (GNS for short) over $\mathcal{O}$ is a pair $(p,\mathcal{D} )$ where…
We introduce ordinal collapsing principles that are inspired by proof theory but have a set theoretic flavor. These principles are shown to be equivalent to iterated $\Pi^1_1$-comprehension and the existence of admissible sets, over weak…
Given an uncountable cardinal $\kappa$, we consider the question of whether subsets of the power set of $\kappa$ that are usually constructed with the help of the Axiom of Choice are definable by $\Sigma_1$-formulas that only use the…
Schinzel and W\'ojcik have shown that if $\alpha, \beta$ are rational numbers not $0$ or $\pm 1$, then $\mathrm{ord}_p(\alpha)=\mathrm{ord}_p(\beta)$ for infinitely many primes $p$, where $\mathrm{ord}_p(\cdot)$ denotes the order in…
These lecture notes survey the emerging area of Universal Proof Theory, which investigates general questions about the existence, equivalence, and characterization of good proof systems for broad classes of logics. In particular, the notes…
In the literature, the optimization problem to identify a set of composite hypotheses H, which will yield the $k$ largest $P(H|S_e)$ where a composite hypothesis is an instantiation of all the nodes in the network except the evidence nodes…
In order to prove that the P of problems is different to the NP class, we consider the satisfability problem of propositional calculus formulae, which is an NP-complete problem. It is shown that, for every search algorithm A, there is a set…
A locally-optimal structure is a combinatorial structure such as a maximal independent set that cannot be improved by certain (greedy) local moves, even though it may not be globally optimal. It is trivial to construct an independent set in…
The Optimal Morse Matching (OMM) problem asks for a discrete gradient vector field on a simplicial complex that minimizes the number of critical simplices. It is NP-hard and has been studied extensively in heuristic, approximation, and…
A propositional proof system $P$ has the strong feasible disjunction property iff there is a constant $c \geq 1$ such that whenever $P$ admits a size $s$ proof of $\bigvee_i \alpha_i$ with no two $\alpha_i$ sharing an atom then one of…
We study possible formulations of algebraic propositional proof systems operating with noncommutative formulas. We observe that a simple formulation gives rise to systems at least as strong as Frege---yielding a semantic way to define a…
Asking which sets are fixed-parameter tractable for a given parameterization constitutes much of the current research in parameterized complexity theory. This approach faces some of the core difficulties in complexity theory. By focussing…
We study maximal orthogonal families of Borel probability measures on $2^\omega$ (abbreviated m.o. families) and show that there are generic extensions of the constructible universe $L$ in which each of the following holds: (1) There is a…
This work is concerned with the proof-complexity of certifying that optimization problems do \emph{not} have good solutions. Specifically we consider bounded-degree "Sum of Squares" (SOS) proofs, a powerful algebraic proof system introduced…
Raghavendra (STOC 2008) gave an elegant and surprising result: if Khot's Unique Games Conjecture (STOC 2002) is true, then for every constraint satisfaction problem (CSP), the best approximation ratio is attained by a certain simple…
We survey results on the formalization and independence of mathematical statements related to major open problems in computational complexity theory. Our primary focus is on recent findings concerning the (un)provability of complexity…
We introduce the concept of strong high-order approximate minimizers for nonconvex optimization problems. These apply in both standard smooth and composite non-smooth settings, and additionally allow convex or inexpensive constraints. An…
Until the 1970s, proof theoretic investigations were mainly concerned with theories of inductive definitions, subsystems of analysis and finite type systems. With the pioneering work of Gerhard Jaeger in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the…
Many recent studies on first-order methods (FOMs) focus on \emph{composite non-convex non-smooth} optimization with linear and/or nonlinear function constraints. Upper (or worst-case) complexity bounds have been established for these…