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Felix Huber

Publications and source records attributed to Felix Huber.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Semiprime Rigidity and Growth along Powers in Integer-Sided Cyclic Polygons

For a positive integer $n$, let $a(n)$ be the largest number of sides of a simple cyclic polygon of circumradius $n$ whose side lengths are positive integers. For primes $p,q$ we show that $a(pq)\in\{6,8,18\}$ and characterize each value by conditions on Gaussian and Eisenstein integers. For every integer $N\ge2$, on the other hand, $a(N^e)\to\infty$ and $\limsup_{e\to\infty}a(N^e)/e\ge2\sqrt2$; a quadratic chord tower combined with Farey neighbors gives explicit polygons, for instance $a(8192)\ge38$. We also show that an odd-sided polygon of radius $n$ exists if and only if $n$ has a prime divisor congruent to $1\pmod4$, and that $a(n)$ is even whenever at most one distinct prime divisor of $n$ is congruent to $1\pmod4$; it is also even when the Gaussian part of $n$ is the product of two distinct primes congruent to $1\pmod4$. Moreover, $a(N^e)=O_N(e^{ω(N)})$ for every fixed $N\ge2$, and $a(q^e)=Θ(e)$ for primes $q\equiv1\pmod4$; exceptional semiprime extremisers have unique side-length multisets. The proofs use a splitting lemma for angle relations by squarefree class, arithmetic in imaginary quadratic fields, bounded zero-sum problems, and a one-dimensional Farey argument. No computer-assisted step is used.

math.NT↗

Multi-Objective Protein Optimization via Modular Diffusion Steering

Protein engineering often requires improving several properties simultaneously, motivating the search for high-performing sequences that represent useful fitness tradeoffs. Discovering these sequences is challenging because the design space is combinatorially large and experimental campaigns often permit only a few rounds of batched measurements. We introduce \textit{MODS}, a modular framework for multi-objective protein optimization via inference-time diffusion steering. For each proposal, MODS samples augmented Chebyshev scalarization weights and a fitness-surrogate ensemble member to define a scalar steering reward. Varying the weights directs generation toward different objective tradeoffs, while varying ensemble members diversifies the predictions used for guidance. Because MODS expresses multi-objective acquisition through scalar rewards, it can be paired with different diffusion models and compatible steering procedures. After each evaluation batch, MODS updates the surrogates without retraining the generative model. We evaluate MODS on six protein optimization tasks using predictive oracles trained on experimental assay data, with two diffusion models and two steering procedures. MODS achieves competitive final hypervolume across all six tasks with both diffusion models, and substantially outperforms the best evaluated baseline on several tasks. Our results demonstrate a flexible and effective approach to multi-objective protein optimization with limited feedback.

cs.LG↗

Extremal Least Common Multiples in Rows of Pascal's Triangle

For $r \ge 0$, let $\mathcal P_r=\{\binom{r}{0},\binom{r}{1},\ldots,\binom{r}{\lfloor r/2\rfloor}\}$ be the set of distinct entries in row $r$ of Pascal's triangle. We study the least possible least common multiple of $n$ entries chosen from one row, with the row itself also free: $a(n)=\min_{r\ge0,\ S\subseteq\mathcal P_r,\ |S|=n}\operatorname{lcm}(S)$. Whereas the least common multiple of an entire row is given by a classical identity of Farhi, allowing both the row and the selected coefficients to vary creates a different optimization problem. We first recast the fixed-row problem exactly as a weighted prime-power exclusion problem, which explains how omitting a few coefficients can remove expensive prime-power contributions. Our main asymptotic result is $\log a(n)=2n+O\!\left(n\exp\!\left(-c(\log n)^{3/5}(\log\log n)^{-1/5}\right)\right)$ for some absolute $c>0$, so $a(n)^{1/n}\to e^2$. A two-band refinement further shows that every optimal row satisfies $r_n=2n+O\!\left(n\exp\!\left(-c(\log n)^{3/5}(\log\log n)^{-1/5}\right)\right)$, and that the minimum prefix defect of an optimal support is $o(n)$.

