arXiv subjects

Greg Kuperberg

Publications and source records attributed to Greg Kuperberg.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Odd Vassiliev invariants vanish at four loops

The odd Vassiliev conjecture asserts that all Jacobi diagrams with an odd number of legs vanish modulo the AS and IHX relations. Equivalently, the conjecture asserts that Vassiliev invariants cannot distinguish a knot from its inverse. The conjecture is elementary for one 1 or 2 loops, and was proven by Moskovich and Ohtsuki for 3 loops. We establish the conjecture for 4 loops. Our proof uses Jacobi diagrams and weight systems with polynomial coefficients, commuting colored legs, and several vanishing criteria.

math.GT↗

arXiv2025

The hidden subgroup problem for infinite groups

Following the example of Shor's algorithm for period-finding in the integers, we explore the hidden subgroup problem (HSP) for discrete infinite groups. On the hardness side, we show that HSP is NP-hard for the additive group of rational numbers, and for normal subgroups of non-abelian free groups. We also indirectly reduce a version of the short vector problem to HSP in $\mathbb{Z}^k$ with pseudo-polynomial query cost. On the algorithm side, we generalize the Shor-Kitaev algorithm for HSP in $\mathbb{Z}^k$ (with standard polynomial query cost) to the case where the hidden subgroup has deficient rank or equivalently infinite index. Finally, we outline a stretched exponential time algorithm for the abelian hidden shift problem (AHShP), extending prior work of the author as well as Regev and Peikert. It follows that HSP in any finitely generated, virtually abelian group also has a stretched exponential time algorithm.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Breaking the cubic barrier in the Solovay-Kitaev algorithm

We improve the Solovay--Kitaev theorem and algorithm for a general finite, inverse-closed generating set acting on a qudit. Prior versions of the algorithm efficiently find a word of length $O(n^{3+\delta})$ to approximate an arbitrary target gate to $n$ bits of precision. Using two new ideas, each of which reduces the exponent separately, our new bound on the word length is $O(n^{1.44042\ldots+\delta})$. Our result holds more generally for any finite set that densely generates any connected, semisimple real Lie group, with an extra length term in the noncompact case to reach group elements far away from the identity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Coloring invariants of knots and links are often intractable

Let $G$ be a nonabelian, simple group with a nontrivial conjugacy class $C \subseteq G$. Let $K$ be a diagram of an oriented knot in $S^3$, thought of as computational input. We show that for each such $G$ and $C$, the problem of counting homomorphisms $\pi_1(S^3\setminus K) \to G$ that send meridians of $K$ to $C$ is almost parsimoniously $\mathsf{\#P}$-complete. This work is a sequel to a previous result by the authors that counting homomorphisms from fundamental groups of integer homology 3-spheres to $G$ is almost parsimoniously $\mathsf{\#P}$-complete. Where we previously used mapping class groups actions on closed, unmarked surfaces, we now use braid group actions.

math.GT↗

arXiv2018

On TQFT representations of mapping class groups with boundary

We study the TQFT mapping class group representations for surfaces with boundary associated with the $SU(2)$ gauge group, or equivalently the quantum group $U_q(\Sl(2))$. We show that at a prime root of unity, these representations are all irreducible. We also examine braid group representations for transcendental values of the quantum parameter, where we show that the image of every mapping class group is Zariski dense.

math.GT↗

arXiv2017

Identifying lens spaces in polynomial time

We show that if a closed, oriented 3-manifold M is promised to be homeomorphic to a lens space L(n,k) with n and k unknown, then we can compute both n and k in polynomial time in the size of the triangulation of M. The tricky part is the parameter k. The idea of the algorithm is to calculate Reidemeister torsion using numerical analysis over the complex numbers, rather than working directly in a cyclotomic field.

math.GT↗

arXiv2017

Algorithmic homeomorphism of 3-manifolds as a corollary of geometrization

In this paper we prove two results, one semi-historical and the other new. The semi-historical result, which goes back to Thurston and Riley, is that the geometrization theorem implies that there is an algorithm for the homeomorphism problem for closed, oriented, triangulated 3-manifolds. We give a self-contained proof, with several variations at each stage, that uses only the statement of the geometrization theorem, basic hyperbolic geometry, and old results from combinatorial topology and computer science. For this result, we do not rely on normal surface theory, methods from geometric group theory, nor methods used to prove geometrization. The new result is that the homeomorphism problem is elementary recursive, i.e., that the computational complexity is bounded by a bounded tower of exponentials. This result relies on normal surface theory, Mostow rigidity, and bounds on the computational complexity of solving algebraic equations.

