==== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==== Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//figures/divergence-trace-opening.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//figures/implementation-two-depths.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//main.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/centering.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/divergence.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/implementation.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/introduction.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/jets.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/lower.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/numerics.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/preliminaries.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/sampling.tex Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//references.bib =========================== ==== BEGIN Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//figures/divergence-trace-opening.tex ==== \begin{tikzpicture}[ >=Latex, primary/.style={draw,rectangle,minimum width=9mm,minimum height=8mm}, hessian/.style={draw,circle,minimum size=8mm}, bundle/.style={->,line width=1.1pt}, index/.style={->,line width=.5pt}, font=\small] \node[primary] (p1) at (0,0) {$P_1$}; \node[primary] (p2) at (2,0) {$P_2$}; \node[hessian] (h) at (3,1.35) {$\mathcal H$}; \node[primary] (p3) at (4,0) {$P_3$}; \node[primary] (p4) at (6,0) {$P_4$}; \coordinate (in) at (-1.2,0); \coordinate (out) at (7.2,0); \draw[bundle] (in) -- (p1); \draw[bundle] (p1) -- (p2); \draw[bundle] (p2) -- (p3); \draw[bundle] (p3) -- (p4); \draw[bundle] (p4) -- (out); \draw[index] (p1.north) to[out=80,in=180] (h.west); \draw[index] (h.east) to[out=0,in=95] (p3.north); \draw[index] (p2.south) to[out=-40,in=-140] (p4.south); \draw[index] (p2.south west) to[out=-70,in=-110] (p4.south east); \draw[dashed] (out) -- (7.2,-2.4) -- (-1.2,-2.4) -- (in); \node[fill=white,inner sep=3pt] at (3,-2.4) {the sole closing trace: cost $d^b$}; \node[anchor=south] at (3,1.95) {order $P_1,P_2,\mathcal H,P_3,P_4$}; \node[anchor=south] at (-.75,.60) {input}; \node[anchor=south] at (6.75,.60) {output}; \end{tikzpicture} ==== END Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//figures/divergence-trace-opening.tex ==== ==== BEGIN Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//figures/implementation-two-depths.tex ==== \begin{figure}[tbp] \centering \begin{tikzpicture}[>=Latex,font=\small, box/.style={draw,rounded corners,align=center,minimum width=36mm,minimum height=12mm}] \node[box] (p) at (0,1.7) {parent routine}; \node[box] (a) at (-2.8,0) {mean routine\\at $x_1$}; \node[box] (b) at (2.8,0) {mean routine\\at supplied $x_2$}; \draw[->] (p)--(a);\draw[->] (p)--(b); \draw[->,dashed] (a.south) -- (-2.8,-1) -- node[below] {supplies center} (2.8,-1) -- (b.south); \node[align=center] at (0,-1.8) {solid: routine parentage\qquad dashed: expression dependence}; \end{tikzpicture} \caption{The two calls have the same routine parent even though one helps form the other's center. When a mean occurs twice, each occurrence uses a separate copy of its entire center-supplying subtree.} \label{fig:two-depths} \end{figure} ==== END Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//figures/implementation-two-depths.tex ==== ==== BEGIN Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//main.tex ==== \documentclass[11pt]{article} \usepackage[T1]{fontenc} \usepackage[utf8]{inputenc} \usepackage{lmodern} \usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry} \usepackage{amsmath,amssymb,amsthm,mathtools,mathrsfs} \usepackage{microtype} \usepackage{enumitem} \usepackage{needspace} \usepackage{graphicx} \usepackage{tikz} \usetikzlibrary{arrows.meta,positioning,calc,fit} \usepackage[numbers,sort&compress]{natbib} \usepackage{xurl} \usepackage[colorlinks=true,linkcolor=blue!50!black,citecolor=blue!50!black,urlcolor=blue!50!black]{hyperref} \hypersetup{ pdftitle={Subpolynomial query complexity for well-conditioned log-concave sampling}, pdfauthor={OpenAI}, pdfsubject={Dimension exponent zero in the exact first-order oracle