Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2407.09891

A Close Analysis of the Subset Construction

Ivan Baburin·Ryan Cotterell
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Given a nondeterministic finite-state automaton (NFA), we aim to estimate the size of an equivalent deterministic finite-state automaton (DFA). We demonstrate that computing the state complexity of an NFA within polynomial precision is PSPACE-hard. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that it is PSPACE-hard to decide whether the classical subset construction will yield an equivalent DFA with an exponential increase in the number of states. This result implies that making any a prior estimate of the running time of the subset construction is inherently difficult. To address this, and to enable forecasting of such exponential blow-up in certain special cases, we introduce the notion of subset complexity, which provides an upper bound on the size of the DFA produced by the subset construction. We show that the subset complexity can be efficiently bounded above using the cyclicity and rank of the transition matrices of the NFA. This yields a sufficient condition for identifying NFAs that can be efficiently determinized via the subset construction.

Explore related subjects

cs.FL

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Ivan Baburin, Ryan Cotterell. 2024-07-13. A Close Analysis of the Subset Construction. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97100-6_2

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Beyond the Turing threshold: Productive grammars generate essentially undecidable languages

Emil Post's productive sets are not even semi-computable, let alone computable, being thus essentially incomputable. Accordingly, formal languages whose set of words is a (completely) productive set are essentially undecidable. In this article, I elaborate on Post productivity from the viewpoint of formal language theory: I design formal grammars that emulate the construction of productive sets of natural numbers and are thus beyond Turing-decidability.

cs.FL↗
arXiv2026

RAGTIMER 1.0: Rapid Rare-Event Partial State Space Construction for Stochastic VAS (extended version)

Transient reachability analysis of rare events in Continuous-Time Stochastic Vector Addition Systems (CTSVAS) such as Chemical Reaction Networks (CRNs) has proven a formidable challenge to cutting-edge tools. Underlying a CTSVAS is a continuous-time Markov chain (CTMC), and CTMC transient reachability analysis calls for Probabilistic Model Checking (PMC). This analysis requires the explicit representation of a model's entire state space. Rare events occur with extremely low probability, compounding the challenge of probabilistic analysis. In CRNs, it is imperative to verify the probability of rare events; even a low concentration of a species can have pathological consequences. This paper presents the RAGTIMER 1.0 tool, which efficiently builds a partial state space for a CTSVAS by enumerating traces to a rare event of interest and expanding them to exploit concurrency and cycles, providing a guaranteed lower bound on the probability of a rare event. Guaranteed lower bounds are particularly useful in synthetic biological applications because they indicate how and when a rare event can be experimentally observed. RAGTIMER is an attractive alternative to existing rare event analysis methods for CTSVAS models. It outperforms existing PMC tools and refutes multiple probability estimates from rare-event stochastic simulation on multiple challenging CRN models. RAGTIMER uses optimized data structures, a simple input format, and memory-safe Rust code to improve the scalability and accessibility of PMC for industry professionals.

cs.FL↗
arXiv2026

Execution-Time Opacity Logic: A Logic for Ensuring ET-Opacity in Timed Systems

Ensuring confidentiality in Cyber-Physical Systems is critical, especially when attackers exploit execution times to infer sensitiveinformation. Traditional opacity models are inadequate for timed systems, as verifying opacity in Timed Automata is undecidable. To address this challenge, we propose Execution-Time Opacity Logic (ETOL), a new formalism that specifies opacity by requiring that for every execution satisfying a secret formula, there exists another execution of the same duration that does not satisfy it. ETOL guarantees that timing observations cannot reveal confidential agent activities. We present a decidable and efficient verification framework based on zone-based model checking, supported by a dedicated algorithm that systematically identifies duration-equivalent executions. Our approach is validated through an ATM case study, showing that ETOL enables efficient verification of execution-time confidentiality under timing attacks. We also developed a prototype tool for the ETOL logic that supports symbolic model checking over timed systems. It allows users to verify ETOL formulas based on clock-constrained execution paths.

cs.FL↗