Showing papers on "Undecidable problem published in 2016"

String solving with word equations and transducers: towards a logic for analysing mutation XSS

Abstract: We study the fundamental issue of decidability of satisfiability over string logics with concatenations and finite-state transducers as atomic operations. Although restricting to one type of operations yields decidability, little is known about the decidability of their combined theory, which is especially relevant when analysing security vulnerabilities of dynamic web pages in a more realistic browser model. On the one hand, word equations (string logic with concatenations) cannot precisely capture sanitisation functions (e.g. htmlescape) and implicit browser transductions (e.g. innerHTML mutations). On the other hand, transducers suffer from the reverse problem of being able to model sanitisation functions and browser transductions, but not string concatenations. Naively combining word equations and transducers easily leads to an undecidable logic. Our main contribution is to show that the "straight-line fragment" of the logic is decidable (complexity ranges from PSPACE to EXPSPACE). The fragment can express the program logics of straight-line string-manipulating programs with concatenations and transductions as atomic operations, which arise when performing bounded model checking or dynamic symbolic executions. We demonstrate that the logic can naturally express constraints required for analysing mutation XSS in web applications. Finally, the logic remains decidable in the presence of length, letter-counting, regular, indexOf, and disequality constraints.

Tsirelson's problem and an embedding theorem for groups arising from non-local games

Abstract: Tsirelson's problem asks whether the commuting operator model for two-party quantum correlations is equivalent to the tensor-product model. We give a negative answer to this question by showing that there are non-local games which have perfect commuting-operator strategies, but do not have perfect tensor-product strategies. The weak Tsirelson problem, which is known to be equivalent to Connes embedding problem, remains open. The examples we construct are instances of (binary) linear system games. For such games, previous results state that the existence of perfect strategies is controlled by the solution group of the linear system. Our main result is that every finitely-presented group embeds in some solution group. As an additional consequence, we show that the problem of determining whether a linear system game has a perfect commuting-operator strategy is undecidable.

How hard is the tensor rank

Abstract: We investigate the computational complexity of tensor rank, a concept that plays fundamental role in different topics of modern applied mathematics. For tensors over any integral domain, we prove that the rank problem is polynomial time equivalent to solving a system of polynomial equations over this integral domain. Our result gives a complete description of the algorithmic complexity of tensor rank and allows one to solve several known open problems. In particular, the tensor rank over $\mathbb{Z}$ turns out to be undecidable, which answers the question posed by Gonzalez and Ja'Ja' in 1980. We generalize our result and prove that the symmetric rank admits a similar description of computational complexity as the one we give for usual rank. In particular, computing the symmetric rank of a rational tensor is shown to be NP-hard, which proves a recent conjecture of Hillar and Lim. As a byproduct of our approach, we get a similar characterization of the algorithmic complexity of the minimal rank matrix completion problem, which gives a complete answer to the question discussed in 1999 by Buss, Frandsen, and Shallit.

Parameterized Verification of Asynchronous Shared-Memory Systems

Abstract: We characterize the complexity of the safety verification problem for parameterized systems consisting of a leader process and arbitrarily many anonymous and identical contributors. Processes communicate through a shared, bounded-value register. While each operation on the register is atomic, there is no synchronization primitive to execute a sequence of operations atomically.We analyze the complexity of the safety verification problem when processes are modeled by finite-state machines, pushdown machines, and Turing machines. The problem is coNP-complete when all processes are finite-state machines, and is PSPACE-complete when they are pushdown machines. The complexity remains coNP-complete when each Turing machine is allowed boundedly many interactions with the register. Our proofs use combinatorial characterizations of computations in the model, and in the case of pushdown systems, some language-theoretic constructions of independent interest. Our results are surprising, because parameterized verification problems on slight variations of our model are known to be undecidable. For example, the problem is undecidable for finite-state machines operating with synchronization primitives, and already for two communicating pushdown machines. Thus, our results show that a robust, decidable class can be obtained under the assumptions of anonymity and asynchrony.

Temporalized EL ontologies for accessing temporal data: complexity of atomic queries

Abstract: We study access to temporal data with TEL, a temporal extension of the tractable description logic EL. Our aim is to establish a clear computational complexity landscape for the atomic query answering problem, in terms of both data and combined complexity. Atomic queries in full TEL turn out to be undecidable even in data complexity. Motivated by the negative result, we identify well-behaved yet expressive fragments of TEL. Our main contributions are a semantic and sufficient syntactic conditions for decidability and three orthogonal tractable fragments, which are based on restricted use of rigid roles, temporal operators, and novel acyclicity conditions on the ontologies.

