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A finite POMDP family has exponentially many witnessed alpha vectors
Example
For each with , let be a clock set and let a hidden binary string be a function . Write for the natural successor. Put , , , and reward alphabet . For , define if , and otherwise. Under action at , the joint next-state/reward law assigns probability one to next state and reward ; the sole observation occurs with probability one. Let be the constant-zero string, take , and set horizon and . There are exactly depth- policy trees, one for each binary action string . The alpha vector of tree , evaluated at state , is . At the point-mass belief this vector has value , while every distinct action string has value strictly less than . Therefore all alpha vectors are distinct and each has a witness belief in , which need not be reachable from the specified initial belief; the family has state count .
Facts & Assumptions
Given: A natural number with and the finite POMDP described in the example, with initial belief , horizon , and discount .
A finite POMDP has finite state, action, and observation sets, transition and observation probability laws, an initial belief, and a finite-horizon objective. Finite partially observable Markov decision process
A depth-zero tree has vector ; a depth- tree consists of a root action and one subtree per observation, with vector given by the finite transition-observation backup. Exhaustive finite-horizon POMDP alpha-vector backup
The value at horizon is the maximum of over the backup's vectors, and a vector is witnessed when it attains that maximum at some belief. Finite-horizon POMDP values are piecewise-linear and convex
For finite sets, the function set is finite of cardinality . The set of functions between finite sets is finite, with
Finite Cartesian products are finite and their cardinalities multiply; cardinality is the natural number equinumerous with the set. The product rule: , and , The cardinality of a finite set
Natural powers start at and satisfy . Exponentiation of natural numbers, , and its agreement with the integer power in
Finite sums over an initial segment are recursively defined and preserve termwise inequalities. Finite sums and finite products, by recursion, Laws of finite sums and finite products
A belief is a probability vector on , so the point mass at any state of is a belief. Belief states and the finite Bayes filter
In the von Neumann naturals, when , , every natural number is transitive, and is the successor used by the clock. The natural numbers (von Neumann), On the order is membership: , Every natural number is a transitive set and is not a member of itself
The clock set equals the von Neumann natural , so it is finite and has cardinality . A finite initial segment of the naturals has its index as cardinality
If a property holds at and its truth at implies its truth at for every , it holds for every natural number. The principle of mathematical induction
Verification
By [F10], is finite with cardinality . Hence the function set has cardinality by [F4] and [F6], and the product rule [F5] gives . Since , [F9] gives , so and its point mass is a probability distribution. The action, observation, and reward sets are finite and nonempty. For each state and action the specified joint mass assigns one next-state/reward pair probability one, and the singleton observation law has total mass one; thus the data satisfy [F1].
With one observation, the tree-count recurrence in [F3] gives and : each tree is determined by its root action and its unique observation continuation.
Induction using [F11] and the recursion for powers [F6] gives for every : the base is , and . A depth- tree with one observation is exactly an action string , so there are exactly such trees by [F4].
Let be the clock coordinate after transitions from the initial clock . We prove by induction that implies . At this holds. If , then by [F9], and transitivity of the natural from [F10] gives ; the induction hypothesis gives . Since , the transition rule advances to . If , the successor case of the implication is vacuous. The induction principle [F11] proves the claim for every .
Therefore, at each decision time from initial state , the hidden state is . Under the tree its reward at that time is , and the finite horizon sum with gives .
For each string , the point mass is a belief by [F8], and [F3] evaluates its tree there as . If , some coordinate differs, so the sum for has at least one zero term and all other terms at most one; its value is strictly less than . Thus is the unique maximizing tree at , so its vector is witnessed. If , their values at differ, so their vectors are distinct. By step 2.1 there are strings; hence the example has exactly distinct witnessed vectors.
Depends on
- Finite partially observable Markov decision process
- Belief states and the finite Bayes filter
- Exhaustive finite-horizon POMDP alpha-vector backup
- Finite-horizon POMDP values are piecewise-linear and convex
- The cardinality $\lvert A\rvert$ of a finite set
- Exponentiation of natural numbers, $m^{n}$, and its agreement with the integer power in $\mathbb{R}$
- The product rule: $\lvert A \times B\rvert = \lvert A\rvert\,\lvert B\rvert$, and $\big\lvert\prod_{i<m} A_i\big\rvert = \prod_{i<m}\lvert A_i\rvert$
- The set $A^{B}$ of functions $B \to A$ between finite sets is finite, with $\lvert A^{B}\rvert = \lvert A\rvert^{\lvert B\rvert}$
- Finite sums and finite products, by recursion
- Laws of finite sums and finite products
- The natural numbers $\mathbb{N}$ (von Neumann)
- Order on the natural numbers
- Addition of natural numbers
- On $\mathbb{N}$ the order is membership: $m < n \iff m \in n$
- Every natural number is a transitive set and is not a member of itself
- The principle of mathematical induction
- A finite initial segment of the naturals has its index as cardinality
Used by
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