Towards an Effective Decision Procedure for LTL formulas with Constraints

This paper presents an ongoing work that is part of a more wide-ranging project whose final scope is to define a method to validate LTL formulas w.r.t. a program written in the timed concurrent constraint language tccp, which is a logic concurrent constraint language based on the concurrent constraint paradigm of Saraswat. Some inherent notions to tccp processes are non-determinism, dealing with partial information in states and the monotonic evolution of the information. In order to check an LTL property for a process, our approach is based on the abstract diagnosis technique. The concluding step of this technique needs to check the validity of an LTL formula (with constraints) in an effective way. In this paper, we present a decision method for the validity of temporal logic formulas (with constraints) built by our abstract diagnosis technique.Comment: Part of WLPE 2013 proceedings (arXiv:1308.2055

Certificates for decision problems in temporal logic using context-based tableaux and sequent calculi.

115 p.Esta tesis trata de resolver problemas de Satisfactibilidad y Model Checking, aportando certificados del resultado. En ella, se trabaja con tres lógicas temporales: Propositional Linear Temporal Logic (PLTL), Computation Tree Logic (CTL) y Extended Computation Tree Logic (ECTL). Primero se presenta el trabajo realizado sobre Certified Satisfiability. Ahí se muestra una adaptación del ya existente método dual de tableaux y secuentes basados en contexto para satisfactibilidad de fórmulas PLTL en Negation Normal Form. Se ha trabajado la generación de certificados en el caso en el que las fórmulas son insactisfactibles. Por último, se aporta una prueba de soundness del método. Segundo, se ha optimizado con Sat Solvers el método de Certified Satisfiability para el contexto de Certified Model Checking. Se aportan varios ejemplos de sistemas y propiedades. Tercero, se ha creado un nuevo método dual de tableaux y secuentes basados en contexto para realizar Certified Satisfiability para fórmulas CTL yECTL. Se presenta el método y un algoritmo que genera tanto el modelo en el caso de que las fórmulas son satisfactibles como la prueba en el caso en que no lo sean. Por último, se presenta una implementación del método para CTL y una experimentación comparando el método propuesto con otro método de similares características

One-Pass Context-Based Tableaux Systems for CTL and ECTL

When building tableau for temporal logic formulae, applying a two-pass construction, we first check the validity of the given tableaux input by creating a tableau graph, and then, in the second “pass”, we check if all the eventualities are satisfied. In one-pass tableaux checking the validity of the input does not require these auxiliary constructions. This paper continues the development of one-pass tableau method for temporal logics introducing tree-style one-pass tableau systems for Computation Tree Logic (CTL) and shows how this can be extended to capture Extended CTL (ECTL). A distinctive feature here is the utilisation, for the core tableau construction, of the concept of a context of an eventuality which forces its earliest fulfilment. Relevant algorithms for obtaining a systematic tableau for these branching-time logics are also defined. We prove the soundness and completeness of the method. With these developments of a tree-shaped one-pass tableau for CTL and ECTL, we have formalisms which are well suited for the automation and are amenable for the implementation, and for the formulation of dual sequent calculi. This brings us one step closer to the application of one-pass context-based tableaux in certified model checking for a variety of CTL-type branching-time logics.Authors have been supported by the European Union (FEDER funds) under grant TIN2017-86727-C2-2-R, and by the University of the Basque Country under Project LoRea GIU18-182

Towards a tableau-based procedure for PLTL based on a multi-conclusion rule and logical optimizations

We present an ongoing work on a proof-search procedure for Propositional Linear Temporal Logic (PLTL) based on a one-pass tableau calculus with a multiple-conclusion rule. The procedure exploits logical optimization rules to reduce the proof-search space. We also discuss the performances of a Prolog prototype of our procedure

