On Semialgebraic Range Reporting

Abstract: In the problem of semialgebraic range searching, we are to preprocess a set of points in $\mathbb{R}<sup>D$ such that the subset of points inside a semialgebraic region described by $O(1)$ polynomial inequalities of degree $\Delta$ can be found efficiently. Relatively recently, several major advances were made on this problem. Using algebraic techniques, "near-linear space" structures [AMS13,MP15] with almost optimal query time of $Q(n)=O(n<sup>{1-1/D+o(1)})$ were obtained. For "fast query" structures (i.e., when $Q(n)=n<sup>{o(1)}$), it was conjectured that a structure with space $S(n) = O(n<sup>{D+o(1)})$ is possible. The conjecture was refuted recently by Afshani and Cheng [AC21]. In the plane, they proved that $$S(n) = \Omega(n^{\Delta+1 - o(1)}/Q(n)<sup>{(\Delta+3)\Delta/2})$$ which shows $\Omega(n<sup>{\Delta+1-o(1)})$ space is needed for $Q(n) = n<sup>{o(1)}$. While this refutes the conjecture, it still leaves a number of unresolved issues: the lower bound only works in 2D and for fast queries, and neither the exponent of $n$ or $Q(n)$ seem to be tight even for $D=2$, as the current upper bound is $$S(n) = O(n<sup>{\boldsymbol{m}+o(1)}/Q(n)<sup>{(\boldsymbol{m}-1)D/(D-1)})$$ where $$\boldsymbol{m}=\binom{D+\Delta}{D}-1 = \Omega(\Delta<sup>D)$$ is the maximum number of parameters to define a monic degree-$\Delta$ $D$-variate polynomial, for any $D,\Delta=O(1)$. In this paper, we resolve two of the issues: we prove a lower bound in $D$-dimensions and show that when $Q(n)=n<sup>{o(1)}+O(k)$, $S(n)=\Omega(n<sup>{\boldsymbol{m}-o(1)})$, which is almost tight as far as the exponent of $n$ is considered in the pointer machine model. When considering the exponent of $Q(n)$, we show that the analysis in [AC21] is tight for $D=2$, by presenting matching upper bounds for uniform random point sets. This shows either the existing upper bounds can be improved or a new fundamentally different input set is needed to get a better lower bound.