We present a Karchmer-Wigderson game to study the complexity of hazard-free formulas. This new game is both a generalization of the monotone Karchmer-Wigderson game and an analog of the classical Boolean Karchmer-Wigderson game. Therefore, it acts as a bridge between the existing monotone and general games.
Using this game, we prove hazard-free formula size and depth lower bounds that are provably stronger than those possible by the standard technique of transferring results from monotone complexity in a black-box fashion.
For the multiplexer function
we give (1) a hazard-free formula of optimal size and (2) an improved low-depth hazard-free formula of almost optimal size and (3) a hazard-free formula with alternation depth $2$ that has optimal depth.
We then use our optimal constructions to obtain an improved universal worst-case hazard-free formula size upper bound.
We see our results as a significant step towards establishing hazard-free computation as an independent missing link between Boolean complexity and monotone complexity.
Added citations. Some general editing to improve the overall writing.
We present a Karchmer-Wigderson game to study the complexity of hazard-free formulas. This new game is both a generalization of the monotone Karchmer-Wigderson game and an analog of the classical Boolean Karchmer-Wigderson game. Therefore, it acts as a bridge between the existing monotone and general games.
Using this game, we prove hazard-free formula size and depth lower bounds that are provably stronger than those possible by the standard technique of transferring results from monotone complexity in a black-box fashion.
For the multiplexer function
we give (1) a hazard-free formula of optimal size and (2) an improved low-depth hazard-free formula of almost optimal size and (3) a hazard-free formula with alternation depth $2$ that has optimal depth.
We then use our optimal constructions to obtain an improved universal worst-case hazard-free formula size upper bound.
We see our results as a significant step towards establishing hazard-free computation as an independent missing link between Boolean complexity and monotone complexity.