Abstract
Mergers are functions that transform k (possibly dependent) random sources into a single random source, in a way that ensures that if one of the input sources has min-entropy rate δ then the output has min-entropy rate close to δ. Mergers have proven to be a very useful tool in explicit constructions of extractors and condensers, and are also interesting objects in their own right. In this work we present a new analysis of the merger construction of [6]. Our analysis shows that the min-entropy rate of this merger’s output is actually 0.52
δ instead of 0.5
δ, where δ is the min-entropy rate of one of the inputs. To obtain this result we deviate from the usual linear algebra methods that were used by [6] and introduce a new technique that involves results from additive number theory.
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Dvir, Z., Shpilka, A. (2005). An Improved Analysis of Mergers. In: Chekuri, C., Jansen, K., Rolim, J.D.P., Trevisan, L. (eds) Approximation, Randomization and Combinatorial Optimization. Algorithms and Techniques. APPROX RANDOM 2005 2005. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 3624. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/11538462_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/11538462_23
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