Lower bounds on the time/memory tradeoff of function inversion

We study time/memory tradeoffs of function inversion: an algorithm, i.e., an inverter, equipped with an s-bit advice on a randomly chosen function (Formula Presented) and using q oracle queries to f, tries to invert a randomly chosen output y of f, i.e., to find (Formula Presented). Much progress was done regarding adaptive function inversion—the inverter is allowed to make adaptive oracle queries. Hellman [IEEE transactions on Information Theory ’80] presented an adaptive inverter that inverts with high probability a random f. Fiat and Naor [SICOMP ’00] proved that for any s, q with s³ q = n³ (ignoring low-order terms), an s-advice, q-query variant of Hellman’s algorithm inverts a constant fraction of the image points of any function. Yao [STOC ’90] proved a lower bound of sq≥ n for this problem. Closing the gap between the above lower and upper bounds is a long-standing open question. Very little is known of the non-adaptive variant of the question—the inverter chooses its queries in advance. The only known upper bounds, i.e., inverters, are the trivial ones (with s+q= n), and the only lower bound is the above bound of Yao. In a recent work, Corrigan-Gibbs and Kogan [TCC ’19] partially justified the difficulty of finding lower bounds on non-adaptive inverters, showing that a lower bound on the time/memory tradeoff of non-adaptive inverters implies a lower bound on low-depth Boolean circuits. Bounds that, for a strong enough choice of parameters, are notoriously hard to prove. We make progress on the above intriguing question, both for the adaptive and the non-adaptive case, proving the following lower bounds on restricted families of inverters: Linear-advice (adaptive inverter).If the advice string is a linear function of f (e.g., A× f, for some matrix A, viewing f as a vector in [n]ⁿ), then (Formula Presented). The bound generalizes to the case where the advice string of f₁ + f₂, i.e., the coordinate-wise addition of the truth tables of f₁ and f₂, can be computed from the description of f₁ and f₂ by a low communication protocol.Affine non-adaptive decoders.If the non-adaptive inverter has an affine decoder—it outputs a linear function, determined by the advice string and the element to invert, of the query answers—then (Formula Presented) (regardless of q).Affine non-adaptive decision trees.If the non-adaptive inversion algorithm is a d-depth affine decision tree—it outputs the evaluation of a decision tree whose nodes compute a linear function of the answers to the queries—and q < cn for some universal c>0, then (Formula Presented).