arXiv subjects

Syed A. Jafar

Publications and source records attributed to Syed A. Jafar.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Cross Subspace Alignment and the Asymptotic Capacity of $X$-Secure $T$-Private Information Retrieval

$X$-secure and $T$-private information retrieval (XSTPIR) is a form of private information retrieval where data security is guaranteed against collusion among up to $X$ servers and the user's privacy is guaranteed against collusion among up to $T$ servers. The capacity of XSTPIR is characterized for arbitrary number of servers $N$, and arbitrary security and privacy thresholds $X$ and $T$, in the limit as the number of messages $K\rightarrow\infty$. Capacity is also characterized for any number of messages if either $N=3, X=T=1$ or if $N\leq X+T$. Insights are drawn from these results, about aligning versus decoding noise, dependence of PIR rate on field size, and robustness to symmetric security constraints. In particular, the idea of cross subspace alignment, i.e., introducing a subspace dependence between Reed-Solomon code parameters, emerges as the optimal way to align undesired terms while keeping desired terms resolvable.

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arXiv2019

Degrees of Freedom Region of the $(M,N_1,N_2)$ MIMO Broadcast Channel with Partial CSIT: An Application of Sum-set Inequalities Based on Aligned Image Sets

The degrees of freedom (DoF) region is characterized for the $2$-user multiple input multiple output (MIMO) broadcast channel (BC), where the transmitter is equipped with $M$ antennas, the two receivers are equipped with $N_1$ and $N_2$ antennas, and the levels of channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) for the two users are parameterized by $β_1, β_2$, respectively. The achievability of the DoF region was established by Hao, Rassouli and Clerckx, but no proof of optimality was heretofore available. The proof of optimality is provided in this work with the aid of sum-set inequalities based on the aligned image sets (AIS) approach.

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arXiv2018

On the Capacity of Locally Decodable Codes

A locally decodable code (LDC) maps $K$ source symbols, each of size $L_w$ bits, to $M$ coded symbols, each of size $L_x$ bits, such that each source symbol can be decoded from $N \leq M$ coded symbols. A perfectly smooth LDC further requires that each coded symbol is uniformly accessed when we decode any one of the messages. The ratio $L_w/L_x$ is called the symbol rate of an LDC. The highest possible symbol rate for a class of LDCs is called the capacity of that class. It is shown that given $K, N$, the maximum value of capacity of perfectly smooth LDCs, maximized over all code lengths $M$, is $C^*=N\left(1+1/N+1/N^2+\cdots+1/N^{K-1}\right)^{-1}$. Furthermore, given $K, N$, the minimum code length $M$ for which the capacity of a perfectly smooth LDC is $C^*$ is shown to be $M = N^K$. Both of these results generalize to a broader class of LDCs, called universal LDCs. The results are then translated into the context of PIR$_{\max}$, i.e., Private Information Retrieval subject to maximum (rather than average) download cost metric. It is shown that the minimum upload cost of capacity achieving PIR$_{\max}$ schemes is $(K-1)\log N$. The results also generalize to a variation of the PIR problem, known as Repudiative Information Retrieval (RIR).

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arXiv2017

The Capacity of Private Computation

We introduce the problem of private computation, comprised of $N$ distributed and non-colluding servers, $K$ independent datasets, and a user who wants to compute a function of the datasets privately, i.e., without revealing which function he wants to compute, to any individual server. This private computation problem is a strict generalization of the private information retrieval (PIR) problem, obtained by expanding the PIR message set (which consists of only independent messages) to also include functions of those messages. The capacity of private computation, $C$, is defined as the maximum number of bits of the desired function that can be retrieved per bit of total download from all servers. We characterize the capacity of private computation, for $N$ servers and $K$ independent datasets that are replicated at each server, when the functions to be computed are arbitrary linear combinations of the datasets. Surprisingly, the capacity, $C=\left(1+1/N+\cdots+1/N^{K-1}\right)^{-1}$, matches the capacity of PIR with $N$ servers and $K$ messages. Thus, allowing arbitrary linear computations does not reduce the communication rate compared to pure dataset retrieval. The same insight is shown to hold even for arbitrary non-linear computations when the number of datasets $K\rightarrow\infty$.

