Concurrent Kleene Algebra (CKA) extends basic Kleene algebra with a parallel composition operator, which enables reasoning about concurrent programs. However, CKA fundamentally misses tests, which are needed to model standard programming constructs such as conditionals and $\mathsf{while}$-loops. It turns out that integrating tests in CKA is subtle, due to their interaction with parallelism. In this paper we provide a solution in the form of Concurrent Kleene Algebra with Observations (CKAO). Our main contribution is a completeness theorem for CKAO. Our result resorts on a more general study of CKA "with hypotheses", of which CKAO turns out to be an instance: this analysis is of independent interest, as it can be applied to extensions of CKA other than CKAO.
Concurrent Kleene Algebra is an elegant tool for equational reasoning about concurrent programs. An important feature of concurrent programs that is missing from CKA is the ability to restrict legal interleavings. To remedy this we extend the standard model of CKA, namely pomsets, with a new feature, called boxes, which can specify that part of the system is protected from outside interference. We study the algebraic properties of this new model. Another drawback of CKA is that the language used for expressing properties of programs is the same as that which is used to express programs themsel…
We show how concurrent quantales and concurrent Kleene algebras arise as convolution algebras $Q^X$ of functions from structures $X$ with two ternary relations that satisfy relational interchange laws into concurrent quantales or Kleene algebras $Q$. The elements of $Q$ can be understood as weights; the case $Q=\bool$ corresponds to a powerset lifting. We develop a correspondence theory between relational properties in $X$ and algebraic properties in $Q$ and $Q^X$ in the sense of modal and substructural logics, and boolean algebras with operators. As examples, we construct the concurrent quant…
We introduce partially observable concurrent Kleene algebra (POCKA), an algebraic framework to reason about concurrent programs with control structures, such as conditionals and loops. POCKA enables reasoning about programs that can access variables and values, which we illustrate through concrete examples. We prove that POCKA is a sound and complete axiomatisation of a model of partial observations, and show the semantics passes an important check for sequential consistency.
Concurrent Kleene Algebra (CKA) is a mathematical formalism to study programs that exhibit concurrent behaviour. As with previous extensions of Kleene Algebra, characterizing the free model is crucial in order to develop the foundations of the theory and potential applications. For CKA, this has been an open question for a few years and this paper makes an important step towards an answer. We present a new automaton model and a Kleene-like theorem that relates a relaxed version of CKA to series-parallel pomset languages, which are a natural candidate for the free model. There are two substanti…
In this paper we present a detailed proof of an important result of algebraic logic: namely that the free commutative Kleene algebra is the space of semilinear sets. The first proof of this result was proposed by Redko in 1964, and simplified and corrected by Pilling in his 1970 thesis. However, we feel that a new account of this proof is needed now. This result has acquired a particular importance in recent years, since it is a key component in the completeness proofs of several algebraic models of concurrent computations (bi-Kleene algebra, concurrent Kleene algebra...). To that effect, we p…
Kleene algebra with tests (KAT) is an algebraic framework for reasoning about the control flow of sequential programs. Generalising KAT to reason about concurrent programs is not straightforward, because axioms native to KAT in conjunction with expected axioms for concurrency lead to an anomalous equation. In this paper, we propose Kleene algebra with observations (KAO), a variant of KAT, as an alternative foundation for extending KAT to a concurrent setting. We characterise the free model of KAO, and establish a decision procedure w.r.t. its equational theory.
Local Completeness Logic (LCL) has been put forward as a program logic for proving both the correctness and incorrectness of program specifications. LCL is an abstract logic, parameterized by an abstract domain that allows combining over- and under-approximations of program behaviors. It turns out that LCL instantiated to the trivial singleton abstraction boils down to O'Hearn incorrectness logic, which allows us to prove the presence of program bugs. It has been recently proved that suitable extensions of Kleene algebra with tests (KAT) allow representing both O'Hearn incorrectness and Hoare …
