SPEAKER:
Iftach Haitner

TITLE:
A Parallel Repetition Theorem for Any Interactive Argument

AUTHORS: Iftach Haitner



ABSTRACT:
The question whether or not parallel repetition reduces the soundness
error is a fundamental question in the theory of protocols. While
parallel repetition reduces (at an exponential rate) the error in
interactive proofs and (at a weak exponential rate) in special cases
of interactive arguments (e.g., 3-message protocols - Bellare,
Impagliazzo and Naor [FOCS '97], and public-coin protocols - Håstad,
Pass, Pietrzak and WikstrÄom [Manuscript '08]), Bellare et. al gave
example of interactive arguments for which parallel repetition does
not reduce the soundness error at all.

We show that by slightly modifying any interactive argument, in a way
that preserves its completeness and only slightly deteriorates its
soundness, we get a protocol for which parallel repetition does reduce
the error at a weak exponential rate. In this modified version, the
verifier flips at the beginning of each round an (1 - (1/4m), 1/4m)
biased coin (i.e., 1 is tossed with probability 1/4m), where m is the
round complexity of the (original) protocol. If the coin is one, the
verifier halts the interaction and accepts, otherwise it sends the
same message that the original verifier would. At the end of the
protocol (if reached), the verifier accepts if and only if the
original verifier would.


LINKS:

[Hai09]: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/iftach/papers/argumentpr/argumentpr.pdf