OpenAI reports exponential state cost for two-way NFA complementation

For every n≥4, an explicit n-state two-way nondeterministic finite automaton has a complement requiring at least ½·2^⌊(n−4)/127⌋−1 states in any two-way nondeterministic finite automaton.

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Understanding the problem

Read the background

For every n≥4, an explicit n-state two-way nondeterministic finite automaton has a complement requiring at least ½·2^⌊(n−4)/127⌋−1 states in any two-way nondeterministic finite automaton.

Why it matters

If correct, rules out a polynomial complementation state bound uniform over finite alphabets.

What counts as progress

Can every two-way nondeterministic automaton be complemented with polynomially many states?

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