Extended Nullstellensatz proof systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates degree lower bounds for extended Nullstellensatz proof systems, which prove unsolvability of polynomial systems using auxiliary variables and pseudo-solutions, with implications for proof complexity.

Contribution

It introduces pseudo-solutions and establishes lower bounds for extended Nullstellensatz proof systems ENS and UENS, advancing understanding of proof complexity in algebraic systems.

Findings

Pseudo-solutions imply degree lower bounds for extended NS systems.

Constructs a combinatorial example based on the pigeonhole principle.

Analyzes the soundness condition for extended proof systems.

Abstract

For a finite set $\cal F$ of polynomials over fixed finite prime field of size $p$ containing all polynomials $x^2 - x$ a Nullstellensatz proof of the unsolvability of the system $$ f = 0\ ,\ \mbox{ all } f \in {\cal F} $$ in the field is a linear combination $\sum_{f \in {\cal F}} \ h_f \cdot f$ that equals to $1$ in the ring of polynomails. The measure of complexity of such a proof is its degree: $\max_f deg(h_f f)$. We study the problem to establish degree lower bounds for some {\em extended} NS proof systems: these systems prove the unsolvability of $\cal F$ by proving the unsolvability of a bigger set ${\cal F}\cup {\cal E}$, where set $\cal E$ may use new variables $r$ and contains all polynomials $r^p - r$, and satisfies the following soundness condition: -- - Any $0,1$-assignment $\overline a$ to variables $\overline x$ can be appended by an assignment $\overline b$ to variables $\overline r$ such that for all $g \in {\cal E}$ it holds that $g(\overline a, \overline b) = 0$. We define a notion of pseudo-solutions of $\cal F$ and prove that the existence of pseudo-solutions with suitable parameters implies lower bounds for two extended NS proof systems ENS and UENS defined in Buss et al. (1996/97). Further we give a combinatorial example of $\cal F$ and candidate pseudo-solutions based on the pigeonhole principle.