Generic Trace Semantics via Coinduction

Trace semantics has been defined for various kinds of state-based systems, notably with different forms of branching such as non-determinism vs. probability. In this paper we claim to identify one underlying mathematical structure behind these "trace semantics," namely coinduction in a Kleisli category. This claim is based on our technical result that, under a suitably order-enriched setting, a final coalgebra in a Kleisli category is given by an initial algebra in the category Sets. Formerly the theory of coalgebras has been employed mostly in Sets where coinduction yields a finer process semantics of bisimilarity. Therefore this paper extends the application field of coalgebras, providing a new instance of the principle "process semantics via coinduction."Comment: To appear in Logical Methods in Computer Science. 36 page

Modular Construction of Complete Coalgebraic Logics

We present a modular approach to defining logics for a wide variety of state-based systems. The systems are modelled by coalgebras, and we use modal logics to specify their observable properties. We show that the syntax, semantics and proof systems associated to such logics can all be derived in a modular fashion. Moreover, we show that the logics thus obtained inherit soundness, completeness and expressiveness properties from their building blocks. We apply these techniques to derive sound, complete and expressive logics for a wide variety of probabilistic systems, for which no complete axiomatisation has been obtained so far

A modular approach to defining and characterising notions of simulation

We propose a modular approach to defining notions of simulation, and modal logics which characterise them. We use coalgebras to model state-based systems, relators to define notions of simulation for such systems, and inductive techniques to define the syntax and semantics of modal logics for coalgebras. We show that the expressiveness of an inductively defined logic for coalgebras w.r.t. a notion of simulation follows from an expressivity condition involving one step in the definition of the logic, and the relator inducing that notion of simulation. Moreover, we show that notions of simulation and associated characterising logics for increasingly complex system types can be derived by lifting the operations used to combine system types, to a relational level as well as to a logical level. We use these results to obtain Baltag’s logic for coalgebraic simulation, as well as notions of simulation and associated logics for a large class of non-deterministic and probabilistic systems

Definability, Canonical Models, and Compactness for Finitary Coalgebraic Modal Logic

This paper studies coalgebras from the perspective of the finitary observations that can be made of their behaviours. Based on the terminal sequence, notions of finitary behaviours and finitary predicates are introduced. A category Behω(T) of coalgebras with morphisms preserving finitary behaviours is defined. We then investigate definability and compactness for finitary coalgebraic modal logic, show that the final object in Behω(T) generalises the notion of a canonical model in modal logic, and study the topology induced on a coalgebra by the finitary part of the terminal sequence

Expressive Logics for Coinductive Predicates

The classical Hennessy-Milner theorem says that two states of an image-finite transition system are bisimilar if and only if they satisfy the same formulas in a certain modal logic. In this paper we study this type of result in a general context, moving from transition systems to coalgebras and from bisimilarity to coinductive predicates. We formulate when a logic fully characterises a coinductive predicate on coalgebras, by providing suitable notions of adequacy and expressivity, and give sufficient conditions on the semantics. The approach is illustrated with logics characterising similarity, divergence and a behavioural metric on automata

An Institution of Modal Logics for Coalgebras

This paper presents a modular framework for the specification of certain inductively-defined coalgebraic types. Modal logics for coalgebras of polynomial endofunctors on the category of sets have been studied in [M. Rößiger, Coalgebras and modal logic, in: H. Reichel (Ed.), Coalgebraic Methods in Computer Science, Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, vol. 33, Elsevier Science, 2000, pp. 299–320; B. Jacobs, Many-sorted coalgebraic modal logic: a model-theoretic study, Theoretical Informatics and Applications 35(1) (2001) 31–59]. These logics are here generalised to endofunctors on categories of sorted sets, in order to allow collections of inter-related types to be specified simultaneously. The inductive nature of the coalgebraic types considered is then used to formalise semantic relationships between different types, and to define translations between the associated logics. The resulting logical framework is shown to be an institution, whose specifications and specification morphisms admit final and respectively cofree models

On Logics for Coalgebraic Simulation

AbstractWe investigate logics for coalgebraic simulation from a compositional perspective. Specifically, we show that the expressiveness of an inductively-defined language for coalgebras w.r.t. a given notion of simulation comes as a consequence of an expressivity condition between the language constructor used to define the language for coalgebras, and the relator used to define the notion of simulation. This result can be instantiated to obtain Baltag's logics for coalgebraic simulation, as well as a logic which captures simulation on unlabelled probabilistic transition systems. Moreover, our approach is compositional w.r.t. coalgebraic types. This allows us to derive logics which capture other notions of simulation, including trace inclusion on labelled transition systems, and simulation on discrete Markov processes

Coalgebras and Their Logics

Transition systems pervade much of computer science. This article outlines the beginnings of a general theory of specification languages for transition systems. More specifically, transition systems are generalised to coalgebras. Specification languages together with their proof systems, in the following called (logical or modal) calculi, are presented by the associated classes of algebras (e.g., classical propositional logic by Boolean algebras). Stone duality will be used to relate the logics and their coalgebraic semantics