17 Search Results for "Bournez, Olivier"


Document
On Piecewise Affine Reachability with Bellman Operators

Authors: Anton Varonka and Kazuki Watanabe

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 345, 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)


Abstract
A piecewise affine map is one of the simplest mathematical objects exhibiting complex dynamics. The reachability problem of piecewise affine maps is as follows: Given two vectors s, t ∈ ℚ^d and a piecewise affine map f: ℚ^d → ℚ^d, is there n ∈ ℕ such that fⁿ(s) = t? Koiran, Cosnard, and Garzon show that the reachability problem of piecewise affine maps is undecidable even in dimension 2. Most of the recent progress has been focused on decision procedures for one-dimensional piecewise affine maps, where the reachability problem has been shown to be decidable for some subclasses. However, the general undecidability discouraged research into positive results in arbitrary dimension. In this work, we investigate a rich subclass of piecewise affine maps arising as Bellman operators of Markov decision processes (MDPs). We consider the reachability problem restricted to this subclass and examine its decidability in arbitrary dimensions. We establish that the reachability problem for Bellman operators is decidable in any dimension under either of the following conditions: (i) the target vector t is not the fixed point of the operator f; or (ii) the initial and target vectors s and t are comparable with respect to the componentwise order. Furthermore, we show that the reachability problem for two-dimensional Bellman operators is decidable for arbitrary s, t ∈ ℚ^d, in contrast to the known undecidability of reachability for general piecewise affine maps.

Cite as

Anton Varonka and Kazuki Watanabe. On Piecewise Affine Reachability with Bellman Operators. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 92:1-92:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{varonka_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.92,
  author =	{Varonka, Anton and Watanabe, Kazuki},
  title =	{{On Piecewise Affine Reachability with Bellman Operators}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{92:1--92:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-388-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{345},
  editor =	{Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Mazowiecki, Filip and Skrzypczak, Micha{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.92},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241998},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.92},
  annote =	{Keywords: piecewise affine map, reachability, value iteration, Markov decision process, Bellman operator}
}
Document
A Universal Uniform Approximation Theorem for Neural Networks

Authors: Olivier Bournez, Johanne Cohen, and Adrian Wurm

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 345, 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)


Abstract
We show the existence of a fixed recurrent network capable of approximating any computable function with arbitrary precision, provided that an encoding of the function is given in the initial input. While uniform approximation over a compact domain is a well-known property of neural networks, we go further by proving that our network ensures effective uniform approximation - simultaneously ensuring: - Uniform approximation in the sup-norm sense, guaranteeing precision across the compact domain {[0,1]^d}; - Uniformity in the sense of computability theory (also referred to as effectivity or universality), meaning the same network works for all computable functions. Our result is obtained constructively, using original arguments. Moreover, our construction bridges computation theory with neural network approximation, providing new insights into the fundamental connections between circuit complexity and function representation. Furthermore, this connection extends beyond computability to complexity theory. The obtained network is efficient: if a function is computable or approximable in polynomial time in the Turing machine model, then the network requires only a polynomial number of recurrences or iterations to achieve the same level of approximation, and conversely. Moreover, the recurrent network can be assumed to be very narrow, strengthening the link our results and existing models of very deep learning, where uniform approximation properties have already been established.

Cite as

Olivier Bournez, Johanne Cohen, and Adrian Wurm. A Universal Uniform Approximation Theorem for Neural Networks. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 29:1-29:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bournez_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.29,
  author =	{Bournez, Olivier and Cohen, Johanne and Wurm, Adrian},
  title =	{{A Universal Uniform Approximation Theorem for Neural Networks}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{29:1--29:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-388-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{345},
  editor =	{Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Mazowiecki, Filip and Skrzypczak, Micha{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.29},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241365},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.29},
  annote =	{Keywords: Models of computation, Complexity theory, Formal neural networks}
}
Document
Deciding Termination of Simple Randomized Loops

Authors: Éléanore Meyer and Jürgen Giesl

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 345, 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)


Abstract
We show that universal positive almost sure termination (UPAST) is decidable for a class of simple randomized programs, i.e., it is decidable whether the expected runtime of such a program is finite for all inputs. Our class contains all programs that consist of a single loop, with a linear loop guard and a loop body composed of two linear commuting and diagonalizable updates. In each iteration of the loop, the update to be carried out is picked at random, according to a fixed probability. We show the decidability of UPAST for this class of programs, where the program’s variables and inputs may range over various sub-semirings of the real numbers. In this way, we extend a line of research initiated by Tiwari in 2004 into the realm of randomized programs.

