Kleene algebra with tests is an extension of Kleene algebra, the algebra of regular expressions, which can be used to reason about programs. We develop a coalgebraic theory of Kleene algebra with tests, along the lines of the coalgebraic theory of regular expressions based on deterministic automata. Since the known automata-theoretic presentation of Kleene algebra with tests does not lend itself to a coalgebraic theory, we define a new interpretation of Kleene algebra with tests expressions and a corresponding automata-theoretic presentation. One outcome of the theory is a coinductive proof principle, that can be used to establish equivalence of our Kleene algebra with tests expressions.
Guarded Kleene Algebra with Tests (GKAT) is an efficient fragment of KAT, as it allows for almost linear decidability of equivalence. In this paper, we study the (co)algebraic properties of GKAT. Our initial focus is on the fragment that can distinguish between unsuccessful programs performing different actions, by omitting the so-called early termination axiom. We develop an operational (coalgebraic) and denotational (algebraic) semantics and show that they coincide. We then characterize the behaviors of GKAT expressions in this semantics, leading to a coequation that captures the covariety o…
We introduce a generic expression language describing behaviours of finite coalgebras over sets; besides relational systems, this covers, e.g., weighted, probabilistic, and neighbourhood-based system types. We prove a generic Kleene-type theorem establishing a correspondence between our expressions and finite systems. Our expression language is similar to one introduced in previous work by Myers but has a semantics defined in terms of a particular form of predicate liftings as used in coalgebraic modal logic; in fact, our expressions can be regarded as a particular type of modal fixed point fo…
We show that the axioms of Weak Kleene Algebra (WKA) are sound and complete for the theory of regular expressions modulo simulation equivalence, assuming their completeness for monodic trees (as conjectured by Takai and Furusawa).
Guarded Kleene Algebra with Tests (GKAT) is a variation on Kleene Algebra with Tests (KAT) that arises by restricting the union ($+$) and iteration ($*$) operations from KAT to predicate-guarded versions. We develop the (co)algebraic theory of GKAT and show how it can be efficiently used to reason about imperative programs. In contrast to KAT, whose equational theory is PSPACE-complete, we show that the equational theory of GKAT is (almost) linear time. We also provide a full Kleene theorem and prove completeness for an analogue of Salomaa's axiomatization of Kleene Algebra.
An open problem posed by Milner asks for a proof that a certain axiomatisation, which Milner showed is sound with respect to bisimilarity for regular expressions, is also complete. One of the main difficulties of the problem is the lack of a full Kleene theorem, since there are automata that can not be specified, up to bisimilarity, by an expression. Grabmayer and Fokkink (2020) characterise those automata that can be expressed by regular expressions without the constant 1, and use this characterisation to give a positive answer to Milner's question for this subset of expressions. In this pape…
It is shown that antidomain semirings are more expressive than test semirings and that Kleene algebras with domain are more expressive than Kleene algebras with tests. It is also shown that Kleene algebras with domain are expressive for propositional Hoare logic whereas Kleene algebras with tests are not.
We define the notion of a partially additive Kleene algebra, which is a Kleene algebra where the + operation need only be partially defined. These structures formalize a number of examples that cannot be handled directly by Kleene algebras. We relate partially additive Kleene algebras to existing algebraic structures, by exhibiting categorical connections with Kleene algebras, partially additive categories, and closed semirings.
In this paper, we investigate the many-valued version of coalgebraic modal logic through predicate lifting approach. Coalgebras, understood as generic transition systems, can serve as semantic structures for various kinds of modal logics. A well-known result in coalgebraic modal logic is that its completeness can be determined at the one-step level. We generalize the result to the finitely many-valued case by using the canonical model construction method. We prove the result for coalgebraic modal logics based on three different many-valued algebraic structures, including the finitely-valued Łu…
Weighted programs generalize probabilistic programs and offer a framework for specifying and encoding mathematical models by means of an algorithmic representation. Kleene algebra with tests is an algebraic formalism based on regular expressions with applications in proving program equivalence. We extend the language of Kleene algebra with tests so that it is sufficient to formalize reasoning about a simplified version weighted programs. We introduce relational semantics for the extended language, and we generalize the relational semantics to an appropriate extension of Kleene algebra with tes…
We propose Kleene algebra with domain (KAD), an extension of Kleene algebra with two equational axioms for a domain and a codomain operation, respectively. KAD considerably augments the expressiveness of Kleene algebra, in particular for the specification and analysis of state transition systems. We develop the basic calculus, discuss some related theories and present the most important models of KAD. We demonstrate applicability by two examples: First, an algebraic reconstruction of Noethericity and well-foundedness; second, an algebraic reconstruction of propositional Hoare logic.
