Fanout Complexity of Symmetric Boolean Functions in $\mathsf{QAC}^0$

Abstract

Whether $\mathsf{QAC}^0$ can compute $\mathtt{PARITY}_n$ remains open. Computing $\mathtt{PARITY}_n$ is equivalent to implementing $\mathtt{FANOUT}_n$ under $\mathsf{QAC}^0$ reductions. This raises a more general question: for an arbitrary symmetric Boolean function $f:\{0,1\}^n\to\{0,1\}$, what fanout size is necessary and sufficient for computing $f$ in $\mathsf{QAC}^0$? We show that the answer is exactly the transition radius $ρ(f)$: computing $f$ and implementing $\mathtt{FANOUT}_{ρ(f)}$ are equivalent under $\mathsf{QAC}^0$ reductions. In particular, if $ρ(f)\ge n^δ$ for some constant $δ>0$, then computing $f$ is $\mathsf{QAC}^0_{\mathrm{f}}$-complete. Combined with Paturi's theorem, our characterization implies that if $\mathtt{PARITY}_n \notin \mathsf{QAC}^0$, then any Boolean function in $\mathsf{QAC}^0$ of approximate degree $n^{1/2+Ω(1)}$ must be nonsymmetric.