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Qing Zhao

Publications and source records attributed to Qing Zhao.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
arXiv2013

The Thinnest Path Problem

We formulate and study the thinnest path problem in wireless ad hoc networks. The objective is to find a path from a source to its destination that results in the minimum number of nodes overhearing the message by a judicious choice of relaying nodes and their corresponding transmission power. We adopt a directed hypergraph model of the problem and establish the NP-completeness of the problem in 2-D networks. We then develop two polynomial-time approximation algorithms that offer $\sqrt{\frac{n}{2}}$ and $\frac{n}{2\sqrt{n-1}}$ approximation ratios for general directed hypergraphs (which can model non-isomorphic signal propagation in space) and constant approximation ratios for ring hypergraphs (which result from isomorphic signal propagation). We also consider the thinnest path problem in 1-D networks and 1-D networks embedded in 2-D field of eavesdroppers with arbitrary unknown locations (the so-called 1.5-D networks). We propose a linear-complexity algorithm based on nested backward induction that obtains the optimal solution to both 1-D and 1.5-D networks. This algorithm does not require the knowledge of eavesdropper locations and achieves the best performance offered by any algorithm that assumes complete location information of the eavesdroppers.

cs.NI↗
arXiv2013

Deterministic Sequencing of Exploration and Exploitation for Multi-Armed Bandit Problems

In the Multi-Armed Bandit (MAB) problem, there is a given set of arms with unknown reward models. At each time, a player selects one arm to play, aiming to maximize the total expected reward over a horizon of length T. An approach based on a Deterministic Sequencing of Exploration and Exploitation (DSEE) is developed for constructing sequential arm selection policies. It is shown that for all light-tailed reward distributions, DSEE achieves the optimal logarithmic order of the regret, where regret is defined as the total expected reward loss against the ideal case with known reward models. For heavy-tailed reward distributions, DSEE achieves O(T^1/p) regret when the moments of the reward distributions exist up to the pth order for 1 2. With the knowledge of an upperbound on a finite moment of the heavy-tailed reward distributions, DSEE offers the optimal logarithmic regret order. The proposed DSEE approach complements existing work on MAB by providing corresponding results for general reward distributions. Furthermore, with a clearly defined tunable parameter-the cardinality of the exploration sequence, the DSEE approach is easily extendable to variations of MAB, including MAB with various objectives, decentralized MAB with multiple players and incomplete reward observations under collisions, MAB with unknown Markov dynamics, and combinatorial MAB with dependent arms that often arise in network optimization problems such as the shortest path, the minimum spanning, and the dominating set problems under unknown random weights.

math.OC↗
arXiv2012

Distributed Flow Scheduling in an Unknown Environment

Flow scheduling tends to be one of the oldest and most stubborn problems in networking. It becomes more crucial in the next generation network, due to fast changing link states and tremendous cost to explore the global structure. In such situation, distributed algorithms often dominate. In this paper, we design a distributed virtual game to solve the flow scheduling problem and then generalize it to situations of unknown environment, where online learning schemes are utilized. In the virtual game, we use incentives to stimulate selfish users to reach a Nash Equilibrium Point which is valid based on the analysis of the `Price of Anarchy'. In the unknown-environment generalization, our ultimate goal is the minimization of cost in the long run. In order to achieve balance between exploration of routing cost and exploitation based on limited information, we model this problem based on Multi-armed Bandit Scenario and combined newly proposed DSEE with the virtual game design. Armed with these powerful tools, we find a totally distributed algorithm to ensure the logarithmic growing of regret with time, which is optimum in classic Multi-armed Bandit Problem. Theoretical proof and simulation results both affirm this claim. To our knowledge, this is the first research to combine multi-armed bandit with distributed flow scheduling.

cs.GT↗
arXiv2012

Topological Basis Associated with BWMA, Extremes of L1-norm in Quantum Information and Applications in Physics

The topological basis associated with Birman-Wenzl-Murakami algebra (BWMA) is constructed and the three dimensional forms of braiding matrices S have been found for both $S^+=S$ and $S^+=S^{-1}$. A familiar spin-1 model related to braiding matrix associated with BWMA is discussed. The extreme points $(θ=\pmπ/2$ and $\pmπ)$ of L1-norm and von Neumann entropy are shown to be connected to each other. Through the general discussion and examples we then point out that the L1-norm describes quantum entanglement.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2012

