Papers for

distributed system designers

Papers whose findings have a practical use for this group, as judged from the abstract. Open a paper to read what it means in practice.

Quantum communication limits in multiparty coordination tasks revealed

On the Limits of Quantum Multiparty Simultaneous Communication

Abstract: The Simultaneous Message Passing (SMP) model provides a fundamental framework for comparing classical and quantum communication. For two players, Gavinsky et al. (STOC 2006) established a separation underlying the incomparability of shared randomness and quantum communication: \textsc{Index Coordination} needs $O(\log n)$ public-coin bits but $Ω(n^{1/3})$ bounded-error qubits. In this work, we establish a multiparty exponential separation through $\operatorname{IC}_{k,n}$, a natural $k$-party generalization of \textsc{Index Coordination}. Public-coin protocols solve it unambiguously with maximum message length $O(\log n)$ bits. In contrast, quantum SMP protocols without shared entanglement or public coins require maximum message length $Ω(n^{1-1/k})$ qubits in the unambiguous regime and $Ω(n^{(k-1)/(k+1)})$ qubits in the bounded-error regime. A classical private-coin protocol matches the unambiguous bound, so quantum communication provides no asymptotic advantage over private randomness in this regime. For fixed error parameters, all constants are independent of $k$, establishing the exponential separation for every integer-valued function $k=k(n)\ge2$, without restricting its growth. Both quantum lower bounds become $Ω(n)$ when $k\ge c\log n$ for any fixed $c>0$, matching the full-input protocol and yielding tight linear complexity in both regimes. Our results demonstrate that quantum superposition cannot efficiently simulate the coordination afforded by public randomness, extending this separation to arbitrary $k$. To bound success probabilities for multiparty product states, we prove an exact factorization theorem for unambiguous quantum state identification, which may be of independent mathematical interest.

Wed 9 SeptComputational Complexity
The gist
The paper studies how well quantum communication can replace shared randomness when multiple parties try to coordinate by sending messages simultaneously. The authors show that quantum messages need to be much longer than classical public randomness to solve certain coordination problems efficiently, and that this gap grows exponentially with the number of parties involved. This means quantum communication cannot easily mimic the benefits of shared randomness in these tasks. The result clarifies fundamental limits of quantum communication in multiparty scenarios.
Open 2609.10289v1

Variable proof of work controls network spamming in dag ledgers

Decentralized network congestion control for DAG-based distributed ledger system

Abstract: We propose a variable and behavior-based node-specific proof-of-work (PoW) model for a directed acyclic graph (DAG)-based distributed ledger technology (DLT) network to mitigate decentralized network congestion control. Network congestion control for centralized communication systems is an established field of study, with detailed and continuous research being done on the subject. However, attention to congestion control in decentralized networks is relatively recent and underexplored, especially with DLT, such as blockchain and DAG-based networks. For the DLT networks, the network congestion is caused by factors such as transaction spamming, an increase in the user base, and the launch of new tokens. We focus on the congestion caused by the spamming of transactions within the blockchain and DAG-based DLT network. Based on the network throughput of transactions per second and consensus procedure, the DAG-based DLT needs to control network spamming more than the blockchain network. The PoW model within the DLT consensus framework is a limited deterrent against spamming. Our model provides equal opportunities for all stakeholders regardless of their computational resources. It prevents and penalizes any node that attempts to spam or dominate the network with more than the prescribed number of transactions. Since the system nodes compete to issue transactions with finite network resources, we display the system behavior through a non-cooperative game. Further, we show that our model enforces prescribed behavior amongst the nodes through the proof of the existence of Nash equilibrium in the game.

Wed 9 SeptCryptography and SecurityDistributed, Parallel, and Cluster ComputingNetworking and Internet Architecture
The gist
Decentralized blockchains and similar systems can get overwhelmed when too many people send transactions quickly, especially if some try to spam the network. The authors study this problem in a type of system called a directed acyclic graph (DAG) ledger, where controlling spamming is harder. They propose a method where each computer node has a changing difficulty of proof-of-work that depends on its behavior, making it fair and stopping nodes from dominating by spamming. They also use game theory to show this approach encourages good behavior among nodes.
Open 2609.09961v1

Quantum algorithms cannot quickly 4-color directed cycles accurately

Impossibility of One-Way One-Round Quantum 4-Coloring via Matrix-Space Stability

Abstract: We show that one-way one-round quantum LOCAL algorithms cannot $4$-color directed cycles with high probability, even with unbounded local computation and quantum message length. This is the first lower bound in the high-probability quantum LOCAL setting that goes beyond the non-signaling and bounded-dependence models, exploiting the structure of distributed quantum algorithms. Our proof connects distributed quantum computing with noncommutative extremal combinatorics by identifying local collision probabilities with the weighted multiplicative energy of matrix-space decompositions. We obtain our lower bound by proving a dimension-independent weighted stability theorem for a directed noncommutative analogue of Mantel's theorem.

Tue 8 SeptDistributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
The gist
This paper shows that certain fast quantum algorithms cannot reliably solve the problem of coloring directed cycle graphs with four colors without conflicts. The authors prove this even if the algorithm can perform unlimited local computation and send very long quantum messages, emphasizing inherent limits of distributed quantum computing. Their approach connects the problem to advanced mathematics involving matrix spaces and combinatorics, revealing deep structural reasons why the problem is hard. This is the first such high-probability lower bound in this quantum setting, going beyond previous simpler models.
Open 2609.09091v1