math.CO↗

Antichains among Divisor Sums of Divisors

For a positive integer $n$, let $S(n)=\{σ(d): d\mid n\}$ be ordered by divisibility, and let $a(n)$ be its width. We study how much of the divisor lattice of $n$ survives under the map $d\mapsto σ(d)$. For every fixed prime-exponent pattern, the largest possible value of $a(n)$ is the width of a corresponding product of divisibility posets, and this maximum is attained infinitely often. In the squarefree case with $ω(n)=r$, every width from $1$ to $\binom{r}{\lfloor r/2\rfloor}$ occurs, again infinitely often. For repeated exponent patterns, Engel's limit theory reduces the asymptotic width problem to optimal representation variance. We show that for the divisibility poset $D_m=(\{1,\ldots,m\},\mid)$, the prime directions $2$ and $3$ already determine the exact variance. The structural reason is the critical dilation $4$, lying strictly between $3$ and the next prime $5$. This yields an exact finite formula, the limit $V(D_m)\to 1.0367934201598\ldots$, and asymptotics for repeated exponent patterns. The complementary minimum-width problem remains largely open.

math.CO↗

Counterexamples to the fractional coloring conjecture for triply efficient shadow tomography

Fractional graph colorings are useful for the Shadow tomography of Pauli observables. In practice, it is desirable that any experimentally interesting set of Pauli operators has a small fractional chromatic number $χ_{f}$ for its anticommutation graph. Conjecture 13 in King, Gosset, Kothari, and Babbush [PRX Quantum 6, 010336 (2025)] states that if $B_ε(\varrho)$ is the set of Pauli observables having expectation value magnitude at least $ε$ in some given quantum state $\varrho$, then the fractional chromatic number of the anticommutation graph $G$ induced by $B_ε(\varrho)$ is $O(ε^{-2})$. In other words, it asserts that there exists a constant $C$ such that $χ_{f} \cdot ε^2 \leq C$ on all states and graphs. If the conjecture were true, it would imply that there exists a triply efficient Pauli shadow tomography algorithm for {\it any} subset $S$ of Pauli observables, provided that there is also an efficient fractional coloring algorithm for the set $B_ε$. Here we show that the conjecture is false by constructing a family of states and observables for which no finite $C$ satisfying the bound exists. We also give a more general construction relying on the commutation index or $β$ number of a graph. The key ingredient in the proofs can be seen as an instance of the amplification trick, where fractional chromatic numbers, $β$ numbers, and expectation values are amplified through lexicographic graph products.

quant-ph↗

Large Sidon Subsets and Pair-Sum Multiplicities of Distinct Multinomial Coefficients

For a positive integer $n$, let $\mathcal{M}_n$ be the set of distinct multinomial coefficient values $n!/(p_1!\cdots p_t!)$, where $(p_1,\ldots,p_t)$ ranges over the integer partitions of $n$. We study two complementary aspects of the additive structure of $\mathcal{M}_n$: the maximum cardinality $s(n)$ of a Sidon subset and the multiplicities of unordered pair sums in the full set. A product embedding, strongly Sidon subsets, and estimates for prime partitions give \[ \liminf_{n\to\infty}\frac{\log(s(n)/n)\log\log n}{\sqrt{\log n}}\geq\fracπ{\sqrt{3}}. \] Long arithmetic progressions and separated copies yield a complementary lower bound $2/(3\sqrt{3})$ for the normalized Sidon defect. Writing $r_n(t)$ for the number of unordered representations $t=x+y$ with $x,y\in\mathcal{M}_n$, we study the collision excess $C(n)$, the number $D(n)$ of multiply represented sums, the maximum multiplicity $μ(n)$, and the cumulative profile $T(n,k)$. We prove \[ \liminf\frac{C(n)}{n^2\log n}\geq\frac18,\qquad \liminf\frac{D(n)}{n^{3/2}\sqrt{\log n}}\geq\frac{4}{3\sqrt{3}},\qquad \liminf\frac{μ(n)}{\sqrt{n\log n}}\geq\frac12. \] We also obtain a scaled lower envelope for the full profile, an additive-energy bound, stabilization with respect to the number of variables, and an explicit family of trinomial collisions. Exact Sidon values through $n=16$, the lower bound $s(17)\geq89$, and pair-sum statistics through $n=20$ are reported with reproducible computational material.

math.CO↗

Iterated Distinct Absolute Differences of Integer Compositions

Starting from an integer composition, form its consecutive absolute differences, provided that they are nonzero and pairwise distinct, and then permute these differences arbitrarily before repeating the operation. The depth of the composition is the maximum possible number of successive iterations. We determine the least positive integer admitting a composition of any prescribed depth. If a(n) is the least positive integer having a composition of depth n, then $a(n)=n+1+\lceil n(n+1)/4\rceil+\lfloor n/2\rfloor$. We also prove that every integer k at least a(n) has a composition of depth at least n. Consequently, if d(k) denotes the maximum depth of a composition of k, then $d(k)=\max\{n\geq 0:a(n)\leq k\}$. Finally, we classify and enumerate all compositions attaining the minimum a(n). Their number is given by four factorial formulas according to n modulo 4.

