Star-free languages and local divisors
A celebrated result of Schützenberger says that a language is star-free if and only if it is is recognized by a finite aperiodic monoid. We give a new proof for this theorem using local divisors.
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arXiv subjects
Manfred Kufleitner
Publications and source records attributed to Manfred Kufleitner.
One Quantifier Alternation in First-Order Logic with Modular Predicates
Adding modular predicates yields a generalization of first-order logic FO over words. The expressive power of FO[<,MOD] with order comparison $x<y$ and predicates for $x \equiv i \mod n$ has been investigated by Barrington, Compton, Straubing and Therien. The study of FO[<,MOD]-fragments was initiated by Chaubard, Pin and Straubing. More recently, Dartois and Paperman showed that definability in the two-variable fragment FO2[<,MOD] is decidable. In this paper we continue this line of work. We give an effective algebraic characterization of the word languages in Sigma2[<,MOD]. The fragment Sigma2 consists of first-order formulas in prenex normal form with two blocks of quantifiers starting with an existential block. In addition we show that Delta2[<,MOD], the largest subclass of Sigma2[<,MOD] which is closed under negation, has the same expressive power as two-variable logic FO2[<,MOD]. This generalizes the result FO2[<] = Delta2[<] of Therien and Wilke to modular predicates. As a byproduct, we obtain another decidable characterization of FO2[<,MOD].
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Ehrenfeucht-Fraisse Games on Omega-Terms
Fragments of first-order logic over words can often be characterized in terms of finite monoids or finite semigroups. Usually these algebraic descriptions yield decidability of the question whether a given regular language is definable in a particular fragment. An effective algebraic characterization can be obtained from identities of so-called omega-terms. In order to show that a given fragment satisfies some identity of omega-terms, one can use Ehrenfeucht-Fraisse games on word instances of the omega-terms. The resulting proofs often require a significant amount of book-keeping with respect to the constants involved. In this paper we introduce Ehrenfeucht-Fraisse games on omega-terms. To this end we assign a labeled linear order to every omega-term. Our main theorem shows that a given fragment satisfies some identity of omega-terms if and only if Duplicator has a winning strategy for the game on the resulting linear orders. This allows to avoid the book-keeping. As an application of our main result, we show that one can decide in exponential time whether all aperiodic monoids satisfy some given identity of omega-terms, thereby improving a result of McCammond (Int. J. Algebra Comput., 2001).
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Quantifier Alternation in Two-Variable First-Order Logic with Successor Is Decidable
We consider the quantifier alternation hierarchy within two-variable first-order logic FO^2[<,suc] over finite words with linear order and binary successor predicate. We give a single identity of omega-terms for each level of this hierarchy. This shows that it is decidable for a given regular language and a non-negative integer m, whether the language is definable by a formula in FO^2[<,suc] which has at most m quantifier alternations. We also consider the alternation hierarchy of unary temporal logic TL[X,F,Y,P] defined by the maximal number of nested negations. This hierarchy coincides with the FO^2[<,suc] alternation hierarchy.
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On logical hierarchies within FO^2-definable languages
We consider the class of languages defined in the 2-variable fragment of the first-order logic of the linear order. Many interesting characterizations of this class are known, as well as the fact that restricting the number of quantifier alternations yields an infinite hierarchy whose levels are varieties of languages (and hence admit an algebraic characterization). Using this algebraic approach, we show that the quantifier alternation hierarchy inside FO^{2}[<] is decidable within one unit. For this purpose, we relate each level of the hierarchy with decidable varieties of languages, which can be defined in terms of iterated deterministic and co-deterministic products. A crucial notion in this process is that of condensed rankers, a refinement of the rankers of Weis and Immerman and the turtle languages of Schwentick, Thérien and Vollmer.
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The Join of the Varieties of R-trivial and L-trivial Monoids via Combinatorics on Words
The join of two varieties is the smallest variety containing both. In finite semigroup theory, the varieties of R-trivial and L-trivial monoids are two of the most prominent classes of finite monoids. Their join is known to be decidable due to a result of Almeida and Azevedo. In this paper, we give a new proof for Almeida and Azevedo's effective characterization of the join of R-trivial and L-trivial monoids. This characterization is a single identity of omega-terms using three variables.