model}} \newtheorem{theorem}{Theorem}[section] \newtheorem{lemma}[theorem]{Lemma} \newtheorem{proposition}[theorem]{Proposition} \newtheorem{corollary}[theorem]{Corollary} \theoremstyle{definition} \newtheorem{definition}[theorem]{Definition} \theoremstyle{remark} \newtheorem{remark}[theorem]{Remark} \newcommand{\R}{\mathbb R} \newcommand{\E}{\mathbb E} \renewcommand{\P}{\mathbb P} \newcommand{\TV}{\mathrm{TV}} \newcommand{\Wtwo}{W_2} \newcommand{\Lip}{\operatorname{Lip}} \newcommand{\polylog}{\operatorname{polylog}} \newcommand{\op}{\mathrm{op}} \newcommand{\HS}{\mathrm F} \newcommand{\tr}{\operatorname{tr}} \newcommand{\Cov}{\operatorname{Cov}} \newcommand{\Var}{\operatorname{Var}} \newcommand{\KL}{\operatorname{KL}} \newcommand{\diag}{\operatorname{diag}} \newcommand{\supp}{\operatorname{supp}} \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\lVert#1\rVert} \newcommand{\abs}[1]{\lvert#1\rvert} \setlist[enumerate]{itemsep=3pt,topsep=5pt} \setlength{\emergencystretch}{2em} \numberwithin{equation}{section} \title{Subpolynomial query complexity for\\well-conditioned log-concave sampling} \author{OpenAI} \date{September 26, 2026} \begin{document} \maketitle \begin{abstract} For every fixed $\varepsilon>0$, we give a sampling algorithm using at most $C_\varepsilon d^\varepsilon$ exact first-order queries on every execution for $C^2$ potentials on $\R^d$ with a known minimizer and Hessian between $I_d$ and $2I_d$. The output has total-variation distance at most $1/10$ from the target Gibbs law. Computation between queries is unrestricted. We also prove an $\Omega(\log d)$ query lower bound for arbitrary randomized adaptive algorithms, determining the optimal dimension exponent to be zero. \end{abstract} \input{sections/introduction} \input{sections/preliminaries} \input{sections/jets} \input{sections/divergence} \input{sections/centering} \input{sections/numerics} \input{sections/implementation} \input{sections/sampling} \input{sections/lower} \bibliographystyle{plainnat} \bibliography{references} \end{document} ==== END Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//main.tex ==== ==== BEGIN Subpolynomial-query-complexity-for-well-conditioned-log-concave-sampling//sections/centering.tex ==== \section{A stationary flow for noisy means}\label{sec:centering} The probability transport turns conditional means into samples. We now construct the complementary operation: a path integral whose law is $N(u,s^2I_d)$ for a prescribed $s>0$. The key is to represent the centered observable $M_*-u$ as a matrix adjoint divergence. That matrix couples a position with law $\xi_*$ to a Gaussian momentum while preserving their product law; integrating the momentum equation then produces the noisy mean. This is still an exact mathematical construction: both its velocity and its ideal initial law will need to be implemented later. Retain the primitive and interpolation notation of Sections~\ref{sec:preliminaries}--\ref{sec:divergence}. Thus $L=\lambda r$, $l=\lambda r^2\le1/2$, $M_0=u$, and the symmetric first jet satisfies $DM_\rho=\rho U_1$. Fix \[ 01$, the chain rule has terms consisting of an order-$j$ derivative of the velocity and derivatives of the state of orders $i_1,\ldots,i_j\ge1$, where $i_1+\cdots+i_j=k$. By \eqref{eq:jets}, the outer tensor has every split norm at most $C_j lR^{-(j-1)}$. Attach the inner tensors one at a time. Each attachment is a single contraction retaining the outer output and the inner derivative slots, so Lemma~\ref{lem:split-contraction} applies without a dimension factor. Bound a first state derivative by a constant and use the induction hypothesis for all higher state derivatives. Since $l\le1$, the total power of $R^{-1}$ is at most \[ (j-1)+\sum_{\nu=1}^j(i_\nu-1)=k-1, \] and each forcing term retains the outer factor $l$. The term involving the unknown order-$k$ state derivative is linear, with coefficient bounded by $Cl$, and this derivative starts at zero. Gronwall proves the assertion. The same argument with absolute interval lengths applies to transport in the reverse direction. For the second assertion, write $C_\rho=rDM_\rho(Y_\rho)=r\rho U_1(\rho,Y_\rho)$, so that $B_\rho'=B_\rho C_\rho$. The product rule expresses $B_\rho^{(m)}$ as a finite sum of ordered products of $B_\rho$ and $k\ge1$ factors $C_\rho^{(j_1)},\ldots,C_\rho^{(j_k)}$, with $j_1+\cdots+j_k=m-k$. The zero-order