Dynamic Pricing under Finite Space Demand Uncertainty: A Multi-Armed Bandit with Dependent Arms

We consider a dynamic pricing problem under unknown demand models. In this problem a seller offers prices to a stream of customers and observes either success or failure in each sale attempt. The underlying demand model is unknown to the seller and can take one of N possible forms. In this paper, we show that this problem can be formulated as a multi-armed bandit with dependent arms. We propose a dynamic pricing policy based on the likelihood ratio test. We show that the proposed policy achieves complete learning, i.e., it offers a bounded regret where regret is defined as the revenue loss with respect to the case with a known demand model. This is in sharp contrast with the logarithmic growing regret in multi-armed bandit with independent arms.

cs.LG↗
arXiv2012

Single photon counting imaging system via compressive sensing

An imaging system based on single photon counting and compressive sensing (ISSPCCS) is developed to reconstruct a sparse image in absolute darkness. The single photon avalanche detector and spatial light modulator (SLM) of aluminum micro-mirrors are employed in the imaging system while the convex optimization is used in the reconstruction algorithm. The image of an object in the very dark light can be reconstructed from an under-sampling data set, but with very high SNR and robustness. Compared with the traditional single-pixel camera used a photomultiplier tube (PMT) as the detector, the ISSPCCS realizes photon counting imaging, and the count of photons not only carries fluctuations of light intensity, but also is more intuitive.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2012

Dynamic Shortest Path Algorithms for Hypergraphs

A hypergraph is a set V of vertices and a set of non-empty subsets of V, called hyperedges. Unlike graphs, hypergraphs can capture higher-order interactions in social and communication networks that go beyond a simple union of pairwise relationships. In this paper, we consider the shortest path problem in hypergraphs. We develop two algorithms for finding and maintaining the shortest hyperpaths in a dynamic network with both weight and topological changes. These two algorithms are the first to address the fully dynamic shortest path problem in a general hypergraph. They complement each other by partitioning the application space based on the nature of the change dynamics and the type of the hypergraph.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2012

Adaptive Shortest-Path Routing under Unknown and Stochastically Varying Link States

We consider the adaptive shortest-path routing problem in wireless networks under unknown and stochastically varying link states. In this problem, we aim to optimize the quality of communication between a source and a destination through adaptive path selection. Due to the randomness and uncertainties in the network dynamics, the quality of each link varies over time according to a stochastic process with unknown distributions. After a path is selected for communication, the aggregated quality of all links on this path (e.g., total path delay) is observed. The quality of each individual link is not observable. We formulate this problem as a multi-armed bandit with dependent arms. We show that by exploiting arm dependencies, a regret polynomial with network size can be achieved while maintaining the optimal logarithmic order with time. This is in sharp contrast with the exponential regret order with network size offered by a direct application of the classic MAB policies that ignore arm dependencies. Furthermore, our results are obtained under a general model of link-quality distributions (including heavy-tailed distributions) and find applications in cognitive radio and ad hoc networks with unknown and dynamic communication environments.

cs.NI↗
arXiv2011

Learning in A Changing World: Restless Multi-Armed Bandit with Unknown Dynamics

We consider the restless multi-armed bandit (RMAB) problem with unknown dynamics in which a player chooses M out of N arms to play at each time. The reward state of each arm transits according to an unknown Markovian rule when it is played and evolves according to an arbitrary unknown random process when it is passive. The performance of an arm selection policy is measured by regret, defined as the reward loss with respect to the case where the player knows which M arms are the most rewarding and always plays the M best arms. We construct a policy with an interleaving exploration and exploitation epoch structure that achieves a regret with logarithmic order when arbitrary (but nontrivial) bounds on certain system parameters are known. When no knowledge about the system is available, we show that the proposed policy achieves a regret arbitrarily close to the logarithmic order. We further extend the problem to a decentralized setting where multiple distributed players share the arms without information exchange. Under both an exogenous restless model and an endogenous restless model, we show that a decentralized extension of the proposed policy preserves the logarithmic regret order as in the centralized setting. The results apply to adaptive learning in various dynamic systems and communication networks, as well as financial investment.

