arXiv subjects

Daniele Varacca

Publications and source records attributed to Daniele Varacca.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Fairness and promptness in Muller formulas

In this paper we consider two different views of the model checking problems for the Linear Temporal Logic (LTL). On the one hand, we consider the universal model checking problem for LTL, where one asks that for a given system and a given formula all the runs of the system satisfy the formula. On the other hand, the fair model checking problem for LTL asks that for a given system and a given formula almost all the runs of the system satisfy the formula. It was shown that these two problems have the same theoretical complexity i.e. PSPACE-complete. The question arises whether one can find a fragment of LTL for which the complexity of these two problems differs. One such fragment was identified in a previous work, namely the Muller fragment. We address a similar comparison for the prompt fragment of LTL (pLTL). pLTL extends LTL with an additional operator, i.e. the prompt-eventually. This operator ensures the existence of a bound such that liveness properties are satisfied within this bound. We show that the corresponding Muller fragment for pLTL does not enjoy the same algorithmic properties with respect to the comparison considered. We also identify a new expressive fragment for which the fair model checking is faster than the universal one.

cs.LO↗

arXiv2021

Processes, Systems and Tests: Defining Contextual Equivalences

In this position paper, we would like to offer and defend a new template to study equivalences between programs -- in the particular framework of process algebras for concurrent computation.We believe that our layered model of development will clarify the distinction that is too often left implicit between the tasks and duties of the programmer and of the tester. It will also enlighten pre-existing issues that have been running across process algebras as diverse as the calculus of communicating systems, the $π$-calculus -- also in its distributed version -- or mobile ambients.Our distinction starts by subdividing the notion of process itself in three conceptually separated entities, that we call \emph{Processes}, \emph{Systems} and \emph{Tests}. While the role of what can be observed and the subtleties in the definitions of congruences have been intensively studied, the fact that \emph{not every process can be tested}, and that \emph{the tester should have access to a different set of tools than the programmer} is curiously left out, or at least not often formally discussed.We argue that this blind spot comes from the under-specification of contexts -- environments in which comparisons takes place -- that play multiple distinct roles but supposedly always \enquote{stay the same}.We illustrate our statement with a simple Java example, the \enquote{usual} concurrent languages, but also back it up with $λ$-calculus and existing implementations of concurrent languages as well.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2018

Banach-Mazur Parity Games and Almost-sure Winning Strategies

Two-player stochastic games are games with two 2 players and a randomised entity called "nature". A natural question to ask in this framework is the existence of strategies that ensure that an event happens with probability 1 (almost-sure strategies). In the case of Markov decision processes, when the event 2 of interest is given as a parity condition, we can replace the "nature" by two more players that play according to the rules of what is known as Banach-Mazur game [1]. In this paper we continue this research program by extending the above result to two-player stochastic parity games. As in the paper [1], the basic idea is that, under the correct hypothesis, we can replace the randomised player with two players playing a Banach-Mazur game. This requires a few technical observations, and a non trivial proof, that this paper sets out to do.

cs.GT↗

arXiv2012

Computational Complexity of Interactive Behaviors

The theory of computational complexity focuses on functions and, hence, studies programs whose interactive behavior is reduced to a simple question/answer pattern. We propose a broader theory whose ultimate goal is expressing and analyzing the intrinsic difficulty of fully general interactive behaviors. To this extent, we use standard tools from concurrency theory, including labelled transition systems (formalizing behaviors) and their asynchronous extension (providing causality information). Behaviors are implemented by means of a multiprocessor machine executing CCS-like processes. The resulting theory is shown to be consistent with the classical definitions: when we restrict to functional behaviors (i.e., question/answer patterns), we recover several standard computational complexity classes.

cs.CC↗