From Reverse Detection--Estimation Gaps to Computational Lower Bounds for Norm Approximation

Abstract

We develop a general reduction scheme that converts reverse detection--estimation gaps into computational lower bounds for norm approximation. If an efficiently computable estimator has error well below a conjectured computational detection threshold, then a sufficiently accurate norm approximator applied to this estimator would yield an efficient test, transferring average-case detection hardness to worst-case approximation hardness. The ratio between the detection and estimation scales becomes a lower bound on the achievable approximation factor. We apply the reduction in three settings. Using a previously established reverse gap for high-order cumulant tensors, we obtain a conditional lower bound for polynomial-time approximation of the order-$d$ tensor spectral norm. We then establish new reverse gaps for the $k$-sparse matrix spectral norm and a normalized $k$-sparse matrix cut norm under planted-clique hardness. The resulting lower bounds are of order $\sqrt{k}$ up to a logarithmic factor, matching the simple deterministic $\sqrt{k}$ certificates, whereas previous hardness results for the sparse principal component objective rule out only constant factors. Finally, under a model-specific low-degree conjecture, a new reverse gap forces polynomially growing approximation factors for the order-$d$ tensor cut norm when $d\ge3$. These results identify reverse detection--estimation gaps as a systematic source of computational lower bounds for norm approximation.