math.OC↗
arXiv2011

Dynamic Intrusion Detection in Resource-Constrained Cyber Networks

We consider a large-scale cyber network with N components (e.g., paths, servers, subnets). Each component is either in a healthy state (0) or an abnormal state (1). Due to random intrusions, the state of each component transits from 0 to 1 over time according to certain stochastic process. At each time, a subset of K (K < N) components are checked and those observed in abnormal states are fixed. The objective is to design the optimal scheduling for intrusion detection such that the long-term network cost incurred by all abnormal components is minimized. We formulate the problem as a special class of Restless Multi-Armed Bandit (RMAB) process. A general RMAB suffers from the curse of dimensionality (PSPACE-hard) and numerical methods are often inapplicable. We show that, for this class of RMAB, Whittle index exists and can be obtained in closed form, leading to a low-complexity implementation of Whittle index policy with a strong performance. For homogeneous components, Whittle index policy is shown to have a simple structure that does not require any prior knowledge on the intrusion processes. Based on this structure, Whittle index policy is further shown to be optimal over a finite time horizon with an arbitrary length. Beyond intrusion detection, these results also find applications in queuing networks with finite-size buffers.

eess.SY↗
arXiv2011

Analytical form of light-ray tracing in invisibility cloaks

In this paper, we review the methodology of transformation optics, which can construct invisibility cloak through the transformation of coordinates based on the form invariance of Maxwell's equations. Three different ways to define the components of electromagnetic fields are compared for removing some ambiguities. The analytical expressions of light-ray and wave-normal ray are derived in spherical and cylindrical ideal invisibility cloaks created with any continuous radial transformation functions, and their physical interpretation is also given. Using the duality principle in anisotropic media, we prove that light-ray vector satisfies "ray-vector eikonal equation" corresponding to the usual "wave-vector eikonal equation". The results interpret why the wave vector maps to the ray vector transferring from the virtual space to the physical space, but not the wave vector. As an application, we investigate the special transformation functions which make the light-ray function satisfy harmonic equation.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2011

The Non-Bayesian Restless Multi-Armed Bandit: A Case of Near-Logarithmic Strict Regret

In the classic Bayesian restless multi-armed bandit (RMAB) problem, there are $N$ arms, with rewards on all arms evolving at each time as Markov chains with known parameters. A player seeks to activate $K \geq 1$ arms at each time in order to maximize the expected total reward obtained over multiple plays. RMAB is a challenging problem that is known to be PSPACE-hard in general. We consider in this work the even harder non-Bayesian RMAB, in which the parameters of the Markov chain are assumed to be unknown \emph{a priori}. We develop an original approach to this problem that is applicable when the corresponding Bayesian problem has the structure that, depending on the known parameter values, the optimal solution is one of a prescribed finite set of policies. In such settings, we propose to learn the optimal policy for the non-Bayesian RMAB by employing a suitable meta-policy which treats each policy from this finite set as an arm in a different non-Bayesian multi-armed bandit problem for which a single-arm selection policy is optimal. We demonstrate this approach by developing a novel sensing policy for opportunistic spectrum access over unknown dynamic channels. We prove that our policy achieves near-logarithmic regret (the difference in expected reward compared to a model-aware genie), which leads to the same average reward that can be achieved by the optimal policy under a known model. This is the first such result in the literature for a non-Bayesian RMAB. For our proof, we also develop a novel generalization of the Chernoff-Hoeffding bound.

math.OC↗
arXiv2011

Delay Optimal Multichannel Opportunistic Access

The problem of minimizing queueing delay of opportunistic access of multiple continuous time Markov channels is considered. A new access policy based on myopic sensing and adaptive transmission (MS-AT) is proposed. Under the framework of risk sensitive constrained Markov decision process with effective bandwidth as a measure of queueing delay, it is shown that MS-AT achieves simultaneously throughput and delay optimality. It is shown further that both the effective bandwidth and the throughput of MS-AT are two-segment piece-wise linear functions of the collision constraint (maximum allowable conditional collision probability) with the effective bandwidth and throughput coinciding in the regime of tight collision constraints. Analytical and simulations comparisons with the myopic sensing and memoryless transmission (MS-MT) policy which is throughput optimal but delay suboptimal in the regime of tight collision constraints.