Cite as

Éléanore Meyer and Jürgen Giesl. Deciding Termination of Simple Randomized Loops. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 76:1-76:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{meyer_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.76,
  author =	{Meyer, \'{E}l\'{e}anore and Giesl, J\"{u}rgen},
  title =	{{Deciding Termination of Simple Randomized Loops}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{76:1--76:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-388-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{345},
  editor =	{Gawrychowski, Pawe{\l} and Mazowiecki, Filip and Skrzypczak, Micha{\l}},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.76},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241833},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.76},
  annote =	{Keywords: decision procedures, randomized programs, linear loops, positive almost sure termination}
}
Document
The Non-Cooperative Rational Synthesis Problem for SPEs and ω-Regular Objectives

Authors: Véronique Bruyère, Jean-François Raskin, Alexis Reynouard, and Marie Van Den Bogaard

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 348, 36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025)


Abstract
This paper studies the rational synthesis problem for multi-player games played on graphs when rational players are following subgame perfect equilibria. In these games, one player, the system, declares his strategy upfront, and the other players, composing the environment, then rationally respond by playing strategies forming a subgame perfect equilibrium. We study the complexity of the rational synthesis problem when the players have ω-regular objectives encoded as parity objectives. Our algorithm is based on an encoding into a three-player game with imperfect information, showing that the problem is in 2ExpTime. When the number of environment players is fixed, the problem is in ExpTime and is NP- and coNP-hard. Moreover, for a fixed number of players and reachability objectives, we get a polynomial algorithm.

Cite as

Véronique Bruyère, Jean-François Raskin, Alexis Reynouard, and Marie Van Den Bogaard. The Non-Cooperative Rational Synthesis Problem for SPEs and ω-Regular Objectives. In 36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 348, pp. 12:1-12:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bruyere_et_al:LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.12,
  author =	{Bruy\`{e}re, V\'{e}ronique and Raskin, Jean-Fran\c{c}ois and Reynouard, Alexis and Van Den Bogaard, Marie},
  title =	{{The Non-Cooperative Rational Synthesis Problem for SPEs and \omega-Regular Objectives}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025)},
  pages =	{12:1--12:23},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-389-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{348},
  editor =	{Bouyer, Patricia and van de Pol, Jaco},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.12},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-239622},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.12},
  annote =	{Keywords: non-zero-sum games, subgame perfect equilibria, rational synthesis}
}
Document
A Zoo of Continuity Properties in Constructive Type Theory

Authors: Martin Baillon, Yannick Forster, Assia Mahboubi, Pierre-Marie Pédrot, and Matthieu Piquerez

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 337, 10th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2025)


Abstract
Continuity principles stating that all functions are continuous play a central role in some schools of constructive mathematics. However, there are different ways to formalise the property of being continuous in constructive foundations. We analyse these continuity properties from the perspective of constructive reverse mathematics. We work in constructive type theory, which can be seen as a minimal foundation for constructive reverse mathematics. We treat continuity of functions F : (Q → A) → R, i.e. with question type Q, answer type A, and result type R. Concretely, we discuss continuity defined via moduli, making the relevant list L : LQ of questions explicit, dialogue trees, making the question-answer process explicit as inductive tree, and tree functions, making the question-answer process explicit as function. We prove equivalences where possible and isolate necessary and sufficient axioms for equivalence proofs. Many of the results we discuss are already present in the works of Hancock, Pattinson, Ghani, Kawai, Fujiwara, Brede, Herbelin, Escardó, and others. Our main contribution is their formulation over a uniform foundation, the observation that no choice axioms are necessary, the generalisation to arbitrary types from natural numbers where possible, and a mechanisation in the Coq/Rocq proof assistant.