math.GT↗

arXiv2017

Computational complexity and 3-manifolds and zombies

We show the problem of counting homomorphisms from the fundamental group of a homology $3$-sphere $M$ to a finite, non-abelian simple group $G$ is #P-complete, in the case that $G$ is fixed and $M$ is the computational input. Similarly, deciding if there is a non-trivial homomorphism is NP-complete. In both reductions, we can guarantee that every non-trivial homomorphism is a surjection. As a corollary, for any fixed integer $m \ge 5$, it is NP-complete to decide whether $M$ admits a connected $m$-sheeted covering. Our construction is inspired by universality results in topological quantum computation. Given a classical reversible circuit $C$, we construct $M$ so that evaluations of $C$ with certain initialization and finalization conditions correspond to homomorphisms $π_1(M) \to G$. An intermediate state of $C$ likewise corresponds to a homomorphism $π_1(Σ_g) \to G$, where $Σ_g$ is a pointed Heegaard surface of $M$ of genus $g$. We analyze the action on these homomorphisms by the pointed mapping class group $\text{MCG}_*(Σ_g)$ and its Torelli subgroup $\text{Tor}_*(Σ_g)$. By results of Dunfield-Thurston, the action of $\text{MCG}_*(Σ_g)$ is as large as possible when $g$ is sufficiently large; we can pass to the Torelli group using the congruence subgroup property of $\text{Sp}(2g,\mathbb{Z})$. Our results can be interpreted as a sharp classical universality property of an associated combinatorial $(2+1)$-dimensional TQFT.

math.GT↗

arXiv2017

Probabilistic existence of regular combinatorial structures

We show the existence of regular combinatorial objects which previously were not known to exist. Specifically, for a wide range of the underlying parameters, we show the existence of non-trivial orthogonal arrays, t-designs, and t-wise permutations. In all cases, the sizes of the objects are optimal up to polynomial overhead. The proof of existence is probabilistic. We show that a randomly chosen structure has the required properties with positive yet tiny probability. Our method allows also to give rather precise estimates on the number of objects of a given size and this is applied to count the number of orthogonal arrays, t-designs and regular hypergraphs. The main technical ingredient is a special local central limit theorem for suitable lattice random walks with finitely many steps.

math.CO↗

arXiv2017

The Cartan-Hadamard conjecture and The Little Prince

The generalized Cartan-Hadamard conjecture says that if $Ω$ is a domain with fixed volume in a complete, simply connected Riemannian $n$-manifold $M$ with sectional curvature $K \le κ\le 0$, then the boundary of $Ω$ has the least possible boundary volume when $Ω$ is a round $n$-ball with constant curvature $K=κ$. The case $n=2$ and $κ=0$ is an old result of Weil. We give a unified proof of this conjecture in dimensions $n=2$ and $n=4$ when $κ=0$, and a special case of the conjecture for $κ\textless{} 0$ and a version for $κ\textgreater{} 0$. Our argument uses a new interpretation, based on optical transport, optimal transport, and linear programming, of Croke's proof for $n=4$ and $κ=0$. The generalization to $n=4$ and $κ\ne 0$ is a new result. As Croke implicitly did, we relax the curvature condition $K \le κ$ to a weaker candle condition $Candle(κ)$ or $LCD(κ)$.We also find counterexamples to a naïve version of the Cartan-Hadamard conjecture: For every $\varepsilon \textgreater{} 0$, there is a Riemannian 3-ball $Ω$ with $(1-\varepsilon)$-pinched negative curvature, and with boundary volume bounded by a function of $\varepsilon$ and with arbitrarily large volume.We begin with a pointwise isoperimetric problem called "the problem of the Little Prince." Its proof becomes part of the more general method.

math.DG↗

arXiv2016

The Computational Complexity of Ball Permutations

Inspired by connections to two dimensional quantum theory, we define several models of computation based on permuting distinguishable particles (which we call balls), and characterize their computational complexity. In the quantum setting, we find that the computational power of this model depends on the initial input states. More precisely, with a standard basis input state, we show how to approximate the amplitudes of this model within additive error using the model DQC1 (the class of problems solvable with one clean qubit), providing evidence that the model in this case is weaker than universal quantum computing. However, for specific choices of input states, the model is shown to be universal for BQP in an encoded sense. We use representation theory of the symmetric group to partially classify the computational complexity of this model for arbitrary input states. Interestingly, we find some input states which yield a model intermediate between DQC1 and BQP. Furthermore, we consider a restricted version of this model based on an integrable scattering problem in 1+1 dimensions. We show it is universal under postselection, if we allow intermediate destructive measurements and specific input states. Therefore, the existence of any classical procedure to sample from the output distribution of this model within multiplicative error implies collapse of polynomial hierarchy to its third level. Finally, we define a classical version of this model in which one can probabilistically permute balls. We find this yields a complexity class which is intermediate between L and BPP. Moreover, we find a nondeterministic version of this model is NP-complete.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Contagious error sources would need time travel to prevent quantum computation

We consider an error model for quantum computing that consists of "contagious quantum germs" that can infect every output qubit when at least one input qubit is infected. Once a germ actively causes error, it continues to cause error indefinitely for every qubit it infects, with arbitrary quantum entanglement and correlation. Although this error model looks much worse than quasi-independent error, we show that it reduces to quasi-independent error with the technique of quantum teleportation. The construction, which was previously described by Knill, is that every quantum circuit can be converted to a mixed circuit with bounded quantum depth. We also consider the restriction of bounded quantum depth from the point of view of quantum complexity classes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

How hard is it to approximate the Jones polynomial?