Deciding Hyperproperties

Abstract: Hyperproperties, like observational determinism or symmetry, cannot be expressed as properties of individual computation traces, because they describe a relation between multiple computation traces HyperLTL is a temporal logic that captures such relations through trace variables, which are introduced through existential and universal trace quantifiers and can be used to refer to multiple computations at the same time In this paper, we study the satisfiability problem of HyperLTL We show that the problem is PSPACE-complete for alternation-free formulas (and, hence, no more expensive than LTL satisfiability), EXPSPACE-complete for exists-forall-formulas, and undecidable for forall-exists-formulas Many practical hyperproperties can be expressed as alternation-free formulas Our results show that both satisfiability and implication are decidable for such properties

The Undecidability of Quantified Announcements

Abstract: This paper demonstrates the undecidability of a number of logics with quantification over public announcements: arbitrary public announcement logic (APAL), group announcement logic (GAL), and coalition announcement logic (CAL). In APAL we consider the informative consequences of any announcement, in GAL we consider the informative consequences of a group of agents (this group may be a proper subset of the set of all agents) all of which are simultaneously (and publicly) making known announcements. So this is more restrictive than APAL. Finally, CAL is as GAL except that we now quantify over anything the agents not in that group may announce simultaneously as well. The logic CAL therefore has some features of game logic and of ATL. We show that when there are multiple agents in the language, the satisfiability problem is undecidable for APAL, GAL, and CAL. In the single agent case, the satisfiability problem is decidable for all three logics.

Decidability Border for Petri Nets with Data: WQO Dichotomy Conjecture

Abstract: In Petri nets with data, every token carries a data value, and executability of a transition is conditioned by a relation between data values involved. Decidability status of various decision problems for Petri nets with data may depend on the structure of data domain. For instance, if data values are only tested for equality, decidability status of the reachability problem is unknown (but decidability is conjectured). On the other hand, the reachability problem is undecidable if data values are additionally equipped with a total ordering.

Decision Problems for Parametric Timed Automata

Abstract: Parametric timed automata (PTAs) allow to reason on systems featuring concurrency and timing constraints making use of parameters. Most problems are undecidable for PTAs, including the parametric reachability emptiness problem, i.e., whether at least one parameter valuation allows to reach some discrete state. In this paper, we first exhibit a subclass of PTAs (namely integer-points PTAs) with bounded rational-valued parameters for which the parametric reachability emptiness problem is decidable. Second, we present further results improving the boundary between decidability and undecidability for PTAs and their subclasses.

Division by zero

Abstract: For any sufficiently strong theory of arithmetic, the set of Diophantine equations provably unsolvable in the theory is algorithmically undecidable, as a consequence of the MRDP theorem. In contrast, we show decidability of Diophantine equations provably unsolvable in Robinson's arithmetic Q. The argument hinges on an analysis of a particular class of equations, hitherto unexplored in Diophantine literature. We also axiomatize the universal fragment of Q in the process.

A Complete Decision Procedure for Linearly Compositional Separation Logic with Data Constraints

Abstract: Separation logic is a widely adopted formalism to verify programs manipulating dynamic data structures. Entailment checking of separation logic constitutes a crucial step for the verification of such programs. In general this problem is undecidable, hence only incomplete decision procedures are provided in most state-of-the-art tools. In this paper, we define a linearly compositional fragment of separation logic with inductive definitions, where traditional shape properties for linear data structures, as well as data constraints, e.g., the sortedness property and size constraints, can be specified in a unified framework. We provide complete decision procedures for both the satisfiability and the entailment problem, which are in NP and $$\mathrm{\varPi }^\mathrm{P}_3$$ respectively.

Parameterized Compositional Model Checking

Abstract: The Parameterized Compositional Model Checking Problem PCMCP is to decide, using compositional proofs, whether a property holds for every instance of a parameterized family of process networks. Compositional analysis focuses attention on the neighborhood structure of processes in the network family. For the verification of safety properties, the PCMCP is shown to be much more tractable than the more general Parameterized Model Checking Problem PMCP. For example, the PMCP is undecidable for ring networks while the PCMCP is decidable in polynomial time. This result generalizes to toroidal mesh networks and related networks for describing parallel architectures. Decidable models of the PCMCP are also shown for networks of control and user processes. The results are based on the demonstration of compositional cutoffs; that is, small instances whose compositional proofs generalize to the entire parametric family. There are, however, control-user models where the PCMCP and the PMCP are both undecidable.