Cite as

Martin Baillon, Yannick Forster, Assia Mahboubi, Pierre-Marie Pédrot, and Matthieu Piquerez. A Zoo of Continuity Properties in Constructive Type Theory. In 10th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 337, pp. 9:1-9:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{baillon_et_al:LIPIcs.FSCD.2025.9,
  author =	{Baillon, Martin and Forster, Yannick and Mahboubi, Assia and P\'{e}drot, Pierre-Marie and Piquerez, Matthieu},
  title =	{{A Zoo of Continuity Properties in Constructive Type Theory}},
  booktitle =	{10th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2025)},
  pages =	{9:1--9:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-374-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{337},
  editor =	{Fern\'{a}ndez, Maribel},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSCD.2025.9},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-236245},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSCD.2025.9},
  annote =	{Keywords: type theory, constructive mathematics, continuity, Coq}
}
Document
Weighted Rewriting: Semiring Semantics for Abstract Reduction Systems

Authors: Emma Ahrens, Jan-Christoph Kassing, Jürgen Giesl, and Joost-Pieter Katoen

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 337, 10th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2025)


Abstract
We present novel semiring semantics for abstract reduction systems (ARSs). More precisely, we provide a weighted version of ARSs, where the reduction steps induce weights from a semiring. Inspired by provenance analysis in database theory and logic, we obtain a formalism that can be used for provenance analysis of arbitrary ARSs. Our semantics handle (possibly unbounded) non-determinism and possibly infinite reductions. Moreover, we develop several techniques to prove upper and lower bounds on the weights resulting from our semantics, and show that in this way one obtains a uniform approach to analyze several different properties like termination, derivational complexity, space complexity, safety, as well as combinations of these properties.

Cite as

Emma Ahrens, Jan-Christoph Kassing, Jürgen Giesl, and Joost-Pieter Katoen. Weighted Rewriting: Semiring Semantics for Abstract Reduction Systems. In 10th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 337, pp. 6:1-6:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{ahrens_et_al:LIPIcs.FSCD.2025.6,
  author =	{Ahrens, Emma and Kassing, Jan-Christoph and Giesl, J\"{u}rgen and Katoen, Joost-Pieter},
  title =	{{Weighted Rewriting: Semiring Semantics for Abstract Reduction Systems}},
  booktitle =	{10th International Conference on Formal Structures for Computation and Deduction (FSCD 2025)},
  pages =	{6:1--6:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-374-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{337},
  editor =	{Fern\'{a}ndez, Maribel},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSCD.2025.6},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-236215},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSCD.2025.6},
  annote =	{Keywords: Rewriting, Semirings, Semantics, Termination, Verification}
}
Document
The Equivalence Problem of E-Pattern Languages with Length Constraints Is Undecidable

Authors: Dirk Nowotka and Max Wiedenhöft

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 331, 36th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2025)


Abstract
Patterns are words with terminals and variables. The language of a pattern is the set of words obtained by uniformly substituting all variables with words that contain only terminals. Length constraints restrict valid substitutions of variables by associating the variables of a pattern with a system (or disjunction of systems) of linear diophantine inequalities. Pattern languages with length constraints contain only words in which all variables are substituted to words with lengths that fulfill such a given set of length constraints. We consider membership, inclusion, and equivalence problems for erasing and non-erasing pattern languages with length constraints. Our main result shows that the erasing equivalence problem - one of the most prominent open problems in the realm of patterns - becomes undecidable if length constraints are allowed in addition to variable equality. Additionally, it is shown that the terminal-free inclusion problem, a prominent problem which has been shown to be undecidable in the binary case for patterns without any constraints, is also generally undecidable for all larger alphabets in this setting. Finally, we also show that considering regular constraints, i.e., associating variables also with regular languages as additional restrictions together with length constraints for valid substitutions, results in undecidability of the non-erasing equivalence problem. This sets a first upper bound on constraints to obtain undecidability in this case, as this problem is trivially decidable in the case of no constraints and as it has unknown decidability if only regular or only length constraints are considered.