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arXiv2017

Sum-set Inequalities from Aligned Image Sets: Instruments for Robust GDoF Bounds

We present sum-set inequalities specialized to the generalized degrees of freedom (GDoF) framework. These are information theoretic lower bounds on the entropy of bounded density linear combinations of discrete, power-limited dependent random variables in terms of the joint entropies of arbitrary linear combinations of new random variables that are obtained by power level partitioning of the original random variables. These bounds generalize the aligned image sets approach, and are useful instruments to obtain GDoF characterizations for wireless networks, especially with multiple antenna nodes, subject to arbitrary channel strength and channel uncertainty levels. To demonstrate the utility of these bounds, we consider a non-trivial instance of wireless networks - a two user interference channel with different number of antennas at each node, and different levels of partial channel knowledge available to the transmitters. We obtain tight GDoF characterization for specific instance of this channel with the aid of sum-set inequalities.

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arXiv2017

The Capacity of Symmetric Private Information Retrieval

Private information retrieval (PIR) is the problem of retrieving as efficiently as possible, one out of $K$ messages from $N$ non-communicating replicated databases (each holds all $K$ messages) while keeping the identity of the desired message index a secret from each individual database. Symmetric PIR (SPIR) is a generalization of PIR to include the requirement that beyond the desired message, the user learns nothing about the other $K-1$ messages. The information theoretic capacity of SPIR (equivalently, the reciprocal of minimum download cost) is the maximum number of bits of desired information that can be privately retrieved per bit of downloaded information. We show that the capacity of SPIR is $1-1/N$ regardless of the number of messages $K$, if the databases have access to common randomness (not available to the user) that is independent of the messages, in the amount that is at least $1/(N-1)$ bits per desired message bit, and zero otherwise. Extensions to the capacity region of SPIR and the capacity of finite length SPIR are provided.

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arXiv2017

Aligned Image Sets and the Generalized Degrees of Freedom of Symmetric MIMO Interference Channel with Partial CSIT

The generalized degrees of freedom (GDoF) of the two user symmetric multiple input multiple output (MIMO) interference channel (IC) are characterized as a function of the channel strength levels and the level of channel state information at the transmitters (CSIT). In this symmetric setting, each transmitter is equipped with M antennas, each receiver is equipped with N antennas, and both cross links have the same strength parameter $α$ and the same channel uncertainty parameter $β$. The main challenge resides in the proof of the outer bound which is accomplished by a generalization of the aligned image sets approach.

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arXiv2017

The Capacity of Private Information Retrieval

In the private information retrieval (PIR) problem a user wishes to retrieve, as efficiently as possible, one out of $K$ messages from $N$ non-communicating databases (each holds all $K$ messages) while revealing nothing about the identity of the desired message index to any individual database. The information theoretic capacity of PIR is the maximum number of bits of desired information that can be privately retrieved per bit of downloaded information. For $K$ messages and $N$ databases, we show that the PIR capacity is $(1+1/N+1/N^2+\cdots+1/N^{K-1})^{-1}$. A remarkable feature of the capacity achieving scheme is that if we eliminate any subset of messages (by setting the message symbols to zero), the resulting scheme also achieves the PIR capacity for the remaining subset of messages.

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arXiv2017

TDMA is Optimal for All-unicast DoF Region of TIM if and only if Topology is Chordal Bipartite

The main result of this work is that an orthogonal access scheme such as TDMA achieves the all-unicast degrees of freedom (DoF) region of the topological interference management (TIM) problem if and only if the network topology graph is chordal bipartite, i.e., every cycle that can contain a chord, does contain a chord. The all-unicast DoF region includes the DoF region for any arbitrary choice of a unicast message set, so e.g., the results of Maleki and Jafar on the optimality of orthogonal access for the sum-DoF of one-dimensional convex networks are recovered as a special case. The result is also established for the corresponding topological representation of the index coding problem.

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arXiv2017

Private Information Retrieval from MDS Coded Data with Colluding Servers: Settling a Conjecture by Freij-Hollanti et al.