Red Spider Meets a Rainworm: Conjunctive Query Finite Determinacy Is Undecidable

Abstract: We solve a well known and long-standing open problem in database theory, proving that Conjunctive Query Finite Determinacy Problem is undecidable. The technique we use builds on the top of the Red Spider method invented in our paper [GM15] to show undecidability of the same problem in the "unrestricted case" -- when database instances are allowed to be infinite. We also show a specific instance Q0, Q= \Q1, Q2, ... Qk} such that the set Q of CQs does not determine CQQ0 but finitely determines it. Finally, we claim that while Q0 is finitely determined by Q, there is no FO-rewriting of Q0, with respect to Q

On the impact of modal depth in epistemic planning

Abstract: Epistemic planning is a variant of automated planning in the framework of dynamic epistemic logic. In recent works, the epistemic planning problem has been proved to be undecidable when preconditions of events can be epistemic formulas of arbitrary complexity, and in particular arbitrary modal depth. It is known however that when preconditions are propositional (and there are no postconditions), the problem is between PSPACE and EXPSPACE. In this work we bring two new pieces to the picture. First, we prove that the epistemic planning problem with propositional preconditions and without postconditions is in PSPACE, and is thus PSPACE-complete. Second, we prove that very simple epistemic preconditions are enough to make the epistemic planning problem undecidable: preconditions of modal depth at most two suffice.

Model Checking Population Protocols

Abstract: Population protocols are a model for parameterized systems in which a set of identical, anonymous, finite-state processes interact pairwise through rendezvous synchronization. In each step, the pair of interacting processes is chosen by a random scheduler. Angluin et al. (PODC 2004) studied population protocols as a distributed computation model. They characterized the computational power in the limit (semi-linear predicates) of a subclass of protocols (the well-specified ones). However, the modeling power of protocols go beyond computation of semi-linear predicates and they can be used to study a wide range of distributed protocols, such as asynchronous leader election or consensus, stochastic evolutionary processes, or chemical reaction networks. Correspondingly, one is interested in checking specifications on these protocols that go beyond the well-specified computation of predicates. In this paper, we characterize the decidability frontier for the model checking problem for population protocols against probabilistic linear-time specifications. We show that the model checking problem is decidable for qualitative objectives, but as hard as the reachability problem for Petri nets - a well-known hard problem without known elementary algorithms. On the other hand, model checking is undecidable for quantitative properties.

Some undecidability results for asynchronous transducers and the Brin-Thompson group 2V

Abstract: Using a result of Kari and Ollinger, we prove that the torsion problem for elements of the Brin-Thompson group 2V is undecidable. As a result, we show that there does not exist an algorithm to determine whether an element of the rational group R of Grigorchuk, Nekrashevich, and Sushchanskii has finite order. A modification of the construction gives other undecidability results about the dynamics of the action of elements of 2V on Cantor Space. Arzhantseva, Lafont, and Minasyanin prove in 2012 that there exists a finitely presented group with solvable word problem and unsolvable torsion problem. To our knowledge, 2V furnishes the first concrete example of such a group, and gives an example of a direct undecidability result in the extended family of R. Thompson type groups.

Lattice-theoretic progress measures and coalgebraic model checking

Abstract: In the context of formal verification in general and model checking in particular, parity games serve as a mighty vehicle: many problems are encoded as parity games, which are then solved by the seminal algorithm by Jurdzinski. In this paper we identify the essence of this workflow to be the notion of progress measure, and formalize it in general, possibly infinitary, lattice-theoretic terms. Our view on progress measures is that they are to nested/alternating fixed points what invariants are to safety/greatest fixed points, and what ranking functions are to liveness/least fixed points. That is, progress measures are combination of the latter two notions (invariant and ranking function) that have been extensively studied in the context of (program) verification. We then apply our theory of progress measures to a general model-checking framework, where systems are categorically presented as coalgebras. The framework's theoretical robustness is witnessed by a smooth transfer from the branching-time setting to the linear-time one. Although the framework can be used to derive some decision procedures for finite settings, we also expect the proposed framework to form a basis for sound proof methods for some undecidable/infinitary problems.

Quasi-decidability of a Fragment of the First-Order Theory of Real Numbers

Abstract: In this paper we consider a fragment of the first-order theory of the real numbers that includes systems of n equations in n variables, and for which all functions are computable in the sense that it is possible to compute arbitrarily close interval approximations. Even though this fragment is undecidable, we prove that--under the additional assumption of bounded domains--there is a (possibly non-terminating) algorithm for checking satisfiability such that (1) whenever it terminates, it computes a correct answer, and (2) it always terminates when the input is robust. A formula is robust, if its satisfiability does not change under small continuous perturbations. We also prove that it is not possible to generalize this result to the full first-order language--removing the restriction on the number of equations versus number of variables. As a basic tool for our algorithm we use the notion of degree from the field of topology.

