Regular Cost Functions, Part I: Logic and Algebra over Words

The theory of regular cost functions is a quantitative extension to the classical notion of regularity. A cost function associates to each input a non-negative integer value (or infinity), as opposed to languages which only associate to each input the two values "inside" and "outside". This theory is a continuation of the works on distance automata and similar models. These models of automata have been successfully used for solving the star-height problem, the finite power property, the finite substitution problem, the relative inclusion star-height problem and the boundedness problem for monadic-second order logic over words. Our notion of regularity can be -- as in the classical theory of regular languages -- equivalently defined in terms of automata, expressions, algebraic recognisability, and by a variant of the monadic second-order logic. These equivalences are strict extensions of the corresponding classical results. The present paper introduces the cost monadic logic, the quantitative extension to the notion of monadic second-order logic we use, and show that some problems of existence of bounds are decidable for this logic. This is achieved by introducing the corresponding algebraic formalism: stabilisation monoids.Comment: 47 page

Gamma-Set Domination Graphs. I: Complete Biorientations of \u3cem\u3eq-\u3c/em\u3eExtended Stars and Wounded Spider Graphs

The domination number of a graph G, γ(G), and the domination graph of a digraph D, dom(D) are integrated in this paper. The γ-set domination graph of the complete biorientation of a graph G, domγ(G) is created. All γ-sets of specific trees T are found, and dom-γ(T) is characterized for those classes

Separating regular languages with two quantifier alternations

We investigate a famous decision problem in automata theory: separation. Given a class of language C, the separation problem for C takes as input two regular languages and asks whether there exists a third one which belongs to C, includes the first one and is disjoint from the second. Typically, obtaining an algorithm for separation yields a deep understanding of the investigated class C. This explains why a lot of effort has been devoted to finding algorithms for the most prominent classes. Here, we are interested in classes within concatenation hierarchies. Such hierarchies are built using a generic construction process: one starts from an initial class called the basis and builds new levels by applying generic operations. The most famous one, the dot-depth hierarchy of Brzozowski and Cohen, classifies the languages definable in first-order logic. Moreover, it was shown by Thomas that it corresponds to the quantifier alternation hierarchy of first-order logic: each level in the dot-depth corresponds to the languages that can be defined with a prescribed number of quantifier blocks. Finding separation algorithms for all levels in this hierarchy is among the most famous open problems in automata theory. Our main theorem is generic: we show that separation is decidable for the level 3/2 of any concatenation hierarchy whose basis is finite. Furthermore, in the special case of the dot-depth, we push this result to the level 5/2. In logical terms, this solves separation for $\Sigma_3$: first-order sentences having at most three quantifier blocks starting with an existential one

Potential-controlled filtering in quantum star graphs

We study the scattering in a quantum star graph with a F\"ul\"op--Tsutsui coupling in its vertex and with external potentials on the lines. We find certain special couplings for which the probability of the transmission between two given lines of the graph is strongly influenced by the potential applied on another line. On the basis of this phenomenon we design a tunable quantum band-pass spectral filter. The transmission from the input to the output line is governed by a potential added on the controlling line. The strength of the potential directly determines the passband position, which allows to control the filter in a macroscopic manner. Generalization of this concept to quantum devices with multiple controlling lines proves possible. It enables the construction of spectral filters with more controllable parameters or with more operation modes. In particular, we design a band-pass filter with independently adjustable multiple passbands. We also address the problem of the physical realization of F\"ul\"op--Tsutsui couplings and demonstrate that the couplings needed for the construction of the proposed quantum devices can be approximated by simple graphs carrying only $\delta$ potentials.Comment: 41 pages, 17 figure

Modified mean curvature flow of star-shaped hypersurfaces in hyperbolic space

We define a new version of modified mean curvature flow (MMCF) in hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^{n+1}$, which interestingly turns out to be the natural negative $L^2$-gradient flow of the energy functional defined by De Silva and Spruck in \cite{DS09}. We show the existence, uniqueness and convergence of the MMCF of complete embedded star-shaped hypersurfaces with fixed prescribed asymptotic boundary at infinity. As an application, we recover the existence and uniqueness of smooth complete hypersurfaces of constant mean curvature in hyperbolic space with prescribed asymptotic boundary at infinity, which was first shown by Guan and Spruck.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figure