The 4^k Barrier for the k-Distinct Language
Can the $k$-distinct language - words over $[n]$ of length at most $k$ with no repeated symbol - be recognized by an acyclic NFA of size $c^k n^{O(1)}$ for some $c < 4$? A construction of size $2^{1.96992k} n^{O(1)} < 3.918^k n^{O(1)}$ answers yes.