The MSO+U theory of (N, <) is undecidable

Abstract: We consider the logic MSO+U, which is monadic second-order logic extended with the unbounding quantifier. The unbounding quantifier is used to say that a property of finite sets holds for sets of arbitrarily large size. We prove that the logic is undecidable on infinite words, i.e. the MSO+U theory of (N,<) is undecidable. This settles an open problem about the logic, and improves a previous undecidability result, which used infinite trees and additional axioms from set theory.

On the satisfiability problem for SPARQL patterns

Abstract: The satisfiability problem for SPARQL 1.0 patterns is undecidable in general, since the relational algebra can be emulated using such patterns. The goal of this paper is to delineate the boundary of decidability of satisfiability in terms of the constraints allowed in filter conditions. The classes of constraints considered are bound-constraints, negated bound-constraints, equalities, nonequalities, constant-equalities, and constant-nonequalities. The main result of the paper can be summarized by saying that, as soon as inconsistent filter conditions can be formed, satisfiability is undecidable. The key insight in each case is to find a way to emulate the set difference operation. Undecidability can then be obtained from a known undecidability result for the algebra of binary relations with union, composition, and set difference. When no inconsistent filter conditions can be formed, satisfiability is decidable by syntactic checks on bound variables and on the use of literals. Although the problem is shown to be NP-complete, it is experimentally shown that the checks can be implemented efficiently in practice. The paper also points out that satisfiability for the so-called 'well-designed' patterns can be decided by a check on bound variables and a check for inconsistent filter conditions.

On the Impact of Modal Depth in Epistemic Planning (Extended Version)

Abstract: Epistemic planning is a variant of automated planning in the framework of dynamic epistemic logic. In recent works, the epistemic planning problem has been proved to be undecidable when preconditions of events can be epistemic formulas of arbitrary complexity , and in particular arbitrary modal depth. It is known however that when preconditions are propositional (and there are no postconditions), the problem is between Pspace and Expspace. In this work we bring two new pieces to the picture. First, we prove that the epistemic planning problem with propositional preconditions and without postconditions is in Pspace, and is thus Pspace-complete. Second, we prove that very simple epistemic preconditions are enough to make the epistemic planning problem undecidable: preconditions of modal depth at most two suffice.

Undecidability of a Theory of Strings, Linear Arithmetic over Length, and String-Number Conversion.

Abstract: In recent years there has been considerable interest in theories over string equations, length function, and string-number conversion predicate within the formal verification, software engineering, and security communities. SMT solvers for these theories, such as Z3str2, CVC4, and S3, are of immense practical value in exposing security vulnerabilities in string-intensive programs. Additionally, there are many open decidability and complexity-theoretic questions in the context of theories over strings that are of great interest to mathematicians. Motivated by the above-mentioned applications and open questions, we study a first-order, many-sorted, quantifier-free theory $T_{s,n}$ of string equations, linear arithmetic over string length, and string-number conversion predicate and prove three theorems. First, we prove that the satisfiability problem for the theory $T_{s,n}$ is undecidable via a reduction from a theory of linear arithmetic over natural numbers with power predicate, we call power arithmetic. Second, we show that the string-numeric conversion predicate is expressible in terms of the power predicate, string equations, and length function. This second theorem, in conjunction with the reduction we propose for the undecidability theorem, suggests that the power predicate is expressible in terms of word equations and length function if and only if the string-numeric conversion predicate is also expressible in the same fragment. Such results are very useful tools in comparing the expressive power of different theories, and for establishing decidability and complexity results. Third, we provide a consistent axiomatization ${\Gamma}$ for the functions and predicates of $T_{s,n}$. Additionally, we prove that the theory $T_{\Gamma}$ , obtained via logical closure of ${\Gamma}$, is not a complete theory.

Decision Procedure for Separation Logic with Inductive Definitions and Presburger Arithmetic

Abstract: This paper considers the satisfiability problem of symbolic heaps in separation logic with Presburger arithmetic and inductive definitions. First the system without any restrictions is proved to be undecidable. Secondly this paper proposes some syntactic restrictions for decidability. These restrictions are identified based on a new decidable subsystem of Presburger arithmetic with inductive definitions. In the subsystem of arithmetic, every inductively defined predicate represents an eventually periodic set and can be eliminated. The proposed system is quite general as it can handle the satisfiability of the arithmetical parts of fairly complex predicates such as sorted lists and AVL trees. Finally, we prove the decidability by presenting a decision procedure for symbolic heaps with the restricted inductive definitions and arithmetic.