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Regular Ideal Languages and Their Boolean Combinations
We consider ideals and Boolean combinations of ideals. For the regular languages within these classes we give expressively complete automaton models. In addition, we consider general properties of regular ideals and their Boolean combinations. These properties include effective algebraic characterizations and lattice identities. In the main part of this paper we consider the following deterministic one-way automaton models: unions of flip automata, weak automata, and Staiger-Wagner automata. We show that each of these models is expressively complete for regular Boolean combination of right ideals. Right ideals over finite words resemble the open sets in the Cantor topology over infinite words. An omega-regular language is a Boolean combination of open sets if and only if it is recognizable by a deterministic Staiger-Wagner automaton; and our result can be seen as a finitary version of this classical theorem. In addition, we also consider the canonical automaton models for right ideals, prefix-closed languages, and factorial languages. In the last section, we consider a two-way automaton model which is known to be expressively complete for two-variable first-order logic. We show that the above concepts can be adapted to these two-way automata such that the resulting languages are the right ideals (resp. prefix-closed languages, resp. Boolean combinations of right ideals) definable in two-variable first-order logic.
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The Join Levels of the Trotter-Weil Hierarchy are Decidable
The variety DA of finite monoids has a huge number of different characterizations, ranging from two-variable first-order logic FO^2 to unambiguous polynomials. In order to study the structure of the subvarieties of DA, Trotter and Weil considered the intersection of varieties of finite monoids with bands, i.e., with idempotent monoids. The varieties of idempotent monoids are very well understood and fully classified. Trotter and Weil showed that for every band variety V there exists a unique maximal variety W inside DA such that the intersection with bands yields the given band variety V. These maximal varieties W define the Trotter-Weil hierarchy. This hierarchy is infinite and it exhausts DA; induced by band varieties, it naturally has a zigzag shape. In their paper, Trotter and Weil have shown that the corners and the intersection levels of this hierarchy are decidable. In this paper, we give a single identity of omega-terms for every join level of the Trotter-Weil hierarchy; this yields decidability. Moreover, we show that the join levels and the subsequent intersection levels do not coincide. Almeida and Azevedo have shown that the join of R-trivial and L-trivial finite monoids is decidable; this is the first non-trivial join level of the Trotter-Weil hierarchy. We extend this result to the other join levels of the Trotter-Weil hierarchy. At the end of the paper, we give two applications. First, we show that the hierarchy of deterministic and codeterministic products is decidable. And second, we show that the direction alternation depth of unambiguous interval logic is decidable.
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The FO^2 alternation hierarchy is decidable
We consider the two-variable fragment FO^2[<] of first-order logic over finite words. Numerous characterizations of this class are known. Thérien and Wilke have shown that it is decidable whether a given regular language is definable in FO^2[<]. From a practical point of view, as shown by Weis, FO^2[<] is interesting since its satisfiability problem is in NP. Restricting the number of quantifier alternations yields an infinite hierarchy inside the class of FO^2[<]-definable languages. We show that each level of this hierarchy is decidable. For this purpose, we relate each level of the hierarchy with a decidable variety of finite monoids. Our result implies that there are many different ways of climbing up the FO^2[<]-quantifier alternation hierarchy: deterministic and co-deterministic products, Mal'cev products with definite and reverse definite semigroups, iterated block products with J-trivial monoids, and some inductively defined omega-term identities. A combinatorial tool in the process of ascension is that of condensed rankers, a refinement of the rankers of Weis and Immerman and the turtle programs of Schwentick, Thérien, and Vollmer.
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Lattices of Logical Fragments over Words
This paper introduces an abstract notion of fragments of monadic second-order logic. This concept is based on purely syntactic closure properties. We show that over finite words, every logical fragment defines a lattice of languages with certain closure properties. Among these closure properties are residuals and inverse C-morphisms. Here, depending on certain closure properties of the fragment, C is the family of arbitrary, non-erasing, length-preserving, length-multiplying, or length-reducing morphisms. In particular, definability in a certain fragment can often be characterized in terms of the syntactic morphism. This work extends a result of Straubing in which he investigated certain restrictions of first-order logic formulae. In contrast to Straubing's model-theoretic approach, our notion of a logical fragment is purely syntactic and it does not rely on Ehrenfeucht-Fraisse games. As motivating examples, we present (1) a fragment which captures the stutter-invariant part of piecewise-testable languages and (2) an acyclic fragment of Sigma_2. As it turns out, the latter has the same expressive power as two-variable first-order logic FO^2.
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Regular Languages are Church-Rosser Congruential
This paper proves a long standing conjecture in formal language theory. It shows that all regular languages are Church-Rosser congruential. The class of Church-Rosser congruential languages was introduced by McNaughton, Narendran, and Otto in 1988. A language L is Church-Rosser congruential, if there exists a finite confluent, and length-reducing semi-Thue system S such that L is a finite union of congruence classes modulo S. It was known that there are deterministic linear context-free languages which are not Church-Rosser congruential, but on the other hand it was strongly believed that all regular language are of this form. Actually, this paper proves a more general result.