A $(K, N, T, K_c)$ instance of the MDS-TPIR problem is comprised of $K$ messages and $N$ distributed servers. Each message is separately encoded through a $(K_c, N)$ MDS storage code. A user wishes to retrieve one message, as efficiently as possible, while revealing no information about the desired message index to any colluding set of up to $T$ servers. The fundamental limit on the efficiency of retrieval, i.e., the capacity of MDS-TPIR is known only at the extremes where either $T$ or $K_c$ belongs to $\{1,N\}$. The focus of this work is a recent conjecture by Freij-Hollanti, Gnilke, Hollanti and Karpuk which offers a general capacity expression for MDS-TPIR. We prove that the conjecture is false by presenting as a counterexample a PIR scheme for the setting $(K, N, T, K_c) = (2,4,2,2)$, which achieves the rate $3/5$, exceeding the conjectured capacity, $4/7$. Insights from the counterexample lead us to capacity characterizations for various instances of MDS-TPIR including all cases with $(K, N, T, K_c) = (2,N,T,N-1)$, where $N$ and $T$ can be arbitrary.

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arXiv2016

Multiround Private Information Retrieval: Capacity and Storage Overhead

The capacity has recently been characterized for the private information retrieval (PIR) problem as well as several of its variants. In every case it is assumed that all the queries are generated by the user simultaneously. Here we consider multiround PIR, where the queries in each round are allowed to depend on the answers received in previous rounds. We show that the capacity of multiround PIR is the same as the capacity of single-round PIR (the result is generalized to also include $T$-privacy constraints). Combined with previous results, this shows that there is no capacity advantage from multiround over single-round schemes, non-linear over linear schemes or from $ε$-error over zero-error schemes. However, we show through an example that there is an advantage in terms of storage overhead. We provide an example of a multiround, non-linear, $ε$-error PIR scheme that requires a strictly smaller storage overhead than the best possible with single-round, linear, zero-error PIR schemes.

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arXiv2016

Optimal Download Cost of Private Information Retrieval for Arbitrary Message Length

A private information retrieval scheme is a mechanism that allows a user to retrieve any one out of $K$ messages from $N$ non-communicating replicated databases, each of which stores all $K$ messages, without revealing anything about the identity of the desired message index to any individual database. If the size of each message is $L$ bits and the total download required by a PIR scheme from all $N$ databases is $D$ bits, then $D$ is called the download cost and the ratio $L/D$ is called an achievable rate. For fixed $K,N\in\mathbb{N}$, the capacity of PIR, denoted by $C$, is the supremum of achievable rates over all PIR schemes and over all message sizes, and was recently shown to be $C=(1+1/N+1/N^2+\cdots+1/N^{K-1})^{-1}$. In this work, for arbitrary $K, N$, we explore the minimum download cost $D_L$ across all PIR schemes (not restricted to linear schemes) for arbitrary message lengths $L$ under arbitrary choices of alphabet (not restricted to finite fields) for the message and download symbols. If the same $M$-ary alphabet is used for the message and download symbols, then we show that the optimal download cost in $M$-ary symbols is $D_L=\lceil\frac{L}{C}\rceil$. If the message symbols are in $M$-ary alphabet and the downloaded symbols are in $M'$-ary alphabet, then we show that the optimal download cost in $M'$-ary symbols, $D_L\in\left\{\left\lceil \frac{L'}{C}\right\rceil,\left\lceil \frac{L'}{C}\right\rceil-1,\left\lceil \frac{L'}{C}\right\rceil-2\right\}$, where $L'= \lceil L \log_{M'} M\rceil$.

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arXiv2016

GDoF of the MISO BC: Bridging the Gap between Finite Precision and Perfect CSIT

For the $K=2$ user MISO BC, i.e., the wireless broadcast channel where a transmitter equipped with $K=2$ antennas sends independent messages to $K=2$ receivers each of which is equipped with a single antenna, the sum generalized degrees of freedom (GDoF) are characterized for arbitrary channel strength and channel uncertainty levels for each of the channel coefficients. The result is extended to $K>2$ users under additional restrictions which include the assumption of symmetry.

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arXiv2016

The Capacity of Robust Private Information Retrieval with Colluding Databases

Private information retrieval (PIR) is the problem of retrieving as efficiently as possible, one out of $K$ messages from $N$ non-communicating replicated databases (each holds all $K$ messages) while keeping the identity of the desired message index a secret from each individual database. The information theoretic capacity of PIR (equivalently, the reciprocal of minimum download cost) is the maximum number of bits of desired information that can be privately retrieved per bit of downloaded information. $T$-private PIR is a generalization of PIR to include the requirement that even if any $T$ of the $N$ databases collude, the identity of the retrieved message remains completely unknown to them. Robust PIR is another generalization that refers to the scenario where we have $M \geq N$ databases, out of which any $M - N$ may fail to respond. For $K$ messages and $M\geq N$ databases out of which at least some $N$ must respond, we show that the capacity of $T$-private and Robust PIR is $\left(1+T/N+T^2/N^2+\cdots+T^{K-1}/N^{K-1}\right)^{-1}$. The result includes as special cases the capacity of PIR without robustness ($M=N$) or $T$-privacy constraints ($T=1$).

