Baire and automata

In his thesis Baire defined functions of Baire class 1. A function f is of Baire class 1 if it is the pointwise limit of a sequence of continuous functions. Baire proves the following theorem. A function f is not of class 1 if and only if there exists a closed nonempty set F such that the restriction of f to F has no point of continuity. We prove the automaton version of this theorem. An ω-rational function is not of class 1 if and only if there exists a closed nonempty set F recognized by a Büchi automaton such that the restriction of f to F has no point of continuity. This gives us the opportunity for a discussion on Hausdorff's analysis of Δ°2, ordinals, transfinite induction and some applications of computer science

An Upper Bound on the Complexity of Recognizable Tree Languages

The third author noticed in his 1992 PhD Thesis [Sim92] that every regular tree language of infinite trees is in a class $\Game (D\_n({\bf\Sigma}^0\_2))$ for some natural number $n\geq 1$, where $\Game$ is the game quantifier. We first give a detailed exposition of this result. Next, using an embedding of the Wadge hierarchy of non self-dual Borel subsets of the Cantor space $2^\omega$ into the class ${\bf\Delta}^1\_2$, and the notions of Wadge degree and Veblen function, we argue that this upper bound on the topological complexity of regular tree languages is much better than the usual ${\bf\Delta}^1\_2$

Baire and automata

In his thesis Baire defined functions of Baire class 1. A function f is of Baire class 1 if it is the pointwise limit of a sequence of continuous functions. Baire proves the following theorem. A function f is not of class 1 if and only if there exists a closed nonempty set F such that the restriction of f to F has no point of continuity. We prove the automaton version of this theorem. An ω-rational function is not of class 1 if and only if there exists a closed nonempty set F recognized by a Büchi automaton such that the restriction of f to F has no point of continuity. This gives us the opportunity for a discussion on Hausdorff's analysis of Δ°2, ordinals, transfinite induction and some applications of computer science