Unfolding of Finite Concurrent Automata

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the unfolding of finite concurrent automata results in a class of graphs with decidable first-order reachability theories, expanding the understanding of automatic structures in concurrent systems.

Contribution

It introduces a new class of graphs from concurrent automata unfoldings with decidable FO[Reach] theories, not limited to ground term rewriting graphs.

Findings

Unfoldings of finite concurrent automata are RTL graphs.

The FO[Reach] theory is decidable for these unfoldings.

The infinite grid tree is an example of a non-ground term rewriting graph with decidable FO[Reach].

Abstract

We consider recognizable trace rewriting systems with level-regular contexts (RTL). A trace language is level-regular if the set of Foata normal forms of its elements is regular. We prove that the rewriting graph of a RTL is word-automatic. Thus its first-order theory is decidable. Then, we prove that the concurrent unfolding of a finite concurrent automaton with the reachability relation is a RTL graph. It follows that the first-order theory with the reachability predicate (FO[Reach] theory) of such an unfolding is decidable. It is known that this property holds also for the ground term rewriting graphs. We provide examples of finite concurrent automata of which the concurrent unfoldings fail to be ground term rewriting graphs. The infinite grid tree (for each vertex of an infinite grid, there is an edge from this vertex to the origin of a copy of the infinite grid) is such an unfolding. We prove that the infinite grid tree is not a ground term rewriting graph. We have thus obtained a new class of graphs for with a decidable FO[Reach] theory.