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Star-Free Languages are Church-Rosser Congruential
The class of Church-Rosser congruential languages has been introduced by McNaughton, Narendran, and Otto in 1988. A language L is Church-Rosser congruential (belongs to CRCL), if there is a finite, confluent, and length-reducing semi-Thue system S such that L is a finite union of congruence classes modulo S. To date, it is still open whether every regular language is in CRCL. In this paper, we show that every star-free language is in CRCL. In fact, we prove a stronger statement: For every star-free language L there exists a finite, confluent, and subword-reducing semi-Thue system S such that the total number of congruence classes modulo S is finite and such that L is a union of congruence classes modulo S. The construction turns out to be effective.
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The Krohn-Rhodes Theorem and Local Divisors
We give a new proof of the Krohn-Rhodes Theorem using local divisors. The proof provides nearly as good a decomposition in terms of size as the holonomy decomposition of Eilenberg, avoids induction on the size of the state set, and works exclusively with monoids with the base case of the induction being that of a group.
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Partially Ordered Two-way Büchi Automata
We introduce partially ordered two-way Büchi automata and characterize their expressive power in terms of fragments of first-order logic FO[<]. Partially ordered two-way Büchi automata are Büchi automata which can change the direction in which the input is processed with the constraint that whenever a state is left, it is never re-entered again. Nondeterministic partially ordered two-way Büchi automata coincide with the first-order fragment Sigma2. Our main contribution is that deterministic partially ordered two-way Büchi automata are expressively complete for the first-order fragment Delta2. As an intermediate step, we show that deterministic partially ordered two-way Büchi automata are effectively closed under Boolean operations. A small model property yields coNP-completeness of the emptiness problem and the inclusion problem for deterministic partially ordered two-way Büchi automata.
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Languages of Dot-depth One over Infinite Words
Over finite words, languages of dot-depth one are expressively complete for alternation-free first-order logic. This fragment is also known as the Boolean closure of existential first-order logic. Here, the atomic formulas comprise order, successor, minimum, and maximum predicates. Knast (1983) has shown that it is decidable whether a language has dot-depth one. We extend Knast's result to infinite words. In particular, we describe the class of languages definable in alternation-free first-order logic over infinite words, and we give an effective characterization of this fragment. This characterization has two components. The first component is identical to Knast's algebraic property for finite words and the second component is a topological property, namely being a Boolean combination of Cantor sets. As an intermediate step we consider finite and infinite words simultaneously. We then obtain the results for infinite words as well as for finite words as special cases. In particular, we give a new proof of Knast's Theorem on languages of dot-depth one over finite words.
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Around Dot-depth One
The dot-depth hierarchy is a classification of star-free languages. It is related to the quantifier alternation hierarchy of first-order logic over finite words. We consider fragments of languages with dot-depth 1/2 and dot-depth 1 obtained by prohibiting the specification of prefixes or suffixes. As it turns out, these language classes are in one-to-one correspondence with fragments of existential first-order logic without min- or max-predicate. For all fragments, we obtain effective algebraic characterizations. Moreover, we give new combinatorial proofs for the decidability of the membership problem for dot-depth 1/2 and dot-depth 1.
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First-order Fragments with Successor over Infinite Words
We consider fragments of first-order logic and as models we allow finite and infinite words simultaneously. The only binary relations apart from equality are order comparison < and the successor predicate +1. We give characterizations of the fragments Sigma2 = Sigma2[<,+1] and FO2 = FO2[<,+1] in terms of algebraic and topological properties. To this end we introduce the factor topology over infinite words. It turns out that a language L is in the intersection of FO2 and Sigma2 if and only if L is the interior of an FO2 language. Symmetrically, a language is in the intersection of FO2 and Pi2 if and only if it is the topological closure of an FO2 language. The fragment Delta2, which by definition is the intersection of Sigma2 and Pi2 contains exactly the clopen languages in FO2. In particular, over infinite words Delta2 is a strict subclass of FO2. Our characterizations yield decidability of the membership problem for all these fragments over finite and infinite words; and as a corollary we also obtain decidability for infinite words. Moreover, we give a new decidable algebraic characterization of dot-depth 3/2 over finite words. Decidability of dot-depth 3/2 over finite words was first shown by Glaßer and Schmitz in STACS 2000, and decidability of the membership problem for FO2 over infinite words was shown 1998 by Wilke in his habilitation thesis whereas decidability of Sigma2 over infinite words was not known before.
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On the lattice of sub-pseudovarieties of DA
The wealth of information that is available on the lattice of varieties of bands, is used to illuminate the structure of the lattice of sub-pseudovarieties of DA, a natural generalization of bands which plays an important role in language theory and in logic. The main result describes a hierarchy of decidable sub-pseudovarieties of DA in terms of iterated Mal'cev products with the pseudovarieties of definite and reverse definite semigroups.
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