Invariant-free deduction systems for temporal logic

In this thesis we propose a new approach to deduction methods for temporal logic. Our proposal is based on an inductive definition of eventualities that is different from the usual one. On the basis of this non-customary inductive definition for eventualities, we first provide dual systems of tableaux and sequents for Propositional Linear-time Temporal Logic (PLTL). Then, we adapt the deductive approach introduced by means of these dual tableau and sequent systems to the resolution framework and we present a clausal temporal resolution method for PLTL. Finally, we make use of this new clausal temporal resolution method for establishing logical foundations for declarative temporal logic programming languages. The key element in the deduction systems for temporal logic is to deal with eventualities and hidden invariants that may prevent the fulfillment of eventualities. Different ways of addressing this issue can be found in the works on deduction systems for temporal logic. Traditional tableau systems for temporal logic generate an auxiliary graph in a first pass.Then, in a second pass, unsatisfiable nodes are pruned. In particular, the second pass must check whether the eventualities are fulfilled. The one-pass tableau calculus introduced by S. Schwendimann requires an additional handling of information in order to detect cyclic branches that contain unfulfilled eventualities. Regarding traditional sequent calculi for temporal logic, the issue of eventualities and hidden invariants is tackled by making use of a kind of inference rules (mainly, invariant-based rules or infinitary rules) that complicates their automation. A remarkable consequence of using either a two-pass approach based on auxiliary graphs or aone-pass approach that requires an additional handling of information in the tableau framework, and either invariant-based rules or infinitary rules in the sequent framework, is that temporal logic fails to carry out the classical correspondence between tableaux and sequents. In this thesis, we first provide a one-pass tableau method TTM that instead of a graph obtains a cyclic tree to decide whether a set of PLTL-formulas is satisfiable. In TTM tableaux are classical-like. For unsatisfiable sets of formulas, TTM produces tableaux whose leaves contain a formula and its negation. In the case of satisfiable sets of formulas, TTM builds tableaux where each fully expanded open branch characterizes a collection of models for the set of formulas in the root. The tableau method TTM is complete and yields a decision procedure for PLTL. This tableau method is directly associated to a one-sided sequent calculus called TTC. Since TTM is free from all the structural rules that hinder the mechanization of deduction, e.g. weakening and contraction, then the resulting sequent calculus TTC is also free from this kind of structural rules. In particular, TTC is free of any kind of cut, including invariant-based cut. From the deduction system TTC, we obtain a two-sided sequent calculus GTC that preserves all these good freeness properties and is finitary, sound and complete for PLTL. Therefore, we show that the classical correspondence between tableaux and sequent calculi can be extended to temporal logic. The most fruitful approach in the literature on resolution methods for temporal logic, which was started with the seminal paper of M. Fisher, deals with PLTL and requires to generate invariants for performing resolution on eventualities. In this thesis, we present a new approach to resolution for PLTL. The main novelty of our approach is that we do not generate invariants for performing resolution on eventualities. Our method is based on the dual methods of tableaux and sequents for PLTL mentioned above. Our resolution method involves translation into a clausal normal form that is a direct extension of classical CNF. We first show that any PLTL-formula can be transformed into this clausal normal form. Then, we present our temporal resolution method, called TRS-resolution, that extends classical propositional resolution. Finally, we prove that TRS-resolution is sound and complete. In fact, it finishes for any input formula deciding its satisfiability, hence it gives rise to a new decision procedure for PLTL. In the field of temporal logic programming, the declarative proposals that provide a completeness result do not allow eventualities, whereas the proposals that follow the imperative future approach either restrict the use of eventualities or deal with them by calculating an upper bound based on the small model property for PLTL. In the latter, when the length of a derivation reaches the upper bound, the derivation is given up and backtracking is used to try another possible derivation. In this thesis we present a declarative propositional temporal logic programming language, called TeDiLog, that is a combination of the temporal and disjunctive paradigms in Logic Programming. We establish the logical foundations of our proposal by formally defining operational and logical semantics for TeDiLog and by proving their equivalence. Since TeDiLog is, syntactically, a sublanguage of PLTL, the logical semantics of TeDiLog is supported by PLTL logical consequence. The operational semantics of TeDiLog is based on TRS-resolution. TeDiLog allows both eventualities and always-formulas to occur in clause heads and also in clause bodies. To the best of our knowledge, TeDiLog is the first declarative temporal logic programming language that achieves this high degree of expressiveness. Since the tableau method presented in this thesis is able to detect that the fulfillment of an eventuality is prevented by a hidden invariant without checking for it by means of an extra process, since our finitary sequent calculi do not include invariant-based rules and since our resolution method dispenses with invariant generation, we say that our deduction methods are invariant-free.CYCIT (ref. TIC98-0949-C02-02), CYCIT (ref. TIC2001-2476-C03-03), CYCIT (ref. TIN2004-07925-C03-03), CICYT (ref. TIN2007-66523), University of the Basque Country (ref. UPV-EHU GIU07/35), University of the Basque Country (ref. UFI11/45

A System for Deduction-based Formal Verification of Workflow-oriented Software Models

