Paper 2025/1220 Original: eprint.iacr.org/2025/1220 ↗

RoK and Roll – Verifier-Efficient Random Projection for $\tilde{O}(\lambda)$-size Lattice Arguments

Abstract

Succinct non-interactive arguments of knowledge (SNARKs) based on lattice assumptions offer a promising post-quantum alternative to pairing-based systems, but have until now suffered from inherently quadratic proof sizes in the security parameter. We introduce RoK and Roll, the first lattice-based SNARK that breaks the quadratic barrier, achieving communication complexity of $\tilde{O}(\lambda)$ together with a succinct verification time. The protocol significantly improves upon the state of the art of fully-succinct argument systems established by ``RoK, Paper, SISsors'' (RPS) [ASIACRYPT'24] and hinges on two key innovations, presented as reductions of knowledge (RoKs): - Structured random projections: We introduce a new technique for structured random projections that allows us to reduce the witness dimensions while approximately preserving its $\ell_2$ norm and maintaining the desired tensor structure. In order to maintain succinct communication and verification, the projected image is further committed and adjoined to the original relation. This procedure is recursively repeated until dimension of the intermediate witness becomes $\mathsf{poly}(\lambda)$, i.e. independent of the original witness length. - Unstructured random projection: When the witness is sufficiently small, we let the unstructured projection (over coefficients $\mathbb{Z}_q$) be sent in plain, as in LaBRADOR [CRYPTO'23]. We observe, however, that the strategy from prior works to immediately lift the projection claim to $\mathcal{R}_q$, and into our relation, would impose a quadratic communication cost. Instead, we gradually batch-and-lift the projection a the tower of intermediate ring extensions. This reduces the communication cost to $\tilde{O}(\lambda)$ while maintaining a succinct verification time. These two techniques, combined with existing RoKs from RPS, yield a succinct argument system with communication complexity $\tilde{O}(\lambda)$ and succinct verification for structured linear relations.