A Note on Semi-Algebraic Proofs and Gaussian Elimination over Prime Fields

Abstract: In this note we show that unsatisfiable systems of linear equations with a constant number of variables per equation over prime finite fields have polynomial-size constant-degree semi-algebraic proofs of unsatisfiability. These are proofs that manipulate polynomial inequalities over the reals with variables ranging in ${0,1}$. This upper bound is to be put in contrast with the known fact that, for certain explicit systems of linear equations over the two-element field, such refutations require linear degree and exponential size if they are restricted to so-called static semi-algebraic proofs, and even tree-like semi-algebraic and sums-of-squares proofs. Our upper bound is a more or less direct translation of an argument due to Grigoriev, Hirsch and Pasechnik (Moscow Mathematical Journal, 2002) who did it for a family of linear systems of interest in propositional proof complexity. We point out that their method is more general and can be thought of as simulating Gaussian elimination.