math.OC↗
arXiv2011

The effect of electrostatic shielding using invisibility cloak

The effect of electrostatic shielding for a spherical invisibility cloak with arbitrary charges inside is investigated. Our result reveals that the charge inside the cloak is a crucial factor to determine the detection. When charged bodies are placed inside the cloak with an arbitrary distribution, the electric fields outside are purely determined by the total charges just as the fields of a point charge at the center of the cloak. As the total charges reduce to zero, the bodies can not be detected. On the other hand, if the total charges are nonzero, the electrostatic potential inside an ideal cloak tends to infinity. For unideal cloaks, this embarrassment is overcome, while they still have good behaviors of shielding. In addition, the potential across the inner surface of an ideal cloak is discontinuous due to the infinite polarization of the dielectric, however it can be alternatively interpreted as the dual Meissner effect of a dual superconductive layer with a surface magnetic current.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2011

A Note on: `Algorithms for Connected Set Cover Problem and Fault-Tolerant Connected Set Cover Problem'

A flaw in the greedy approximation algorithm proposed by Zhang et al. for minimum connected set cover problem is corrected, and a stronger result on the approximation ratio of the modified greedy algorithm is established. The results are now consistent with the existing results on connected dominating set problem which is a special case of the minimum connected set cover problem.

cs.DS↗
arXiv2011

Decentralized Restless Bandit with Multiple Players and Unknown Dynamics

We consider decentralized restless multi-armed bandit problems with unknown dynamics and multiple players. The reward state of each arm transits according to an unknown Markovian rule when it is played and evolves according to an arbitrary unknown random process when it is passive. Players activating the same arm at the same time collide and suffer from reward loss. The objective is to maximize the long-term reward by designing a decentralized arm selection policy to address unknown reward models and collisions among players. A decentralized policy is constructed that achieves a regret with logarithmic order when an arbitrary nontrivial bound on certain system parameters is known. When no knowledge about the system is available, we extend the policy to achieve a regret arbitrarily close to the logarithmic order. The result finds applications in communication networks, financial investment, and industrial engineering.

math.OC↗
arXiv2010

The Non-Bayesian Restless Multi-Armed Bandit: a Case of Near-Logarithmic Regret

In the classic Bayesian restless multi-armed bandit (RMAB) problem, there are $N$ arms, with rewards on all arms evolving at each time as Markov chains with known parameters. A player seeks to activate $K \geq 1$ arms at each time in order to maximize the expected total reward obtained over multiple plays. RMAB is a challenging problem that is known to be PSPACE-hard in general. We consider in this work the even harder non-Bayesian RMAB, in which the parameters of the Markov chain are assumed to be unknown \emph{a priori}. We develop an original approach to this problem that is applicable when the corresponding Bayesian problem has the structure that, depending on the known parameter values, the optimal solution is one of a prescribed finite set of policies. In such settings, we propose to learn the optimal policy for the non-Bayesian RMAB by employing a suitable meta-policy which treats each policy from this finite set as an arm in a different non-Bayesian multi-armed bandit problem for which a single-arm selection policy is optimal. We demonstrate this approach by developing a novel sensing policy for opportunistic spectrum access over unknown dynamic channels. We prove that our policy achieves near-logarithmic regret (the difference in expected reward compared to a model-aware genie), which leads to the same average reward that can be achieved by the optimal policy under a known model. This is the first such result in the literature for a non-Bayesian RMAB.

math.OC↗
arXiv2010

The $\ell_{1}$-norm in quantum information via the approach of Yang-Baxter Equation

The role of $\ell_{1}$-norm in Quantum Mechanics (QM) has been studied through Wigner's D-functions where $\ell_{1}$-norm means $\sum_{i}\left|C_{i}\right|$ for $\left|Ψ\right\rangle =\sum_{i}C_{i}\left|ψ_{i}\right\rangle $ if $\left|ψ_{i}\right\rangle $ are uni-orthogonal and normalized basis. It was shown that the present two types of transformation matrix acting on the natural basis in physics consist in an unified braiding matrix, which can be viewed as a particular solution of the Yang-Baxter equation (YBE). The maximum of the $\ell_{1}$-norm is connected with the maximally entangled states and topological quantum field theory (TQFT) with two-component anyons while the minimum leads to the permutation for fermions or bosons.

quant-ph↗