Stochastic automata over monoids as input sets are studied. The well-definedness of these automata requires an extension postulate that replaces the inherent universal property of free monoids. As a generalization of Turakainen's result, it will be shown that the generalized automata over monoids have the same acceptance power as their stochastic counterparts. The key to homomorphisms is a commuting property between the monoid homomorphism of input states and the monoid homomorphism of transition matrices. Closure properties of the languages accepted by stochastic automata over monoids are investigated. matrices. Closure properties of the languages accepted by stochastic automata over monoids are investigated.
The Kleene theorem establishes a fundamental link between automata and expressions over the free monoid. Numerous generalisations of this result exist in the literature. Lifting this result to a weighted setting has been widely studied. Moreover, different monoids can be considered: for instance, two-way automata, and even tree-walking automata, can be described by expressions using the free inverse monoid. In the present work, we aim at combining both research directions and consider weighted extensions of automata and expressions over a class of monoids that we call pre-rational, generalisin…
We show that some results from the theory of group automata and monoid automata still hold for more general classes of monoids and models. Extending previous work for finite automata over commutative groups, we demonstrate a context-free language that can not be recognized by any rational monoid automaton over a finitely generated permutable monoid. We show that the class of languages recognized by rational monoid automata over finitely generated completely simple or completely 0-simple permutable monoids is a semi-linear full trio. Furthermore, we investigate valence pushdown automata, and pr…
We study \emph{multiplicity equivalence} testing of automata over partially commutative monoids (pc monoids) and show efficient algorithms in special cases, exploiting the structure of the underlying non-commutation graph of the monoid. Specifically, if the clique cover number of the non-commutation graph (the minimum number of cliques covering the graph) of the pc monoid is a constant, we obtain a deterministic quasi-polynomial time algorithm. As a consequence, we also obtain the first deterministic quasi-polynomial time algorithms for multiplicity equivalence testing of $k$-tape automata and…
In 2007 Kambites presented an algebraic interpretation of Chomsky-Schutzenberger theorem for context-free languages. We give an interpretation of the corresponding theorem for the class of displacement context-free languages which are equivalent to well-nested multiple context-free languages. We also obtain a characterization of k-displacement context-free languages in terms of monoid automata and show how such automata can be simulated on two stacks. We introduce the simultaneous two-stack automata and compare different variants of its definition. All the definitions considered are shown to …
In this paper we introduce a weighted LTL over product $ω$-valuation monoids that satisfy specific properties. We also introduce weighted generalized Büchi automata with $\varepsilon$-transitions, as well as weighted Büchi automata with $\varepsilon$-transitions over product $ω$-valuation monoids and prove that these two models are expressively equivalent and also equivalent to weighted Büchi automata already introduced in the literature. We prove that every formula of a syntactic fragment of our logic can be effectively translated to a weighted generalized Büchi automaton with $\varepsilon$-t…
During the last decades, classical models in language theory have been extended by control mechanisms defined by monoids. We study which monoids cause the extensions of context-free grammars, finite automata, or finite state transducers to exceed the capacity of the original model. Furthermore, we investigate when, in the extended automata model, the nondeterministic variant differs from the deterministic one in capacity. We show that all these conditions are in fact equivalent and present an algebraic characterization. In particular, the open question of whether every language generated by a …
Valence automata are a generalization of various models of automata with storage. Here, each edge carries, in addition to an input word, an element of a monoid. A computation is considered valid if multiplying the monoid elements on the visited edges yields the identity element. By choosing suitable monoids, a variety of automata models can be obtained as special valence automata. This work is concerned with the accepting power of valence automata. Specifically, we ask for which monoids valence automata can accept only context-free languages or only languages with semilinear Parikh image, resp…
The first step when forming the polynomial hierarchies of languages is to consider languages of the form KaL where K and L are over a finite alphabet A and from a given variety V of languages, a being a letter from A. All such KaL's generate the variety of languages BPol1(V). We estimate the numerical parameters of the language KaL in terms of their values for K and L. These parameters include the state complexity of the minimal complete DFA and the size of the syntactic monoids. We also estimate the cardinality of the image of A* in the Schuetzenberger product of the syntactic monoids of K an…