jet bound and \eqref{eq:path-jet} imply, for every fixed moment order, \[ \big\|\|C_\rho^{(j)}\|_{\op}\big\|_{L^p} \le \polylog(d)\,l(1-\rho^2)^{-j}. \] Here the path estimates apply because inverse transport sends $y\sim\xi_*$ to $Y_\rho(y)\sim\xi_\rho$. Apply H\"older with sufficiently high fixed moments to each product. Using $l^k\le l$ and $(1-\rho^2)^{-(m-k)}\le(1-\rho^2)^{-m}$ gives the claimed conservative exponent. Moments below one, if desired, follow from the $L^1$ bound. \end{proof} \subsection{A kernel for the centered observable} For a matrix field $K$, define its row-wise adjoint divergence by \[ (\nabla_{\xi_*}^*K)_i =\sum_j\{-\partial_jK_{ij}+(\partial_jH_*)K_{ij}\}. \] Thus $\nabla_{\xi_*}^*K=h$ means $\E_{\xi_*}[h_i\phi]=\E_{\xi_*}\sum_jK_{ij}\partial_j\phi$ for smooth compactly supported scalar tests $\phi$. We seek this identity with $h=M_*-u$. This is a Stein-type integration-by-parts identity. A classical coordinate Stein kernel for a law $\xi$ represents the observable $y-\E_\xi y$ instead. Courtade, Fathi and Pananjady construct such kernels from spectral-gap assumptions \citep[arXiv version~2, Definition~2.1 and Theorem~2.4]{courtade2019stein}. Our observable is $M_*-u$; its mean is zero by conditional expectation. The transport formula below supplies its particular adjoint-divergence representation together with pointwise derivative bounds. Those bounds are needed for quadrature and do not follow from the cited existence statement. We do not require $K$ to be symmetric or positive. Define \begin{equation}\label{eq:stein-kernel} K(y)^T=\int_0^{b_*}B_\rho(y)U_1(\rho,Y_\rho(y))\,d\rho =\frac1r\int_0^{b_*}B_\rho'(y)\,\frac{d\rho}{\rho}. \end{equation} The first integral defines the integrand at zero in the second formula: $B_\rho'/(r\rho)=B_\rho U_1(\rho,Y_\rho)$ extends smoothly there. The transpose is essential: the adjoint divergence will act on the rows of $K$, while the position velocity will use $K^T$. \begin{lemma}[The centering kernel]\label{lem:centering-kernel} The field $K$ is smooth and satisfies \[ \nabla_{\xi_*}^*K=M_*-u,\qquad \|K(y)\|_{\op}\le CL. \] For each fixed $j\ge1$, every nontrivial split norm of $\nabla^jK$ is bounded pointwise by $C_jLR^{-j}$. \end{lemma} \begin{proof} Fix an output coordinate $i$ and a smooth compactly supported scalar function $\phi$. The transported test $\phi\circ T_\rho$ has zero material derivative: it is constant along each probability-transport path. Differentiate its product with $M_{\rho,i}$ under the transported laws. Lemma~\ref{lem:material-identities} gives $\mathcal DM_\rho=\nabla_{\xi_\rho}^*U_1$, so integration by parts and the chain rule yield \[ \frac{d}{d\rho}\E_{\xi_\rho}[M_{\rho,i}\,\phi\circ T_\rho] =\E_{\xi_\rho}\sum_{j,k}(U_1)_{ik}(DT_\rho)_{jk} (\partial_j\phi)\circ T_\rho. \] Smooth transport on the compact time interval and Gaussian tails justify differentiation; alternatively the test can first be cut off and the resulting identities passed to the limit. Push the expectation forward to $y\sim\xi_*$. Since $U_1$ is symmetric, its coefficient of $\partial_j\phi(y)$ is \[ \sum_k (U_1)_{ik}(\rho,Y_\rho(y))(B_\rho(y))_{jk} =(B_\rho(y)U_1(\rho,Y_\rho(y)))_{ji}. \] The terminal expectation is $\E_{\xi_*}[M_{*,i}\phi]$. At zero, $M_0=u$ and $(T_0)_\#\xi_0=\xi_*$, so the initial expectation is $u_i\E_{\xi_*}\phi$. Integrating the displayed derivative in $\rho$ proves \[ \E_{\xi_*}[(M_{*,i}-u_i)\phi] =\E_{\xi_*}\sum_jK_{ij}\partial_j\phi. \] This proves the adjoint-divergence identity weakly, and smoothness makes it a pointwise identity. For the bounds, $\|B_\rho\|_{\op}\le C$ and $\|U_1\|_{\op}\le CL$ immediately give $\|K\|_{\op}\le CL$. For a positive-order spatial derivative, use Lemma~\ref{lem:transport-derivatives} on both $DT_\rho$ and $Y_\rho$. An order-$j$ derivative of $DT_\rho$ has all split norms at most $C_jlR^{-j}$, and an order-$j$ derivative of $U_1$ has all split norms at most $C_jLR^{-j}$ by \eqref{eq:jets}. When these fields are composed with $Y_\rho$, attach each chain-rule tensor by a single edge as in the preceding lemma. First derivatives of $Y_\rho$ are bounded, and a derivative of order $i>1$ costs $C_i lR^{-(i-1)}$. Every order-$j$ term in the product has total cost at most $C_jLR^{-j}$, since $l\le1$. Each factor retains free slots, so the single-contraction bound preserves every nontrivial split. Integrating over an interval of length at most one proves the assertion. All orders are smooth by Gaussian conditional integration and the smooth transport on $\rho\le b_*<1$; this uses no higher derivatives of the original unsmoothed gradient. \end{proof} \subsection{Stationarity and the path integral} The following dynamics specialize the skew-matrix construction of Ma, Chen and Fox \citep[Section~2.1, Equation~(3), Theorem~1]{ma2015recipe}. The transport-derived $K$ makes the momentum displacement encode $M_*-u$. We prove completeness and invariance directly, since a formal stationary-density calculation alone would not ensure a solution exists for the full integration interval. \begin{proposition}[A noisy mean from a path integral] \label{prop:centering-law} For $s>0$, let $(Y_0,G_0)$ have law $\xi_*\otimes N(0,I_d)$ and solve \begin{equation}\label{eq:centering-flow} \dot Y_t=-K(Y_t)^TG_t/s,\qquad \dot G_t=(M_*(Y_t)-u)/s. \end{equation} The solution exists for every finite time, and its law remains $\xi_*\otimes N(0,I_d)$. In particular, \begin{equation}\label{eq:centering-output} sG_0+\int_0^1M_*(Y_t)\,dt\ \stackrel{\mathrm{law}}= u+sG,\qquad G\sim N(0,I_d). \end{equation} \end{proposition} \begin{proof} The vector field $v$ in \eqref{eq:centering-flow} is smooth and hence locally Lipschitz. The bound on $K$ and the global Lipschitz bound on $M_*$ imply $|v(y,g)|\le C_{x,r,s}(1+|y|+|g|)$. Gronwall's inequality therefore prevents a solution from escaping to infinity in finite positive or negative time. Local uniqueness gives a complete smooth flow $\Phi_t$, with inverse $\Phi_{-t}$. We only need local Lipschitz continuity here; the factor $G$ does not in general give a globally Lipschitz joint vector field. Write the product density as \[ p(y,g)=(2\pi)^{-d/2}\exp(-H_*(y)-|g|^2/2). \] Differentiating in the position and momentum variables separately, with the row convention of the kernel lemma, gives \[ \operatorname{div}_y(pv_Y) =\frac{p}{s}\sum_i g_i(\nabla_{\xi_*}^*K)_i =\frac{p}{s}\,g\cdot(M_*-u),\qquad \operatorname{div}_g(pv_G) =-\frac{p}{s}\,g\cdot(M_*-u). \] Thus $\operatorname{div}(pv)=0$. The Jacobian formula for the complete flow now yields, pointwise, \[ \frac{d}{dt}\{p(\Phi_t(z))\det D\Phi_t(z)\} =\operatorname{div}(pv)(\Phi_t(z))\det D\Phi_t(z)=0. \] The determinant starts at one and stays positive. Change of variables therefore proves that $\Phi_t$ preserves the probability density $p$. For later differentiation it is useful to record the same cancellation as an operator identity. Relative to the product law, the Lie derivative is \begin{equation}\label{eq:centering-skew-operator} \mathcal L=\nabla^*A\nabla,\qquad A=\begin{pmatrix}0&K^T/s\\-K/s&0\end{pmatrix}. \end{equation} Indeed the second-order part vanishes by skew symmetry. The first-order coefficients are $-K^Tg/s$ in position and $\nabla_{\xi_*}^*K/s=(M_*-u)/s$ in momentum, exactly as in \eqref{eq:centering-flow}. Finally, integrating the momentum equation over $[0,1]$ gives the pathwise identity \[ sG_0+\int_0^1M_*(Y_t)\,dt=u+sG_1. \] Stationarity makes $G_1$ a standard Gaussian, proving \eqref{eq:centering-output}. \end{proof} Stationarity also makes $G_1$ independent of $Y_1$. It does not assert that $G_1$ is independent of the initial anchors $(Y_0,G_0)$. The exact mean $u=M_0$ remains in the momentum velocity, and the proposition assumes an ideal sample from $\xi_*$. Thus the proposition is a comparison construction, not yet an oracle routine. Section~\ref{sec:numerics} will express its approximation by finitely many exact mean evaluations; Section~\ref{sec:compiler} will replace every such evaluation, including $M_0$. The displayed output itself needs no separate addition of $u$. \subsection{Derivatives on a stationary trajectory} To approximate the path integral by high-order quadrature, we need bounds on time derivatives at each fixed time. Stationarity allows these bounds to be proved in the fixed product measure. The following lemma separates that argument from the particular kernel and avoids requiring a bound on the supremum of a random path. \begin{lemma}[Stationary time derivatives]\label{lem:stationary-derivatives} Fix $0