Cite as

Dirk Nowotka and Max Wiedenhöft. The Equivalence Problem of E-Pattern Languages with Length Constraints Is Undecidable. In 36th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 331, pp. 4:1-4:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{nowotka_et_al:LIPIcs.CPM.2025.4,
  author =	{Nowotka, Dirk and Wiedenh\"{o}ft, Max},
  title =	{{The Equivalence Problem of E-Pattern Languages with Length Constraints Is Undecidable}},
  booktitle =	{36th Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Pattern Matching (CPM 2025)},
  pages =	{4:1--4:23},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-369-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{331},
  editor =	{Bonizzoni, Paola and M\"{a}kinen, Veli},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CPM.2025.4},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230988},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CPM.2025.4},
  annote =	{Keywords: Patterns, Pattern Languages, Length Constraints, Regular Constraints, Decidability, Undecidability, Membership, Inclusion, Equivalence}
}
Document
The Expressive Power of Uniform Population Protocols with Logarithmic Space

Authors: Philipp Czerner, Vincent Fischer, and Roland Guttenberg

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 330, 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)


Abstract
Population protocols are a model of computation in which indistinguishable mobile agents interact in pairs to decide a property of their initial configuration. Originally introduced by Angluin et. al. in 2004 with a constant number of states, research nowadays focuses on protocols where the space usage depends on the number of agents. The expressive power of population protocols has so far however only been determined for protocols using o(log n) states, which compute only semilinear predicates, and for Ω(n) states. This leaves a significant gap, particularly concerning protocols with Θ(log n) or Θ(polylog n) states, which are the most common constructions in the literature. In this paper we close the gap and prove that for any ε > 0 and f ∈ Ω(log n)∩𝒪(n^{1-ε}), both uniform and non-uniform population protocols with Θ(f(n)) states can decide exactly those predicates, whose unary encoding lies in NSPACE(f(n) log n).

Cite as

Philipp Czerner, Vincent Fischer, and Roland Guttenberg. The Expressive Power of Uniform Population Protocols with Logarithmic Space. In 4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 330, pp. 1:1-1:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{czerner_et_al:LIPIcs.SAND.2025.1,
  author =	{Czerner, Philipp and Fischer, Vincent and Guttenberg, Roland},
  title =	{{The Expressive Power of Uniform Population Protocols with Logarithmic Space}},
  booktitle =	{4th Symposium on Algorithmic Foundations of Dynamic Networks (SAND 2025)},
  pages =	{1:1--1:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-368-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{330},
  editor =	{Meeks, Kitty and Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230540},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SAND.2025.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: Population Protocols, Uniform, Expressive Power}
}
Document
A Rewriting Theory for Quantum λ-Calculus

Authors: Claudia Faggian, Gaetan Lopez, and Benoît Valiron

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 326, 33rd EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2025)


Abstract
Quantum lambda calculus has been studied mainly as an idealized programming language - the evaluation essentially corresponds to a deterministic abstract machine. Very little work has been done to develop a rewriting theory for quantum lambda calculus. Recent advances in the theory of probabilistic rewriting give us a way to tackle this task with tools unavailable a decade ago. Our primary focus are standardization and normalization results.

Cite as

Claudia Faggian, Gaetan Lopez, and Benoît Valiron. A Rewriting Theory for Quantum λ-Calculus. In 33rd EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 326, pp. 47:1-47:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{faggian_et_al:LIPIcs.CSL.2025.47,
  author =	{Faggian, Claudia and Lopez, Gaetan and Valiron, Beno\^{i}t},
  title =	{{A Rewriting Theory for Quantum \lambda-Calculus}},
  booktitle =	{33rd EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2025)},
  pages =	{47:1--47:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-362-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{326},
  editor =	{Endrullis, J\"{o}rg and Schmitz, Sylvain},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2025.47},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-228046},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2025.47},
  annote =	{Keywords: quantum lambda-calculus, probabilistic rewriting, operational semantics, asymptotic normalization, principles of quantum programming languages}
}
Document
Track B: Automata, Logic, Semantics, and Theory of Programming
The Complexity of Computing in Continuous Time: Space Complexity Is Precision

Authors: Manon Blanc and Olivier Bournez

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 297, 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)


