List Decoding with Double Samplers

TL;DR

This paper introduces an enhanced concept of double samplers using high dimensional expanders, enabling efficient list decoding of codes, including approximate decoding, through a novel use of unique games algorithms.

Contribution

It strengthens the notion of double samplers, proves their existence via high dimensional expanders, and applies them to develop an efficient list-decoding algorithm for codes.

Findings

Efficient list decoding is possible with double samplers.

The decoding algorithm constructs a unique games constraint graph that is an expander.

The approach works even for approximate list decoding of arbitrary strings.

Abstract

We strengthen the notion of "double samplers", first introduced by Dinur and Kaufman [Proc. 58th FOCS, 2017], which are samplers with additional combinatorial properties, and whose existence we prove using high dimensional expanders. The ABNNR code construction [IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, 38(2):509--516, 1992] achieves large distance by starting with a base code $C$ with moderate distance, and then amplifying the distance using a sampler. We show that if the sampler is part of a larger double sampler then the construction has an efficient list-decoding algorithm. Our algorithm works even if the ABNNR construction is not applied to a base code $C$ but to any string. In this case the resulting code is approximate-list-decodable, i.e. the output list contains an approximation to the original input. Our list-decoding algorithm works as follows: it uses a local voting scheme from which it constructs a unique games constraint graph. The constraint graph is an expander, so we can solve unique games efficiently. These solutions are the output of the list decoder. This is a novel use of a unique games algorithm as a subroutine in a decoding procedure, as opposed to the more common situation in which unique games are used for demonstrating hardness results. Double samplers and high dimensional expanders are akin to pseudorandom objects in their utility, but they greatly exceed random objects in their combinatorial properties. We believe that these objects hold significant potential for coding theoretic constructions and view this work as demonstrating the power of double samplers in this context.