Quantum Query-to-Communication Simulation Needs a Logarithmic Overhead

TL;DR

This paper proves that for certain functions, the logarithmic overhead in quantum query-to-communication simulation is unavoidable, highlighting a fundamental limit in quantum communication complexity.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of a total function where the quantum communication complexity necessarily incurs a logarithmic factor overhead.

Findings

The logarithmic overhead cannot be eliminated for the XOR composition case.

Existence of a total function with quantum communication complexity proportional to Q(F) log n.

Shows that the BCW simulation's overhead is fundamental for some functions.

Abstract

Buhrman, Cleve and Wigderson (STOC'98) observed that for every Boolean function $f : \{-1, 1\}^n \to \{-1, 1\}$ and $\bullet : \{-1, 1\}^2 \to \{-1, 1\}$ the two-party bounded-error quantum communication complexity of $(f \circ \bullet)$ is $O(Q(f) \log n)$, where $Q(f)$ is the bounded-error quantum query complexity of $f$. Note that the bounded-error randomized communication complexity of $(f \circ \bullet)$ is bounded by $O(R(f))$, where $R(f)$ denotes the bounded-error randomized query complexity of $f$. Thus, the BCW simulation has an extra $O(\log n)$ factor appearing that is absent in classical simulation. A natural question is if this factor can be avoided. H{\o}yer and de Wolf (STACS'02) showed that for the Set-Disjointness function, this can be reduced to $c^{\log^* n}$ for some constant $c$, and subsequently Aaronson and Ambainis (FOCS'03) showed that this factor can be made a constant. That is, the quantum communication complexity of the Set-Disjointness function (which is $\mathsf{NOR}_n \circ \wedge$) is $O(Q(\mathsf{NOR}_n))$. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, we show that when $ \bullet = \oplus$, then the extra $\log n$ factor in the BCW simulation is unavoidable. In other words, we exhibit a total function $F : \{-1, 1\}^n \to \{-1, 1\}$ such that $Q^{cc}(F \circ \oplus) = \Theta(Q(F) \log n)$. To the best of our knowledge, it was not even known prior to this work whether there existed a total function $F$ and 2-bit function $\bullet$, such that $Q^{cc}(F \circ \bullet) = \omega(Q(F))$.