Amaldev Manuel

Two variables and two successors

We look at the finite satisfiability problem of the two variable fragment of first order logic with the successors of two linear orders. While the logic with both the successors and their transitive closures remains undecidable, we prove that the logic with only the successors is decidable.

Two-Variable Logic on 2-Dimensional Structures

This paper continues the study of the two-variable fragment of first-order logic (FO^2) over two- dimensional structures, more precisely structures with two orders, their induced successor relations and arbitrarily many unary relations. Our main focus is on ordered data words which are finite sequences from the set \Sigma x D where \Sigma is a finite alphabet and D is an ordered domain. These are naturally represented as labelled finite sets with a linear order <=_l and a total preorder <=_p. We introduce ordered data automata, an automaton model for ordered data words. An ordered data automaton is a composition of a finite state transducer and a finite state automaton over the product Boolean algebra of finite and cofinite subsets of N. We show that ordered data automata are equivalent to the closure of FO^2(+1_l,<=_p,+1_p) under existential quantification of unary relations. Using this automaton model we prove that the finite satisfiability problem for this logic is decidable on structures where the <=_p-equivalence classes are of bounded size. As a corollary, we obtain that finite satisfiability of FO^2 is decidable (and it is equivalent to the reachability problem of vector addition systems) on structures with two linear order successors and a linear order corresponding to one of the successors. Further we prove undecidability of FO^2 on several other two-dimensional structures.

Walking on Data Words

We see data words as sequences of letters with additional edges that connect pairs of positions carrying the same data value. We consider a natural model of automaton walking on data words, called Data Walking Automaton, and study its closure properties, expressiveness, and the complexity of paradigmatic problems. We prove that deterministic DWA are strictly included in non-deterministic DWA, that the former subclass is closed under all boolean operations, and that the latter class enjoys a decidable containment problem.

Cost Functions Definable by Min/Max Automata

Regular cost functions form a quantitative extension of regular languages that share the array of characterisations the latter possess. In this theory, functions are treated only up to preservation of boundedness on all subsets of the domain. In this work, we subject the well known distance automata (also called min-automata), and their dual max-automata to this framework, and obtain a number of effective characterisations in terms of logic, expressions and algebra.

Two-Variable Logic over Countable Linear Orderings

We study the class of languages of finitely-labelled countable linear orderings definable in two-variable first-order logic. We give a number of characterisations, in particular an algebraic one in terms of circle monoids, using equations. This generalises the corresponding characterisation, namely variety DA, over finite words to the countable case. A corollary is that the membership in this class is decidable: for instance given an MSO formula it is possible to check if there is an equivalent two-variable logic formula over countable linear orderings. In addition, we prove that the satisfiability problems for two-variable logic over arbitrary, countable, and scattered linear orderings are NEXPTIME-complete.

Combinatorial Expressions and Lower Bounds.

A new paradigm, called combinatorial expressions, for computing functions expressing properties over infinite domains is introduced. The main result is a generic technique, for showing indefinability of certain functions by the expressions, which uses a result, namely Hales-Jewett theorem, from Ramsey theory. An application of the technique for proving inexpressibility results for logics on metafinite structures is given. Some extensions and normal forms are also presented.

Definability and Transformations for Cost Logics and Automatic Structures

We provide new characterizations of the class of regular cost functions (Colcombet 2009) in terms of first-order logic. This extends a classical result stating that each regular language can be defined by a first-order formula over the infinite tree of finite words with a predicate testing words for equal length. Furthermore, we study interpretations for cost logics and use them to provide different characterizations of the class of resource automatic structures, a quantitative version of automatic structures. In particular, we identify a complete resource automatic structure for first-order interpretations.