English

On the Fourier Entropy Influence Conjecture for Extremal Classes

Computational Complexity 2019-01-25 v2 Discrete Mathematics Combinatorics

Abstract

The Fourier Entropy-Influence (FEI) Conjecture of Friedgut and Kalai states that H[f]CI[f]{\bf H}[f] \leq C \cdot {\bf I}[f] holds for every Boolean function ff, where H[f]{\bf H}[f] denotes the spectral entropy of ff, I[f]{\bf I}[f] is its total influence, and C>0C > 0 is a universal constant. Despite significant interest in the conjecture it has only been shown to hold for some classes of Boolean functions such as symmetric functions and read-once formulas. In this work, we prove the conjecture for extremal cases, functions with small influence and functions with high entropy. Specifically, we show that: * FEI holds for the class of functions with I[f]2cn{\bf I}[f] \leq 2^{-cn} with the constant C=4c+1cC = 4 \cdot \frac{c+1}{c}. Furthermore, proving FEI for a class of functions with I[f]2s(n){\bf I}[f] \leq 2^{-s(n)} for some s(n)=o(n)s(n) = o(n) will imply FEI for the class of all Boolean functions. * FEI holds for the class of functions with H[f]cn{\bf H}[f] \geq cn with the constant C=1+ch1(c2)C = \frac{1 + c}{h^{-1}(c^2)}. Furthermore, proving FEI for a class of functions with H[f]s(n){\bf H}[f] \geq s(n) for some s(n)=o(n)s(n) = o(n) will imply FEI for the class of all Boolean functions. Additionally, we show that FEI holds for the class of functions with constant f^1\|\widehat{f}\|_1, completing the results of Chakhraborty et al. that bounded the entropy of such functions. We also improve the result of Wan et al. for read-k decision trees, from H[f]O(k)I[f]{\bf H}[f] \leq O(k) \cdot {\bf I}[f] to H[f]O(k)I[f]{\bf H}[f] \leq O(\sqrt{k}) \cdot {\bf I}[f]. Finally, we suggest a direction for proving FEI for read-k DNFs, and prove the Fourier Min-Entropy/Influence (FMEI) Conjecture for regular read-k DNFs.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1806.03646,
  title  = {On the Fourier Entropy Influence Conjecture for Extremal Classes},
  author = {Guy Shalev},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1806.03646},
  year   = {2019}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T02:24:57.200Z