Satisfiability thresholds of random $k$-XORSAT
edit · history · discussion · files · short url · statistical mechanics probability theory
Numbers
$k$ 
$\alpha_k$
3:
0.9179352766580860135154412282330241295566462813786741119388567679432894341028061252100137350717952174
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{3}=2.14912579991$.
4:
0.9767701648780461315596453315801681767089324117092366344477820171954417168938976107089484319269740715
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{4}=3.59351196945$.
5:
0.9924383912621006266589799793323504474696379410861973127564646960469684573473547755463108213196347197
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{5}=4.80100754972$.
6:
0.9973795527786723480335298422727171806947578778455543989561183255629649006299375198226788332339351435
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{6}=5.90300005895$.
7:
0.9990637587536802554886204642246230679289335411670661479087836641414840208770255075157509128677423698
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{7}=6.95345571335$.
8:
0.9996603987428638243814171691235945492361531052227223433740666229649241363721042964687963886298818589
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{8}=7.97810773698$.
9:
0.9998758980601650313509133871165240775778498642763184195380306052968600407828001914487458328743244041
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{9}=8.98991251927$.
10:
0.9999544861999791689002330696779352200131085165458282053982667948233340350833028799898216722898518400
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{10}=9.99544113381$.
11:
0.9999832798521640659649313526046903579198515250526178277676080828819870320558190962324726668561837885
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{11}=10.9979753372$.
12:
0.9999938528404832018983826756900406615708068784861080583270032085169228297637417460919200515828429412
comment: The root in (1) is $\xi_{12}=11.9991145095$.
Definition
Random $k$-XORSAT [3] is a random system of $k$-variable equations over $\mathbb{F}_2$. For $k\geq3$, $\alpha_k$ is the density such that, as $n\to\infty$, satisfiability has limiting probability $1$ for $\alpha<\alpha_k$ and $0$ for $\alpha>\alpha_k$ [1].
Parameters
$k$
—   number of variables in each equation ($k\geq3$)
Formulas
(1)
$\xi_k$ is the positive solution of $k=\frac{\xi(1-e^{-\xi})}{1-e^{-\xi}-\xi e^{-\xi}}$.
(2)
$\alpha_k=\frac{\xi_k}{k(1-e^{-\xi_k})^{k-1}}$ for $k\geq3$ [1].
(3)
Equivalently, with $q$ the largest solution of $q=1-e^{-k\alpha q^{k-1}}$ and $x=k\alpha q^{k-1}$, the threshold is the value of $\alpha$ for which $\alpha q^k=1-e^{-x}-xe^{-x}$ [1].
Comments
(4)
The density is $\alpha=m/n$, equations per variable; in the finite model $m=\lfloor\alpha n\rfloor$. The average degree of the underlying $k$-uniform constraint hypergraph is $k\alpha$. Each equation uses $k$ distinct variables and a uniform right-hand side. In cuckoo hashing [4] with $k$ hash functions and buckets that hold one key each, $\alpha_k$ is the threshold for the load, the number of keys per bucket [2]. Allowing repeated variable choices gives the same threshold [1].
(5)
There is no $k=2$ row. In random $2$-XORSAT the limiting probability of satisfiability is strictly between $0$ and $1$ below density $\alpha=1/2$, average degree $1$, and is $0$ above it, so no density has the property that defines $\alpha_k$ [1].
(6)
Peeling variables that occur in at most one equation leaves the $2$-core of the constraint hypergraph, and satisfiability is decided at the density where that core has asymptotically equal numbers of equations and variables [1]. The core thresholds of the Erdős-Rényi random graph use the same Poisson-tail method for graph cores.
Programs
(P1)
Python
from mpmath import mp
mp.dps = 50
k = 3
psi = lambda x: x*(1-mp.e**(-x))/(1-mp.e**(-x)-x*mp.e**(-x))
xi = mp.findroot(lambda x: psi(x) - k, k)
print(xi/(k*(1-mp.e**(-xi))**(k-1)))
References
[1]
B. Pittel and G. B. Sorkin, The satisfiability threshold for $k$-XORSAT, Combinatorics, Probability and Computing 25 (2016), 236-268. (arXiv) (doi)
[2]
M. Dietzfelbinger, A. Goerdt, M. Mitzenmacher, A. Montanari, R. Pagh and M. Rink, Tight thresholds for cuckoo hashing via XORSAT, Proceedings of ICALP 2010, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 6198, 213-225. (arXiv) (doi)
Links
Similar tables
$k$-core thresholds of the Erdős-Rényi random graph —   the same Poisson-tail calculation for cores of a random graph; this table applies it to the $2$-core of a random $k$-uniform hypergraph
Data properties
Entries are of type: real number
Sources of data: [1], [2]
Table is complete: no (it holds $\alpha_k$ for every $k$ with $3\leq k\leq12$, matching the companion graph-core table; [2] tabulates $3\leq k\leq7$, and from $k=8$ onward the thresholds are within $4\cdot10^{-4}$ of $1$)
How they were obtained:

Each entry is computed in ball arithmetic with 64 guard bits beyond the 100 digits written. The root $\xi_k$ is enclosed by bisection on the sign of $\psi(x)-k$, where $\psi(x)=x(1-e^{-x})/(1-e^{-x}-xe^{-x})$, down to a bracket of half-width $10^{-106}$, with the signs at the two ends checked in ball arithmetic; the value of $x/(k(1-e^{-x})^{k-1})$ on that bracket is the stored ball.

more

Before any entry was written, the values for $3\leq k\leq7$ were compared with the ten-digit table of Dietzfelbinger, Goerdt, Mitzenmacher, Montanari, Pagh and Rink, and every value for $3\leq k\leq12$ was compared with the independent $2$-core characterisation in (3).