Title
Optimal Testing of Reed-Muller Codes
Abstract
We consider the problem of testing if a given function $f : \F_2^n \right arrow \F_2$ is close to any degree $d$ polynomial in $n$ variables, also known as the Reed-Muller testing problem. %The Gowers norm is based on a natural $2^{d+1}$-query test for this property. Alon et al.~\cite{AKKLR} proposed and analyzed a natural $2^{d+1}$-query test for this problem. This test turned out to be intimately related to the Gowers norm. Alon et. al. showed that this test accepts every degree $d$ polynomial with probability $1$, while it rejects functions that are $\Omega(1)$-far with probability $\Omega(1/(d 2^{d}))$. We give an asymptotically optimal analysis of this test, and show that it rejects functions that are (even only) $\Omega(2^{-d})$-far with $\Omega(1)$-probability (so the rejection probability is a universal constant independent of $d$ and $n$). This implies a tight relationship between the $(d+1)^{\rm{st}}$-Gowers norm of a function and its maximal correlation with degree $d$ polynomials, when the correlation is close to 1. Our proof works by induction on $n$ and yields a new analysis of even the classical Blum-Luby-Rubinfeld~\cite{BLR} linearity test, for the setting of functions mapping $\F_2^n$ to $\F_2$. The optimality follows from a tighter analysis of counterexamples to the ``inverse conjecture for the Gowers norm'' constructed by \cite{GT07, LMS}. Our result has several implications. First, it shows that the Gowers norm test is tolerant, in that it also accepts close code words. Second, it improves the parameters of an XOR lemma for polynomials given by Viola and Wigderson~\cite{VW}. Third, it implies a ``query hierarchy'' result for property testing of affine-invariant properties. That is, for every function $q(n)$, it gives an affine-invariant property that is testable with $O(q(n))$-queries, but not with $o(q(n))$-queries, complementing an analogous result of \cite{GKNR08} for graph properties.
Year
DOI
Venue
2009
10.1109/FOCS.2010.54
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
Keywords
DocType
Volume
property testing,query complexity,close code word,n variable,reed-muller testing problem,query test,gowers norm test,reed-muller codes,asymptotically optimal analysis,low-degree polynomials,reed-muller code,affine-invariant property,analogous result,query test t0,gowers norm,query hierarchy,linearity test,affine-invariant codes.,optimal testing,rejection probability,reed muller codes,computer science,graph property,linearity,polynomials,correlation,graph theory,reed muller code,polynomial,probability,testing
Journal
abs/0910.0641
ISSN
ISBN
Citations 
0272-5428
3-642-16366-1
28
PageRank 
References 
Authors
1.14
19
5
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Arnab Bhattacharyya121427.99
Swastik Kopparty238432.89
Grant Schoenebeck350939.48
Madhu Sudan45616591.68
David Zucherman52588266.65