On Distributed and Parameterized Supervisor Synthesis Problems

Abstract: It is shown that the problem whether an arbitrary regular language has a non-empty decomposable sublanguage with respect to a fixed distribution is decidable if and only if the independence relation induced by the distribution is transitive. A sufficient condition on the distributed control architecture is then derived, under which there exist some fixed non-blocking local generators such that the distributed supervisor synthesis problem is undecidable. We also show that a natural formulation of the parameterized supervisor synthesis problem is undecidable for a fixed non-blocking generator template, so long as the template alphabet has at least two private events and one global event that are controllable. In particular, all the undecidability results are still valid even if star free specification languages are considered.

Vector Reachability Problem in SL(2, Z)

Abstract: The decision problems on matrices were intensively studied for many decades as matrix products play an essential role in the representation of various computational processes. However, many computational problems for matrix semigroups are inherently difficult to solve even for problems in low dimensions and most matrix semigroup problems become undecidable in general starting from dimension three or four. This paper solves two open problems about the decidability of the vector reachability problem over a finitely generated semigroup of matrices from SL(2, Z) and the point to point reachability (over rational numbers) for fractional linear transformations, where associated matrices are from SL(2, Z). The approach to solving reachability problems is based on the characterization of reachability paths between points which is followed by the translation of numerical problems on matrices into computational and combinatorial problems on words and formal languages. We also give a geometric interpretation of reachability paths and extend the decidability results to matrix products represented by arbitrary labelled directed graphs. Finally, we will use this technique to prove that a special case of the scalar reachability problem is decidable.

Quantum logic is undecidable

Abstract: We investigate the first-order theory of closed subspaces of complex Hilbert spaces in the signature $(\lor,\perp,0,1)$, where `$\perp$' is the orthogonality relation. Our main result is that already its quasi-identities are undecidable: there is no algorithm to decide whether an implication between equations and orthogonality relations implies another equation. This is a corollary of a recent result of Slofstra in combinatorial group theory. It follows upon reinterpreting that result in terms of the hypergraph approach to quantum contextuality, for which it constitutes a proof of the inverse sandwich conjecture. It can also be interpreted as stating that a certain quantum satisfiability problem is undecidable.

LTL Parameter Synthesis of Parametric Timed Automata

Abstract: The parameter synthesis problem for parametric timed automata is undecidable in general even for very simple reachability properties. In this paper we introduce restrictions on parameter valuations under which the parameter synthesis problem is decidable for LTL properties. The investigated bounded integer parameter synthesis problem could be solved using an explicit enumeration of all possible parameter valuations. We propose an alternative symbolic zone-based method for this problem which results in a faster computation. Our technique extends the ideas of the automata-based approach to LTL model checking of timed automata. To justify the usefulness of our approach, we provide experimental evaluation and compare our method with explicit enumeration technique.

The Commutativity Problem of the MapReduce Framework: A Transducer-Based Approach

Abstract: MapReduce is a popular programming model for data parallel computation. In MapReduce, the reducer produces an output from a list of inputs. Due to the scheduling policy of the platform, the inputs may arrive at the reducers in different order. The commutativity problem of reducers asks if the output of a reducer is independent of the order of its inputs. Although the problem is undecidable in general, the MapReduce programs in practice are usually used for data analytics and thus require very simple control flow. By exploiting the simplicity, we propose a programming language for reducers where the commutativity problem is decidable. The main idea of the reducer language is to separate the control and data flow of programs and disallow arithmetic operations in the control flow. The decision procedure for the commutativity problem is obtained through a reduction to the equivalence problem of streaming numerical transducers (SNTs), a novel automata model over infinite alphabets introduced in this paper. The design of SNTs is inspired by streaming transducers (Alur and Cerny, POPL 2011). Nevertheless, the two models are intrinsically different since the outputs of SNTs are integers while those of streaming transducers are data words. The decidability of the equivalence of SNTs is achieved with an involved combinatorial analysis of the evolvement of the values of the integer variables during the runs of SNTs.

Full lambek calculus with contraction is undecidable

Abstract: We prove that the set of formulae provable in the full Lambek calculus with the structural rule of contraction is undecidable. In fact, we show that the positive fragment of this logic is undecidable.