On Holant Theorem and Its Proof

Abstract: Holographic algorithms are a recent breakthrough in computer science and has found applications in information theory. This paper provides a proof to the central component of holographic algorithms, namely, the Holant theorem. Compared with previous works, the proof appears simpler and more direct. Along the proof, we also develop a mathematical tool, which we call c-tensor. We expect the notion of c-tensor may be applicable over a wide range of analysis.