This course explores how proofs have evolved in computer science, from classical verification to advanced interactive and probabilistic systems. We will study the power of interactive proofs (IP), multi-prover interactive proofs (MIP), and probabilistically checkable proofs (PCP). Building on these concepts, we will demonstrate how cryptography enables the transformation of these proof systems into succinct non-interactive arguments (SNARGs), ensuring computational soundness without interaction.
Instructor: Prof. Yael Tauman Kalai; Electrical Engineering and Computer Science/MIT