This work studies which storage mechanisms in automata permit decidability of the emptiness problem. The question is formalized using valence automata, an abstract model of automata in which the storage mechanism is given by a monoid. For each of a variety of storage mechanisms, one can choose a (typically infinite) monoid $M$ such that valence automata over $M$ are equivalent to (one-way) automata with this type of storage. In fact, many important storage mechanisms can be realized by monoids defined by finite graphs, called graph monoids. Examples include pushdown stacks, partially blind cou…
We consider the computational power of silent transitions in one-way automata with storage. Specifically, we ask which storage mechanisms admit a transformation of a given automaton into one that accepts the same language and reads at least one input symbol in each step. We study this question using the model of valence automata. Here, a finite automaton is equipped with a storage mechanism that is given by a monoid. This work presents generalizations of known results on silent transitions. For two classes of monoids, it provides characterizations of those monoids that allow the removal of λ-t…
We consider the value 1 problem for probabilistic automata over finite words: it asks whether a given probabilistic automaton accepts words with probability arbitrarily close to 1. This problem is known to be undecidable. However, different algorithms have been proposed to partially solve it; it has been recently shown that the Markov Monoid algorithm, based on algebra, is the most correct algorithm so far. The first contribution of this paper is to give a characterisation of the Markov Monoid algorithm. The second contribution is to develop a profinite theory for probabilistic automata, calle…
For predual categories C and D we establish isomorphisms between opfibrations representing local varieties of languages in C, local pseudovarieties of D-monoids, and finitely generated profinite D-monoids. The global sections of these opfibrations are shown to correspond to varieties of languages in C, pseudovarieties of D-monoids, and profinite equational theories of D-monoids, respectively. As an application, we obtain a new proof of Eilenberg's variety theorem along with several related results, covering varieties of languages and their coalgebraic modifications, Straubing's C-varieties, fu…
We introduce (weighted) rational expressions to denote series over Cartesian products of monoids. To this end, we propose the operator $|$ to build multitape expressions such as $(a^+|x + b^+|y)^*$. We define expansions, which generalize the concept of derivative of a rational expression, but relieved from the need of a free monoid. We propose an algorithm based on expansions to build multitape automata from multitape expressions.
Eilenberg correspondence, based on the concept of syntactic monoids, relates varieties of regular languages with pseudovarieties of finite monoids. Various modifications of this correspondence related more general classes of regular languages with classes of more complex algebraic objects. Such generalized varieties also have natural counterparts formed by classes of finite automata equipped with a certain additional algebraic structure. In this survey, we overview several variants of such varieties of enriched automata.
This paper deals with the problem of recognizability of functions l: Sigma* --> M that map words to values in the support set M of a monoid (M,.,1). These functions are called M-languages. M-languages are studied from the aspect of their recognition by deterministic finite automata whose components take values on M (M-DFAs). The characterization of an M-language l is based on providing a right congruence on Sigma* that is defined through l and a factorization on the set of all M-languages, L(Sigma*,M) (in sort L). A factorization on L is a pair of functions (g,f) such that, for each l in L, g(…
Using automata-theoretic approach, Giambruno and Restivo have investigated on the intersection of two finitely generated submonoids of the free monoid over a finite alphabet. In particular, they have obtained Hanna Neumann property for a special class of submonoids generated by finite prefix sets. This work continues their work and provides a sufficient condition for Hanna Neumann property for the entire class of submonoids generated by finite prefix sets. In this connection, a general rank formula for the submonoids which are accepted by semi-flower automata is also obtained.
For a group $G$ and a finite set $A$, denote by $\text{CA}(G;A)$ the monoid of all cellular automata over $A^G$ and by $\text{ICA}(G;A)$ its group of units. We study the minimal cardinality of a generating set, known as the rank, of $\text{ICA}(G;A)$. In the first part, when $G$ is a finite group, we give upper bounds for the rank in terms of the number of conjugacy classes of subgroups of $G$. The case when $G$ is a finite cyclic group has been studied before, so here we focus on the cases when $G$ is a finite dihedral group or a finite Dedekind group. In the second part, we find a basic lowe…
Using combinatorial properties of incomplete sets in a free monoid we construct a series of n-state deterministic automata with zero whose shortest synchronizing word has length n^2/4+n/2-1.