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arXiv2016

Elevated Multiplexing and Signal Space Partitioning in the 2 User MIMO IC with Partial CSIT

The $2$ user MIMO interference channel with arbitrary antenna configurations is studied under arbitrary levels of partial CSIT for each of the channels, to find the degrees of freedom (DoF) achievable by either user while the other user achieves his full interference-free DoF. The goal is to gain new insights due to the inclusion of MIMO (multiple antennas at both transmitters and receivers) into the signal space partitioning schemes associated with partial CSIT. An interesting idea that emerges from this study is "elevated multiplexing" where the signals are split into streams and transmitted from separate antennas at elevated power levels, which allows these signals to be jointly decoded at one receiver which has fewer spatial dimensions with lower interference floors, while another receiver is simultaneously able to separately decode these signals with a higher interference floor but across a greater number of spatial dimensions. Remarkably, we find that there is a DoF benefit from increasing the number of antennas at a transmitter even if that transmitter already has more antennas than its desired receiver and has no CSIT.

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arXiv2016

Blind Interference Alignment for Private Information Retrieval

Blind interference alignment (BIA) refers to interference alignment schemes that are designed only based on channel coherence pattern knowledge at the transmitters (the "blind" transmitters do not know the exact channel values). Private information retrieval (PIR) refers to the problem where a user retrieves one out of K messages from N non-communicating databases (each holds all K messages) without revealing anything about the identity of the desired message index to any individual database. In this paper, we identify an intriguing connection between PIR and BIA. Inspired by this connection, we characterize the information theoretic optimal download cost of PIR, when we have K = 2 messages and the number of databases, N, is arbitrary.

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arXiv2016

Generalized Degrees of Freedom of the Symmetric K-User Interference Channel under Finite Precision CSIT

The generalized degrees of freedom (GDoF) characterization of the symmetric K-user interference channel is obtained under finite precision channel state information at the transmitters (CSIT). The symmetric setting is where each cross channel is capable of carrying degrees of freedom (DoF) while each direct channel is capable of carrying 1 DoF. Remarkably, under finite precision CSIT the symmetric K-user interference channel loses all the GDoF benefits of interference alignment. The GDoF per user diminish with the number of users everywhere except in the very strong (optimal for every receiver to decode all messages) and very weak (optimal to treat all interference as noise) interference regimes. The result stands in sharp contrast to prior work on the symmetric setting under perfect CSIT, where the GDoF per user remain undiminished due to interference alignment. The result also stands in contrast to prior work on a subclass of asymmetric settings under finite precision CSIT, i.e., the topological interference management problem, where interference alignment plays a crucial role and provides substantial GDoF benefits.

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arXiv2015

Replication-based Outer bounds and the Optimality of "Half the Cake" for Rank-Deficient MIMO Interference Networks

In order to gain new insights into MIMO interference networks, the optimality of $\sum_{k=1}^K M_k/2$ (half the cake per user) degrees of freedom is explored for a $K$-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) interference channel where the cross-channels have arbitrary rank constraints, and the $k^{th}$ transmitter and receiver are equipped with $M_k$ antennas each. The result consolidates and significantly generalizes results from prior studies by Krishnamurthy et al., of rank-deficient interference channels where all users have $M$ antennas, and by Tang et al., of full rank interference channels where the $k^{th}$ user pair has $M_k$ antennas. The broader outcome of this work is a novel class of replication-based outer bounds for arbitrary rank-constrained MIMO interference networks where replicas of existing users are added as auxiliary users and the network connectivity is chosen to ensure that any achievable scheme for the original network also works in the new network. The replicated network creates a new perspective of the problem, so that even simple arguments such as user cooperation become quite powerful when applied in the replicated network, giving rise to stronger outer bounds, than when applied directly in the original network. Remarkably, the replication based bounds are broadly applicable not only to MIMO interference channels with arbitrary rank-constraints, but much more broadly, even beyond Gaussian settings.

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