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    "story_id": "mp-2026-08-17-012",
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    "headline": "Quantum Bandits Still Had to Pay for Time",
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    "dek": "New lower bounds ruled out horizon-independent regret and a matching algorithm cut finite-action dimension dependence from quadratic to linear.",
    "summary": "New lower bounds ruled out horizon-independent regret and a matching algorithm cut finite-action dimension dependence from quadratic to linear.",
    "body_text": "The analysis proves minimax lower bounds for quantum multi-armed and finite-action linear bandits, showing that regret cannot become independent of the time horizon in the studied oracle model. A design-based elimination algorithm then matches the finite-action linear lower bound up to polylogarithmic factors when the action set is polynomial in dimension. The result is theoretical progress inside a specified quantum-query model, not a near-term hardware speed claim.",
    "why_it_matters": "New lower bounds ruled out horizon-independent regret and a matching algorithm cut finite-action dimension dependence from quadratic to linear.",
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      "The analysis proves minimax lower bounds for quantum multi-armed and finite-action linear bandits, showing that regret cannot become independent of the time horizon in the studied oracle model.",
      "The result is theoretical progress inside a specified quantum-query model, not a near-term hardware speed claim."
    ],
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    "first_published_at": "2026-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "qualification": "The analysis proves minimax lower bounds for quantum multi-armed and finite-action linear bandits, showing that regret cannot become independent of the time horizon in the studied oracle model."
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    "tags": [
      "quantum algorithms",
      "bandits",
      "lower bounds",
      "learning theory"
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  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-08-17-012",
      "title": "arXiv preprint 2608.14319",
      "publisher": "arXiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.14319",
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      "published_at": "2026-08-13T20:00:00.000-04:00",
      "accessed_at": "2026-08-17T08:24:13.830-04:00",
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    "title": "Quantum Bandits Still Had to Pay for Time",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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