In this paper, we for the first time obtain characterization of four fundamental notions of detectability for general labeled weighted automata over monoids (denoted by $\mathcal{A}^{\mathfrak{M}}$ for short), where the four notions are strong (periodic) detectability (SD and SPD) and weak (periodic) detectability (WD and WPD). Firstly, we formulate the notions of concurrent composition, observer, and detector for $\mathcal{A}^{\mathfrak{M}}$. Secondly, we use the concurrent composition to give an equivalent condition for SD, use the detector to give an equivalent condition for SPD, and use th…
We study a model of one-way quantum automaton where only measurement operations are allowed (MOn-1qfa). We give an algebraic characterization of LMO, showing that the syntactic monoids of the languages in LMO are exactly the literal pseudovariety of J-trivial literally idempotent monoids, where J is the Green's relation determined by two-sided ideals. We also prove that LMO coincides with the literal variety of literally idempotent piecewise testable regular languages. This allows us to prove the existence of a polynomial time algorithm for deciding whether a regular language belongs to LMO.
We use the notion of a partial action of a monoid to introduce a generalization of automata, which we call "a preautomaton". We study properties of preautomata and of languages recognized by preautomata.
Motivated by the Babai conjecture and the Cerny conjecture, we study the reset thresholds of automata with the transition monoid equal to the full monoid of transformations of the state set. For automata with $n$ states in this class, we prove that the reset thresholds are upper-bounded by $2n^2-6n+5$ and can attain the value $\tfrac{n(n-1)}{2}$. In addition, we study diameters of the pair digraphs of permutation automata and construct $n$-state permutation automata with diameter $\tfrac{n^2}{4} + o(n^2)$.
The theory of discrete stochastic systems has been initiated by the work of Shannon and von Neumann. While Shannon has considered memory-less communication channels and their generalization by introducing states, von Neumann has studied the synthesis of reliable systems from unreliable components. The fundamental work of Rabin and Scott about deterministic finite-state automata has led to two generalizations. First, the generalization of transition functions to conditional distributions studied by Carlyle and Starke. This in turn has led to a generalization of time-discrete Markov chains in wh…
We introduce formal languages over infinite alphabets where words may contain binders. We define the notions of nominal language, nominal monoid, and nominal regular expressions. Moreover, we extend history-dependent automata (HD-automata) by adding stack, and study the recognisability of nominal languages.
Congruences for stochastic automata are defined, the correspondin factor automata are constructed and investigated for automata ove analytic spaces. We study the behavior under finite and infinite streams. Congruences consist of multiple parts, it is shown that factoring can be done in multiple steps, guided by these parts.
We define compact automata and show that every language has a unique minimal compact automaton. We also define recognition of languages by compact left semitopological monoids and construct the analogue of the syntactic monoid in this context. For rational languages this reduces to the usual theory of finite automata and finite monoids.
The value 1 problem is a decision problem for probabilistic automata over finite words: are there words accepted by the automaton with arbitrarily high probability? Although undecidable, this problem attracted a lot of attention over the last few years. The aim of this paper is to review and relate the results pertaining to the value 1 problem. In particular, several algorithms have been proposed to partially solve this problem. We show the relations between them, leading to the following conclusion: the Markov Monoid Algorithm is the most correct algorithm known to (partially) solve the value…
We study a model of one-way quantum automaton where only measurement operations are allowed ($\mon$). We give an algebraic characterization of $\lmo(Σ)$, showing that the syntactic monoids of the languages in $\lmo(Σ)$ are exactly the $J$-trivial literally idempotent syntactic monoids, where $J$ is the Green's relation determined by two-sided ideals. We also prove that $\lmo(Σ)$ coincides with the literal variety of literally idempotent piecewise testable regular languages. This allows us to prove the existence of a polynomial time algorithm for deciding whether a regular language belongs to $…
Stochastic finite automata arise naturally in many language and speech processing tasks. They include stochastic acceptors, which represent certain probability distributions over random strings. We consider the problem of efficient sampling: drawing random string variates from the probability distribution represented by stochastic automata and transformations of those. We show that path-sampling is effective and can be efficient if the epsilon-graph of a finite automaton is acyclic. We provide an algorithm that ensures this by conflating epsilon-cycles within strongly connected components. Sam…
In this paper we adapt the well-known Brzozowski determinization method to fuzzy automata. This method gives better results than all previously known methods for determinization of fuzzy automata developed by Bělohlávek [Inform Sciences 143 (2002) 205--209], Li and Pedrycz [Fuzzy Set Syst 156 (2005) 68--92], Ignjatović et al. [Inform Sciences 178 (2008) 164--180], and Jančić et al. [Inform Sciences 181 (2011) 1358--1368]. Namely, as in the case of ordinary nondeterministic automata, Brzozowski type determinization of a fuzzy automaton results in a minimal crisp-deterministic fuzzy automaton eq…
In this paper we present two interesting properties of stochastic cellular automata that can be helpful in analyzing the dynamical behavior of such automata. The first property allows for calculating cell-wise probability distributions over the state set of a stochastic cellular automaton, i.e. images that show the average state of each cell during the evolution of the stochastic cellular automaton. The second property shows that stochastic cellular automata are equivalent to so-called stochastic mixtures of deterministic cellular automata. Based on this property, any stochastic cellular autom…
This work introduces a new problem, named as, affinity classification problem which is a generalization of the density classification problem. To solve this problem, we introduce temporally stochastic cellular automata where two rules are stochastically applied in each step on all cells of the automata. Our model is defined on 2-dimensional grid having affection capability. We show that this model can be used in several applications like modeling self-healing systems.