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.
We present a Coq library about Kleene algebra with tests, including a proof of their completeness over the appropriate notion of languages, a decision procedure for their equational theory, and tools for exploiting hypotheses of a particular shape in such a theory. Kleene algebra with tests make it possible to represent if-then-else statements and while loops in most imperative programming languages. They were actually introduced by Kozen as an alternative to propositional Hoare logic. We show how to exploit the corresponding Coq tools in the context of program verification by proving equivale…
We provide an extension of concurrent Kleene algebras to account for probabilistic properties. The algebra yields a unified framework containing nondeterminism, concurrency and probability and is sound with respect to the set of probabilistic automata modulo probabilistic simulation. We use the resulting algebra to generalise the algebraic formulation of a variant of Jones' rely/guarantee calculus.
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 …
A Kleene semiring is an algebraic structure satisfying the axioms of Kleene algebra, minus the annihilation axioms (x.0 = 0 = 0.x). We show that Kleene semirings (like Kleene algebras) admit the efficient elimination of various kinds of equational hypotheses, in particular Hoare formulas (t=0, where t is an arbitrary term). Our method is purely proof-theoretic, and can be used to eliminate Horn hypotheses in any suitable Horn-equational theory. Moreover, it gives a simple condition under which hypotheses eliminations can be combined.
Kozen and Tiuryn have introduced the substructural logic $\mathsf{S}$ for reasoning about correctness of while programs (ACM TOCL, 2003). The logic $\mathsf{S}$ distinguishes between tests and partial correctness assertions, representing the latter by special implicational formulas. Kozen and Tiuryn's logic extends Kleene altebra with tests, where partial correctness assertions are represented by equations, not terms. Kleene algebra with codomain, $\mathsf{KAC}$, is a one-sorted alternative to Kleene algebra with tests that expands Kleene algebra with an operator that allows to construct a Boo…
Synchronous Kleene algebra (SKA), an extension of Kleene algebra (KA), was proposed by Prisacariu as a tool for reasoning about programs that may execute synchronously, i.e., in lock-step. We provide a countermodel witnessing that the axioms of SKA are incomplete w.r.t. its language semantics, by exploiting a lack of interaction between the synchronous product operator and the Kleene star. We then propose an alternative set of axioms for SKA, based on Salomaa's axiomatisation of regular languages, and show that these provide a sound and complete characterisation w.r.t. the original language se…
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 o…
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…
We give a new true-concurrent model for probabilistic concurrent Kleene algebra. The model is based on probabilistic event structures, which combines ideas from Katoen's work on probabilistic concurrency and Varacca's probabilistic prime event structures. The event structures are compared with a true-concurrent version of Segala's probabilistic simulation. Finally, the algebraic properties of the model are summarised to the extent that they can be used to derive techniques such as probabilistic rely/guarantee inference rules.
Given a universal Horn formula of Kleene algebra with hypotheses of the form r = 0, it is already known that we can efficiently construct an equation which is valid if and only if the Horn formula is valid. This is an example of <i>elimination of hypotheses</i>, which is useful because the equational theory of Kleene algebra is decidable while the universal Horn theory is not. We show that hypotheses of the form r = 0 can still be eliminated in the presence of other hypotheses. This lets us extend any technique for eliminating hypotheses to include hypotheses of the form r = 0.
We show that any regular pseudocomplemented Kleene algebra defined on an algebraic lattice is isomorphic to a rough set Kleene algebra determined by a tolerance induced by an irredundant covering.
Monads are extensively used nowadays to abstractly model a wide range of computational effects such as nondeterminism, statefulness, and exceptions. It turns out that equipping a monad with a (uniform) iteration operator satisfying a set of natural axioms allows for modelling iterative computations just as abstractly. The emerging monads are called complete Elgot monads. It has been shown recently that extending complete Elgot monads with free effects (e.g. operations of sending/receiving messages over channels) canonically leads to generalized coalgebraic resumption monads, previously used as…
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.