Freedman, Kitaev, and Wang [arXiv:quant-ph/0001071], and later Aharonov, Jones, and Landau [arXiv:quant-ph/0511096], established a quantum algorithm to "additively" approximate the Jones polynomial V(L,t) at any principal root of unity t. The strength of this additive approximation depends exponentially on the bridge number of the link presentation. Freedman, Larsen, and Wang [arXiv:math/0103200] established that the approximation is universal for quantum computation at a non-lattice, principal root of unity; and Aharonov and Arad [arXiv:quant-ph/0605181] established a uniform version of this result. In this article, we show that any value-dependent approximation of the Jones polynomial at these non-lattice roots of unity is #P-hard. If given the power to decide whether |V(L,t)| > a or |V(L,t)| < b for fixed constants a > b > 0, there is a polynomial-time algorithm to exactly count the solutions to arbitrary combinatorial equations. In our argument, the result follows fairly directly from the universality result and Aaronson's theorem that PostBQP = PP [arXiv:quant-ph/0412187].

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Canonical representatives for divisor classes on tropical curves and the Matrix-Tree Theorem

Let $Γ$ be a compact tropical curve (or metric graph) of genus $g$. Using the theory of tropical theta functions, Mikhalkin and Zharkov proved that there is a canonical effective representative (called a break divisor) for each linear equivalence class of divisors of degree $g$ on $Γ$. We present a new combinatorial proof of the fact that there is a unique break divisor in each equivalence class, establishing in the process an "integral" version of this result which is of independent interest. As an application, we provide a "geometric proof" of (a dual version of) Kirchhoff's celebrated Matrix-Tree Theorem. Indeed, we show that each weighted graph model $G$ for $Γ$ gives rise to a canonical polyhedral decomposition of the $g$-dimensional real torus ${\rm Pic}^g(Γ)$ into parallelotopes $C_T$, one for each spanning tree $T$ of $G$, and the dual Kirchhoff theorem becomes the statement that the volume of ${\rm Pic}^g(Γ)$ is the sum of the volumes of the cells in the decomposition.

math.CO↗

arXiv2014

Knottedness is in NP, modulo GRH

Given a tame knot K presented in the form of a knot diagram, we show that the problem of determining whether K is knotted is in the complexity class NP, assuming the generalized Riemann hypothesis (GRH). In other words, there exists a polynomial-length certificate that can be verified in polynomial time to prove that K is non-trivial. GRH is not needed to believe the certificate, but only to find a short certificate. This result complements the result of Hass, Lagarias, and Pippenger that unknottedness is in NP. Our proof is a corollary of major results of others in algebraic geometry and geometric topology.

math.GT↗

arXiv2013

A refinement of Günther's candle inequality

We analyze an upper bound on the curvature of a Riemannian manifold, using "root-Ricci" curvature, which is in between a sectional curvature bound and a Ricci curvature bound. (A special case of root-Ricci curvature was previously discovered by Osserman and Sarnak for a different but related purpose.) We prove that our root-Ricci bound implies Günther's inequality on the candle function of a manifold, thus bringing that inequality closer in form to the complementary inequality due to Bishop.

math.DG↗

arXiv2012

Buildings, spiders, and geometric Satake

Let G be a simple algebraic group. Labelled trivalent graphs called webs can be used to product invariants in tensor products of minuscule representations. For each web, we construct a configuration space of points in the affine Grassmannian. Via the geometric Satake correspondence, we relate these configuration spaces to the invariant vectors coming from webs. In the case G = SL(3), non-elliptic webs yield a basis for the invariant spaces. The non-elliptic condition, which is equivalent to the condition that the dual diskoid of the web is CAT(0), is explained by the fact that affine buildings are CAT(0).

math.QA↗

arXiv2011

Another subexponential-time quantum algorithm for the dihedral hidden subgroup problem

We give an algorithm for the hidden subgroup problem for the dihedral group $D_N$, or equivalently the cyclic hidden shift problem, that supersedes our first algorithm and is suggested by Regev's algorithm. It runs in $\exp(O(\sqrt{\log N}))$ quantum time and uses $\exp(O(\sqrt{\log N}))$ classical space, but only $O(\log N)$ quantum space. The algorithm also runs faster with quantumly addressable classical space than with fully classical space. In the hidden shift form, which is more natural for this algorithm regardless, it can also make use of multiple hidden shifts. It can also be extended with two parameters that trade classical space and classical time for quantum time. At the extreme space-saving end, the algorithm becomes Regev's algorithm. At the other end, if the algorithm is allowed classical memory with quantum random access, then many trade-offs between classical and quantum time are possible.

quant-ph↗