Kleene algebra with domain

We propose Kleene algebra with domain (KAD), an extension of Kleene algebra with two equational axioms for a domain and a codomain operation, respectively. KAD considerably augments the expressiveness of Kleene algebra, in particular for the specification and analysis of state transition systems. We develop the basic calculus, discuss some related theories and present the most important models of KAD. We demonstrate applicability by two examples: First, an algebraic reconstruction of Noethericity and well-foundedness; second, an algebraic reconstruction of propositional Hoare logic.Comment: 40 page

On Kleene algebras of ternary co-relations

In this paper we investigate identities satisfied by a class of algebras made of ternary co-relations - contravariant ("arrow-reversed") analogues of binary relations. These algebras are equipped with the operations of union, co-relational composition, iteration, converse and the empty co-relation and the so-called diagonal co-relation as constants. Our first result is that the converse-free part of the corresponding equational theory consists precisely of Kleenean equations for relations, or, equivalently, for (regular) languages. However, the rest of the equations, involving the symbol of the converse, are relatively axiomatized by involution axioms only, so that the co-relational converse behaves more like the reversal of languages, rather than the relational converse. Actually, the language reversal is explicitely used to prove this result. Therefore, we conclude that co-relations can offer a better framework than relations for the mathematical modeling of formal languages, as well as many other notions from computer science

Symbolic Algorithms for Language Equivalence and Kleene Algebra with Tests

We first propose algorithms for checking language equivalence of finite automata over a large alphabet. We use symbolic automata, where the transition function is compactly represented using a (multi-terminal) binary decision diagrams (BDD). The key idea consists in computing a bisimulation by exploring reachable pairs symbolically, so as to avoid redundancies. This idea can be combined with already existing optimisations, and we show in particular a nice integration with the disjoint sets forest data-structure from Hopcroft and Karp's standard algorithm. Then we consider Kleene algebra with tests (KAT), an algebraic theory that can be used for verification in various domains ranging from compiler optimisation to network programming analysis. This theory is decidable by reduction to language equivalence of automata on guarded strings, a particular kind of automata that have exponentially large alphabets. We propose several methods allowing to construct symbolic automata out of KAT expressions, based either on Brzozowski's derivatives or standard automata constructions. All in all, this results in efficient algorithms for deciding equivalence of KAT expressions

Untyping Typed Algebras and Colouring Cyclic Linear Logic

We prove "untyping" theorems: in some typed theories (semirings, Kleene algebras, residuated lattices, involutive residuated lattices), typed equations can be derived from the underlying untyped equations. As a consequence, the corresponding untyped decision procedures can be extended for free to the typed settings. Some of these theorems are obtained via a detour through fragments of cyclic linear logic, and give rise to a substantial optimisation of standard proof search algorithms.Comment: 21

Reversible Kleene lattices

International audienceWe investigate the equational theory of reversible Kleene lattices, that is algebras of languages with the regular operations (union, composition and Kleene star), together with the intersection and mirror image. Building on results by Andréka, Mikulás and Németi from 2011, we construct the free representation of this algebra. We then provide an automaton model to compare representations. These automata are adapted from Petri automata, which we introduced with Pous in 2015 to tackle a similar problem for algebras of binary relations. This allows us to show that testing the validity of equations in this algebra is decidable, and in fact ExpSpace-complete

Decidability of Identity-free Relational Kleene Lattices

National audienceFamilies of binary relations are important interpretations of regular expressions, and the equivalence of two regular expressions with respect to their relational interpretations is decidable: the problem reduces to the equality of the denoted regular languages.Putting together a few results from the literature, we first make explicit a generalisation of this reduction, for regular expressions extended with converse and intersection: instead of considering sets of words (i.e., formal languages), one has to consider sets of directed and labelled graphs.We then focus on identity-free regular expressions with intersection—a setting where the above graphs are acyclic—and we show that the corresponding equational theory is decidable. We achieve this by defining an automaton model, based on Petri Nets, to recognise these sets of acyclic graphs, and by providing an algorithm to compare such automata

A general theory of action languages

We present a general theory of action-based languages as a paradigm, for the description, of those computational systems which include elements of concurrency and networking, and extend this approach to describe dist.ributed systems and also t,o describe the interaction of a system, with an environment. As part of this approach we introduce the Action Language as a common model for the class of nondeterministic concurrent programming languages and define its intensional and interaction semantics in terrors of continuous transformation of environment behavior. This semantics i.s specialized for programs with stores, and extended to describe distributed computations

Kleene Algebra with Converse

International audienceThe equational theory generated by all algebras of binary relations with operations of union, composition, converse and reflexive transitive closure was studied by Bernátsky, Bloom, Ésik, and Stefanescu in 1995. We reformulate some of their proofs in syntactic and elementary terms, and we provide a new algorithm to decide the corresponding theory. This algorithm is both simpler and more efficient; it relies on an alternative automata construction, that allows us to prove that the considered equational theory lies in the complexity class PSPACE. Specific regular languages appear at various places in the proofs. Those proofs were made tractable by considering appropriate automata recognising those languages, and exploiting symmetries in those automata

Algebraic Notions of Termination

Five algebraic notions of termination are formalised, analysed and compared: wellfoundedness or Noetherity, L\"ob's formula, absence of infinite iteration, absence of divergence and normalisation. The study is based on modal semirings, which are additively idempotent semirings with forward and backward modal operators. To model infinite behaviours, idempotent semirings are extended to divergence semirings, divergence Kleene algebras and omega algebras. The resulting notions and techniques are used in calculational proofs of classical theorems of rewriting theory. These applications show that modal semirings are powerful tools for reasoning algebraically about the finite and infinite dynamics of programs and transition systems.Comment: 29 page