Paper 2025/1169 Original: eprint.iacr.org/2025/1169 ↗

Understanding Lasso: A Novel Lookup Argument Protocol

Oleg Fomenko
Anton Levochko
Abstract

In 2023, Srinath Setty, Justin Thaler, and Riad Wahby published a paper that describes a novel lookup argument with efficient verification called Lasso. We present a focused and accessible overview of the Lasso lookup argument that stands for the foundational component of the Jolt ZK-VM. This article distills the core principles behind Lasso: the sum-check protocol, multilinear polynomials and their extensions, Spark commitment, offline memory-checking, and the evolution of Spark called Surge. By clarifying the underlying protocols and their relationship to innovations like Spark and Surge, we aim to provide researchers and engineers with practical insights into the cryptographic foundations powering both Lasso and the Jolt virtual machine.

Metadata
Available format(s)
PDF
Category
Cryptographic protocols
Publication info
Preprint.
History
2025-06-20: last updated
2025-06-20: published
Short URL
https://ia.cr/2025/1169
License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

BibTeX

@misc{cryptoeprint:2025/1169,
      author = {Oleg Fomenko and Anton Levochko},
      title = {Understanding Lasso: A Novel Lookup Argument Protocol},
      howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2025/1169},
      year = {2025},
      url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1169}
}
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