Abstract
Models of computations over the integers are equivalent from a computability and complexity theory point of view by the (effective) Church-Turing thesis. It is not possible to unify discrete-time models over the reals. The situation is unclear but simpler for continuous-time models, as there is a unifying mathematical model, provided by ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Each model corresponds to a particular class of ODEs. For example, the General Purpose Analog Computer model of Claude Shannon, introduced as a mathematical model of analogue machines (Differential Analyzers), is known to correspond to polynomial ODEs. However, the question of a robust complexity theory for such models and its relations to classical (discrete) computation theory is an old problem. There was some recent significant progress: it has been proved that (classical) time complexity corresponds to the length of the involved curves, i.e. to the length of the solutions of the corresponding polynomial ODEs. The question of whether there is a simple and robust way to measure space complexity remains. We argue that space complexity corresponds to precision and conversely. Concretely, we propose and prove an algebraic characterisation of FPSPACE, using continuous ODEs. Recent papers proposed algebraic characterisations of polynomial-time and polynomial-space complexity classes over the reals, but with a discrete-time: those algebras rely on discrete ODE schemes. Here, we use classical (continuous) ODEs, with the classic definition of derivation and hence with the more natural context of continuous-time associated with ODEs. We characterise both the case of polynomial space functions over the integers and the reals. This is done by proving two inclusions. The first is obtained using some original polynomial space method for solving ODEs. For the other, we prove that Turing machines, with a proper representation of real numbers, can be simulated by continuous ODEs and not just discrete ODEs. A major consequence is that the associated space complexity is provably related to the numerical stability of involved schemas and the associated required precision. We obtain that a problem can be solved in polynomial space if and only if it can be simulated by some numerically stable ODE, using a polynomial precision.

Cite as

Manon Blanc and Olivier Bournez. The Complexity of Computing in Continuous Time: Space Complexity Is Precision. In 51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 297, pp. 129:1-129:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{blanc_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.129,
  author =	{Blanc, Manon and Bournez, Olivier},
  title =	{{The Complexity of Computing in Continuous Time: Space Complexity Is Precision}},
  booktitle =	{51st International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2024)},
  pages =	{129:1--129:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-322-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{297},
  editor =	{Bringmann, Karl and Grohe, Martin and Puppis, Gabriele and Svensson, Ola},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.129},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-202722},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2024.129},
  annote =	{Keywords: Models of computation, Ordinary differential equations, Real computations, Analog computations, Complexity theory, Implicit complexity, Recursion scheme}
}
Document
Solving Discontinuous Initial Value Problems with Unique Solutions Is Equivalent to Computing over the Transfinite

Authors: Olivier Bournez and Riccardo Gozzi

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 289, 41st International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2024)


Abstract
We study a precise class of dynamical systems that we call solvable ordinary differential equations. We prove that analog systems mathematically ruled by solvable ordinary differential equations can be used for transfinite computation, solving tasks such as the halting problem for Turing machines and any Turing jump of the halting problem in the hyperarithmetical hierarchy. We prove that the computational power of such analog systems is exactly the one of transfinite computations of the hyperarithmetical hierarchy. It has been proved recently that polynomial ordinary differential equations correspond unexpectedly naturally to Turing machines. Our results show that the more general exhibited class of solvable ordinary differential equations corresponds, even unexpectedly, naturally to transfinite computations. From a wide philosophical point of view, our results contribute to state that the question of whether such analog systems can be used to solve untractable problems (both for complexity for polynomial systems and for computability for solvable systems) is provably related to the question of the relations between mathematical models, models of physics and our real world. More technically, we study a precise class of dynamical systems: bounded initial value problems involving ordinary differential equations with a unique solution. We show that the solution of these systems can still be obtained analytically even in the presence of discontinuous dynamics once we carefully select the conditions that describe how discontinuities are distributed in the domain. We call the class of right-hand terms respecting these natural and simple conditions the class of solvable ordinary differential equations. We prove that there is a method for obtaining the solution of such systems based on transfinite recursion and taking at most a countable number of steps. We explain the relevance of these systems by providing several natural examples and showcasing the fact that these solutions can be used to perform limit computations and solve tasks such as the halting problem for Turing machines and any Turing jump of the halting problem in the hyperarithmetical hierarchy.