Kleene algebra with tests, KAT, provides a simple two-sorted algebraic framework for verifying properties of propositional while programs. Kleene algebra with domain, KAD, is a one-sorted alternative to KAT. The equational theory of KAT embeds into KAD, but KAD lacks some natural properties of KAT. For instance, not each Kleene algebra expands to a KAD, and the subalgebra of tests in each KAD is forced to be the maximal Boolean subalgebra of the negative cone. In this paper we propose a generalization of KAD that avoids these features while still embedding the equational theory of KAT. We show…
Energy problems are important in the formal analysis of embedded or autonomous systems. Using recent results on star-continuous Kleene omega-algebras, we show here that energy problems can be solved by algebraic manipulations on the transition matrix of energy automata. To this end, we prove general results about certain classes of finitely additive functions on complete lattices which should be of a more general interest.
Reactive programs are ubiquitous in modern applications, and so verification is highly desirable. We present a verification strategy for reactive programs with a large or infinite state space utilising algebraic laws for reactive relations. We define novel operators to characterise interactions and state updates, and an associated equational theory. With this we can calculate a reactive program's denotational semantics, and thereby facilitate automated proof. Of note is our reasoning support for iterative programs with reactive invariants, which is supported by Kleene algebra. We illustrate ou…
Concurrent Kleene Algebra (CKA) is a recently proposed algebraic structure by Hoare and collaborators that unifies the laws of concurrent programming. The unifying power of CKA rests largely on the so-called exchange law that describes how concurrent and sequential composition operators can be interchanged. Based on extensive theoretical work on true concurrency in the past, this paper extends Gischer's pomset model with least fixed point operators and formalizes the program refinement relation by Ésik's monotonic bijective morphisms to construct a partial order model of CKA. The existence of …
We consider algebras of languages over the signature of reversible Kleene lattices, that is the regular operations (empty and unit languages, union, concatenation and Kleene star) together with intersection and mirror image. We provide a complete set of axioms for the equational theory of these algebras. This proof was developed in the proof assistant Coq.
We introduce the two substructural propositional logics KL, KL+, which use disjunction, fusion and a unary, (quasi-)exponential connective. For both we prove strong completeness with respect to the interpretation in Kleene algebras and a variant thereof. We also prove strong completeness for language models, where each logic comes with a different interpretation. We show that for both logics the cut rule is admissible and both have a decidable consequence relation.
We study the finitary version of the coalgebraic logic introduced by L. Moss. The syntax of this logic, which is introduced uniformly with respect to a coalgebraic type functor, required to preserve weak pullbacks, extends that of classical propositional logic with a so-called coalgebraic cover modality depending on the type functor. Its semantics is defined in terms of a categorically defined relation lifting operation. As the main contributions of our paper we introduce a derivation system, and prove that it provides a sound and complete axiomatization for the collection of coalgebraically v…
We present a reflexive tactic for deciding the equational theory of Kleene algebras in the Coq proof assistant. This tactic relies on a careful implementation of efficient finite automata algorithms, so that it solves casual equations instantaneously and properly scales to larger expressions. The decision procedure is proved correct and complete: correctness is established w.r.t. any model by formalising Kozen's initiality theorem; a counter-example is returned when the given equation does not hold. The correctness proof is challenging: it involves both a precise analysis of the underlying aut…
First we identify the free algebras of the class of algebras of binary relations equipped with the composition and domain operations. Elements of the free algebras are pointed labelled finite rooted trees. Then we extend to the analogous case when the signature includes all the Kleene algebra with domain operations; that is, we add union and reflexive transitive closure to the signature. In this second case, elements of the free algebras are 'regular' sets of the trees of the first case. As a corollary, the axioms of domain semirings provide a finite quasiequational axiomatisation of the equat…
With the purpose of unifying a number of approaches to energy problems found in the literature, we introduce generalized energy automata. These are finite automata whose edges are labeled with energy functions that define how energy levels evolve during transitions. Uncovering a close connection between energy problems and reachability and Büchi acceptance for semiring-weighted automata, we show that these generalized energy problems are decidable. We also provide complexity results for important special cases.
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…