math.CO↗

On the two-copy distillability of Werner states and a new partial trace inequality

Problem 5 in {\it Five Open Problems in Quantum Information Theory} [PRX Quantum 3, 010101 (2022)], asks whether the two-ququart Werner state $\varrho(4,-\tfrac12)$ is two-copy distillable, where $\varrho(d,α)=(I+αF)/(d^2+αd)$. We answer it in the negative. To this end, we show the following stronger statement: for all $C\in M_{d_1d_2}(\mathbb{C})$ of rank at most $r \le d_1 d_2$, $\mathrm{tr}_1(C)\|_F^2+\|\mathrm{tr}_2(C)\|_F^2 \le r\|C\|_F^2+\frac{1}{r}|\mathrm{tr}(C)|^2$. A result by Costa Rico on the equivalence of this inequality with two-copy undistillability at $r = 2$ then settles Problem 5: $\varrho(4,-\tfrac{1}{2})$ is not two-copy distillable. Furthermore, we show that $\varrho(d,α)$ is two-copy undistillable for every $d\ge2$, if and only if $α\ge-\tfrac{1}{2}$. Thus, the one and two-copy distillability regions of $\varrho(d,α)$ coincide. These results have been found and written up with AI tools, pointing towards a structural change affecting the field of quantum information and computation.

quant-ph↗

Holographic quantum codes with trapped ions

Holography is a central concept at the intersection of gravity, condensed matter theory, and quantum information, linking the interior bulk of a system to its boundary. A model realizing key features of holographic systems is the holographic pentagon code by Pastawski et al. Here we experimentally implement instances of the holographic pentagon and heptagon codes with trapped ions and test their properties: For the pentagon code, we recover logical bulk qubits from their nearby boundary and test the Ryu-Takayanagi entanglement area law. For the heptagon code, we show that the transversal Hadamard gate native to the constituent Steane codes induces a single-qubit, correctable error in the holographic code. Our implementation paves the way towards the use of holographic quantum codes for quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

A 0.651-approximation to quantum Max Cut via Rydberg atoms

Quantum Max Cut, also known as the anti-ferromagnetic Heisenberg Hamiltonian, is a QMA-complete problem which serves as a benchmark for approximation algorithms in quantum physics. Here we develop a hybrid approximation algorithm to quantum Max Cut, which uses the natural quantum dynamics of Rydberg atom systems in combination with semidefinite programming and randomized rounding. It achieves a conditional approximation ratio of $0.651$, compared to the best-known ratio of $0.614$ that relies on semidefinite programming alone. The algorithm is robust in the sense that the advantage persists even if the annealing procedure of the Rydberg atom system obtains a state whose energy is only $89\%$ of its true ground state energy. Our approach opens a new route for hybrid quantum-classical algorithms that combine quantum with classical optimization methods.

quant-ph↗

Lovász theta and Shearer lower bounds on Quantum Max Cut

Quantum Max Cut is a problem relevant to computer science and many-body quantum physics due to its links to classical Max Cut and the anti-ferromagnetic Heisenberg Hamiltonian. We prove a lower bound to quantum Max Cut of a graph in terms of the Lovász theta function of its complement. For a graph with $m$ edges, $\text{qmc}(G) \geq \tfrac{m}{4}\big( 1 + \tfrac{8}{3π}\tfrac{1}{\vartheta(\bar{G}) -1} \big)$, with the bound achieved by a product state. The proof can be strenghtened by the vector chromatic number and extends a result by Balla, Janzer, and Sudakov on classical Max Cut. A relaxed bound follows from $\vartheta(\bar{G}) - 1 \leq Δ$ for graphs with maximum degree $Δ$, making it interesting for practically relevant quantum many-body systems. We also extend results by Carlson et al. and Shearer and show that $\text{qmc}(G) \geq \frac{m}{4} + \frac{2m^{3/4}}{3 π}$ for all triangle-free graphs with $m$ edges.

quant-ph↗

Complete entanglement detection using polynomial invariants

Existing methods for deciding whether a bipartite quantum state is separable or entangled typically fall into one of two categories: they are either complete but require access to an explicit density matrix followed by numerical optimization, or they can be evaluated directly by measuring the quantum system but are incomplete, in the sense that they cannot detect all forms of entanglement. In this work, we overcome both limitations in a unified framework. First, we bypass numerical optimization by deriving separability criteria in the form of universal bounds on tensor powers of separable states. We prove that these bounds are complete: every entangled state violates them for sufficiently large tensor powers. Second, we explicitly construct a corresponding complete family of nonlinear entanglement witnesses, which can detect all forms of entanglement without requiring an explicit density matrix. The witnesses we construct are moreover basis-independent, in the sense that they are invariant under conjugation by local unitaries. Altogether, our results expand the toolbox for entanglement detection in arbitrary local dimensions in a manifestly invariant way.

