Bisimilarity and refinement for hybrid(ised) logics

TL;DR

This paper introduces new notions of bisimilarity and refinement for hybridised logics, extending standard specification logics with modal and hybrid features to better model and analyze reconfigurable software systems.

Contribution

It systematically develops bisimilarity and refinement concepts for hybridised logics, broadening their applicability to various specification frameworks.

Findings

Defines bisimilarity for hybridised logics

Establishes refinement notions for hybrid models

Provides a systematic approach applicable to multiple logics

Abstract

The complexity of modern software systems entails the need for reconfiguration mechanisms gov- erning the dynamic evolution of their execution configurations in response to both external stimulus or internal performance measures. Formally, such systems may be represented by transition systems whose nodes correspond to the different configurations they may assume. Therefore, each node is en- dowed with, for example, an algebra, or a first-order structure, to precisely characterise the semantics of the services provided in the corresponding configuration. Hybrid logics, which add to the modal description of transition structures the ability to refer to specific states, offer a generic framework to approach the specification and design of this sort of systems. Therefore, the quest for suitable notions of equivalence and refinement between models of hybrid logic specifications becomes fundamental to any design discipline adopting this perspective. This paper contributes to this effort from a distinctive point of view: instead of focussing on a specific hybrid logic, the paper introduces notions of bisimilarity and refinement for hybridised logics, i.e. standard specification logics (e.g. propositional, equational, fuzzy, etc) to which modal and hybrid features were added in a systematic way.