This paper introduces a simple formalism for dealing with deterministic, non- deterministic and stochastic cellular automata in an unified and composable manner. This formalism allows for local probabilistic correlations, a feature which is not present in usual definitions. We show that this feature allows for strictly more behaviors (for instance, number conserving stochastic cellular automata require these local probabilistic correlations). We also show that several problems which are deceptively simple in the usual definitions, become undecidable when we allow for local probabilistic correl…
This work aims at further investigations on the work of Giambruno and Restivo to find the rank of the intersection of two finitely generated submonoids of a free monoid. In this connection, we obtain the rank of a finitely generated submonoid of a free monoid that is accepted by semi-flower automaton with two bpi's. Further, when the product automaton of two deterministic semi-flower automata with a unique bpi is semi-flower with two bpi's, we obtain a sufficient condition on the product automaton in order to satisfy the Hanna Neumann property.
The paper proposes a simple formalism for dealing with deterministic, non-deterministic and stochastic cellular automata in a unifying and composable manner. Armed with this formalism, we extend the notion of intrinsic simulation between deterministic cellular automata, to the non-deterministic and stochastic settings. We then provide explicit tools to prove or disprove the existence of such a simulation between two stochastic cellular automata, even though the intrinsic simulation relation is shown to be undecidable in dimension two and higher. The key result behind this is the caracterizatio…
In this dissertation, we study temporally stochasticity in cellular automata and the behavior of such cellular automata. The work also explores the computational ability of such cellular automaton that illustrates the computability of solving the affinity classification problem. In addition to that, a cellular automaton, defined over Cayley tree, is shown as the classical searching problem solver. The proposed temporally stochastic cellular automata deals with two elementary cellular automata rules, say $f$ and $g$. The $f$ is the default rule, however, $g$ is temporally applied to the overall…
Stochastic languages are the languages recognized by probabilistic finite automata (PFAs) with cutpoint over the field of real numbers. More general computational models over the same field such as generalized finite automata (GFAs) and quantum finite automata (QFAs) define the same class. In 1963, Rabin proved the set of stochastic languages to be uncountable presenting a single 2-state PFA over the binary alphabet recognizing uncountably many languages depending on the cutpoint. In this paper, we show the same result for unary stochastic languages. Namely, we exhibit a 2-state unary GFA, a 2…
The model of programs over (finite) monoids, introduced by Barrington and Thérien, gives an interesting way to characterise the circuit complexity class $\mathsf{NC^1}$ and its subclasses and showcases deep connections with algebraic automata theory. In this article, we investigate the computational power of programs over monoids in $\mathbf{J}$, a small variety of finite aperiodic monoids. First, we give a fine hierarchy within the class of languages recognised by programs over monoids from $\mathbf{J}$, based on the length of programs but also some parametrisation of $\mathbf{J}$. Second, an…
Markov automata (MA) constitute an expressive continuous-time compositional modelling formalism. They appear as semantic backbones for engineering frameworks including dynamic fault trees, Generalised Stochastic Petri Nets, and AADL. Their expressive power has thus far precluded them from effective analysis by probabilistic (and statistical) model checkers, stochastic game solvers, or analysis tools for Petri net-like formalisms. This paper presents the foundations and underlying algorithms for efficient MA modelling, reduction using static analysis, and most importantly, quantitative analysis…