quant-ph↗

Combining moment matrices, symmetric extension, and Lovász theta: $Φ_{\text{E8}}$ is entangled

We solve an open problem in entanglement theory posed by Yu et al., {\it Nature Communications 12, 1012 (2021)}. The problem is to show, via an entanglement witness, that the $14$-qubit state $Φ_{\text{E8}}$ is entangled. Inspired by a method from quantum codes, we combine symmetric extension with moment matrices to prove that $Φ_{\text{E8}}$ is entangled. The proof has the form of a rational infeasibility certificate for a semidefinite program, yielding an explicit entanglement witness. Our approach unifies and extends several earlier methods that involve the Lovász theta number of the Pauli anti-commutativity graph, promising scalability and flexibility in further applications.

quant-ph↗

SDP bounds on quantum codes: rational certificates

A fundamental problem in quantum coding theory is to determine the maximum size of quantum codes of given block length and distance. A recent work introduced bounds based on semidefinite programming, strengthening the well-known quantum linear programming bounds. However, floating-point inaccuracies prevent the extraction of rigorous non-existence proofs from the numerical methods. Here, we address this by providing rational infeasibility certificates for a range of quantum codes. Using a clustered low-rank solver with heuristic rounding to algebraic expressions, we can improve upon $18$ upper bounds on the maximum size of $n$-qubit codes with $6 \leq n \leq 19$. Our work highlights the practicality and scalability of semidefinite programming for quantum coding bounds.

quant-ph↗

Bayesian preference elicitation for decision support in multiobjective optimization

We present a novel approach to help decision-makers efficiently identify preferred solutions from the Pareto set of a multi-objective optimization problem. Our method uses a Bayesian model to estimate the decision-maker's utility function based on pairwise comparisons. Aided by this model, a principled elicitation strategy selects queries interactively to balance exploration and exploitation, guiding the discovery of high-utility solutions. The approach is flexible: it can be used interactively or a posteriori after estimating the Pareto front through standard multi-objective optimization techniques. Additionally, at the end of the elicitation phase, it generates a reduced menu of high-quality solutions, simplifying the decision-making process. Through experiments on test problems with up to nine objectives, our method demonstrates superior performance in finding high-utility solutions with a small number of queries. We also provide an open-source implementation of our method to support its adoption by the broader community.

stat.ML↗

Refuting spectral compatibility of quantum marginals

The spectral variant of the quantum marginal problem asks: Given prescribed spectra for a set of overlapping quantum marginals, does there exist a compatible joint state? The main idea of this work is a symmetry-reduced semidefinite programming hierarchy that detects when no such joint state exists. The hierarchy is complete, in the sense that it detects every incompatible set of spectra. The refutations it provides are dimension-free, certifying incompatibility in all local dimensions. The hierarchy also applies to the sums of Hermitian matrices problem, the compatibility of local unitary invariants, for certifying vanishing Kronecker coefficients, and to optimize over equivariant state polynomials.

quant-ph↗

On two maximally entangled couples

In a seminal article, Higuchi and Sudbery showed that a pure four-qubit state can not be maximally entangled across every bipartition. Such states are now known as absolutely maximally entangled (AME) states. Here we give a series of old and new proofs of the fact that no four-qubit AME state exists. These are based on invariant theory, methods from coding theory, and basic properties from linear algebra such as the Pauli commutation relations.

quant-ph↗

SDP bounds on quantum codes

This paper provides a semidefinite programming hierarchy based on state polynomial optimization to determine the existence of quantum codes with given parameters. The hierarchy is complete, in the sense that a $(\!(n, K, δ)\!)_2$ code exists if and only if every level of the hierarchy is feasible. It is not limited to stabilizer codes and thus is applicable generally. While the machinery is formally dimension-free, we restrict it to qubit codes through quasi-Clifford algebras. We derive the quantum analog of a range of classical results: first, from an intermediate level a Lovász bound for self-dual quantum codes is recovered. Second, a symmetrization of a minor variation of this Lovász bound recovers the quantum Delsarte bound. Third, a symmetry reduction using the Terwilliger algebra leads to semidefinite programming bounds of size $O(n^4)$. With this we give an alternative proof that there is no $(\!(7, 1, 4)\!)_2$ quantum code, and show that $(\!(8, 9, 3)\!)_2$ and $(\!(10, 5, 4)\!)_2$ codes do not exist.

quant-ph↗