The work concerns formal verification of workflow-oriented software models using deductive approach. The formal correctness of a model's behaviour is considered. Manually building logical specifications, which are considered as a set of temporal logic formulas, seems to be the significant obstacle for an inexperienced user when applying the deductive approach. A system, and its architecture, for the deduction-based verification of workflow-oriented models is proposed. The process of inference is based on the semantic tableaux method which has some advantages when compared to traditional deduction strategies. The algorithm for an automatic generation of logical specifications is proposed. The generation procedure is based on the predefined workflow patterns for BPMN, which is a standard and dominant notation for the modeling of business processes. The main idea for the approach is to consider patterns, defined in terms of temporal logic,as a kind of (logical) primitives which enable the transformation of models to temporal logic formulas constituting a logical specification. Automation of the generation process is crucial for bridging the gap between intuitiveness of the deductive reasoning and the difficulty of its practical application in the case when logical specifications are built manually. This approach has gone some way towards supporting, hopefully enhancing our understanding of, the deduction-based formal verification of workflow-oriented models.Comment: International Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Abstract Diagnosis for tccp using a Linear Temporal Logic

Automatic techniques for program verification usually suffer the well-known state explosion problem. Most of the classical approaches are based on browsing the structure of some form of model (which rep- resents the behavior of the program) to check if a given specification is valid. This implies that a part of the model has to be built, and some- times the needed fragment is quite huge. In this work, we provide an alternative automatic decision method to check whether a given property, specified in a linear temporal logic, is valid w.r.t. a tccp program. Our proposal (based on abstract interpreta- tion techniques) does not require to build any model at all. Our results guarantee correctness but, as usual when using an abstract semantics, completeness is lost.Comini, M.; Titolo, L.; Villanueva García, A. (2014). Abstract Diagnosis for tccp using a Linear Temporal Logic. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/3569

Extending fairness expressibility of ECTL+: a tree-style one-pass tableau approach

Temporal logic has become essential for various areas in computer science, most notably for the specification and verification of hardware and software systems. For the specification purposes rich temporal languages are required that, in particular, can express fairness constraints. For linear-time logics which deal with fairness in the linear-time setting, one-pass and two-pass tableau methods have been developed. In the repository of the CTL-type branching-time setting, the well-known logics ECTL and ECTL^+ were developed to explicitly deal with fairness. However, due to the syntactical restrictions, these logics can only express restricted versions of fairness. The logic CTL^*, often considered as "the full branching-time logic" overcomes these restrictions on expressing fairness. However, this logic itself, is extremely challenging for the application of verification techniques, and the tableau technique, in particular. For example, there is no one-pass tableau construction for this logic, while it is known that one-pass tableau has an additional benefit enabling the formulation of dual sequent calculi that are often treated as more "natural" being more friendly for human understanding. Based on these two considerations, the following problem arises - are there logics that have richer expressiveness than ECTL^+ yet "simpler" than CTL^* for which a one-pass tableau can be developed? In this paper we give a solution to this problem. We present a tree-style one-pass tableau for a sub-logic of CTL^* that we call ECTL^#, which is more expressive than ECTL^+ allowing the formulation of a new range of fairness constraints with "until" operator. The presentation of the tableau construction is accompanied by an algorithm for constructing a systematic tableau, for any given input of admissible branching-time formulae. We prove the termination, soundness and completeness of the method. As tree-shaped one-pass tableaux are well suited for the automation and are amenable for the implementation and for the formulation of sequent calculi, our results also open a prospect of relevant developments of the automation and implementation of the tableau method for ECTL^#, and of a dual sequent calculi

Parametric Interval Temporal Logic over Infinite Words

Model checking for Halpern and Shoham’s interval temporal logic HS has been recently investigated in a systematic way, and it is known to be decidable under three distinct semantics. Here, we focus on the trace-based semantics, where the infinite execution paths (traces) of the given (finite) Kripke structure are the main semantic entities. In this setting, each finite infix of a trace is interpreted as an interval, and a proposition holds over an interval if and only if it holds over each component state (homogeneity assumption). In this paper, we introduce a quantitative extension of HS over traces, called parametric HS (PHS). The novel logic allows to express parametric timing constraints on the duration (length) of the intervals. We show that checking the existence of a parameter valuation for which a Kripke structure satisfies a PHS formula (model checking), or a PHS formula admits a trace as a model under the homogeneity assumption (satisfiability) is decidable. Moreover, we identify a fragment of PHS which subsumes parametric LTL and for which model checking and satisfiability are shown to be EXPSPACE-complete