Cite as

Olivier Bournez and Riccardo Gozzi. Solving Discontinuous Initial Value Problems with Unique Solutions Is Equivalent to Computing over the Transfinite. In 41st International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 289, pp. 20:1-20:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bournez_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2024.20,
  author =	{Bournez, Olivier and Gozzi, Riccardo},
  title =	{{Solving Discontinuous Initial Value Problems with Unique Solutions Is Equivalent to Computing over the Transfinite}},
  booktitle =	{41st International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2024)},
  pages =	{20:1--20:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-311-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{289},
  editor =	{Beyersdorff, Olaf and Kant\'{e}, Mamadou Moustapha and Kupferman, Orna and Lokshtanov, Daniel},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2024.20},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-197308},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2024.20},
  annote =	{Keywords: Analog models, computability, transfinite computations, dynamical systems}
}
Document
Quantifiying the Robustness of Dynamical Systems. Relating Time and Space to Length and Precision

Authors: Manon Blanc and Olivier Bournez

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 288, 32nd EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2024)


Abstract
Reasoning about dynamical systems evolving over the reals is well-known to lead to undecidability. In particular, it is known that there cannot be reachability decision procedures for first-order theories over the reals extended with even very basic functions, or for logical theories that reason about real-valued functions, or decision procedures for state reachability. This mostly comes from the fact that reachability for dynamical systems over the reals is fundamentally undecidable, as Turing machines can be embedded into (even very simple) dynamical systems. However, various results in the literature have shown that decision procedures exist when restricting to robust systems, with a suitably-chosen notion of robustness. In particular, it has been established in the field of verification that if the state reachability is not sensitive to infinitesimal perturbations, then decision procedures for state reachability exist. In the context of logical theories over the reals, it has been established that decision procedures exist if we focus on properties not sensitive to arbitrarily small perturbations. For example by considering properties that are either true or δ-far from being true, for some δ > 0. In this article, we first propose a unified theory explaining in a uniform framework these statements, that were established in different contexts. More fundamentally, while all these statements are only about computability issues, we also consider complexity theory aspects. We prove that robustness to some precision is inherently related to the complexity of the decision procedure. When a system is robust, it makes sense to quantify at which level of perturbation it is. We prove that assuming robustness to a polynomial perturbation on precision leads to a characterisation of PSPACE. We prove that assuming robustness to polynomial perturbation on time or length leads to similar statements for PTIME. In other words, precision on computations is inherently related to space complexity, while length or time of trajectories, is intrinsically related to time complexity. These statements can also be interpreted in relation to several recent results about the computational power of analogue models of computation.

Cite as

Manon Blanc and Olivier Bournez. Quantifiying the Robustness of Dynamical Systems. Relating Time and Space to Length and Precision. In 32nd EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 288, pp. 17:1-17:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{blanc_et_al:LIPIcs.CSL.2024.17,
  author =	{Blanc, Manon and Bournez, Olivier},
  title =	{{Quantifiying the Robustness of Dynamical Systems. Relating Time and Space to Length and Precision}},
  booktitle =	{32nd EACSL Annual Conference on Computer Science Logic (CSL 2024)},
  pages =	{17:1--17:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-310-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{288},
  editor =	{Murano, Aniello and Silva, Alexandra},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2024.17},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-196609},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2024.17},
  annote =	{Keywords: Computability, Complexity theory, Computable analysis, Verification, Decision, Robustness, Dynamical Systems, Models of computation, Analogue Computations}
}
Document
A Characterisation of Functions Computable in Polynomial Time and Space over the Reals with Discrete Ordinary Differential Equations: Simulation of Turing Machines with Analytic Discrete ODEs

Authors: Manon Blanc and Olivier Bournez

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 272, 48th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2023)


Abstract
We prove that functions over the reals computable in polynomial time can be characterised using discrete ordinary differential equations (ODE), also known as finite differences. We also provide a characterisation of functions computable in polynomial space over the reals. In particular, this covers space complexity, while existing characterisations were only able to cover time complexity, and were restricted to functions over the integers, and we prove that no artificial sign or test function is needed even for time complexity. At a technical level, this is obtained by proving that Turing machines can be simulated with analytic discrete ordinary differential equations. We believe this result opens the way to many applications, as it opens the possibility of programming with ODEs, with an underlying well-understood time and space complexity.

Cite as

Manon Blanc and Olivier Bournez. A Characterisation of Functions Computable in Polynomial Time and Space over the Reals with Discrete Ordinary Differential Equations: Simulation of Turing Machines with Analytic Discrete ODEs. In 48th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 272, pp. 21:1-21:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{blanc_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2023.21,
  author =	{Blanc, Manon and Bournez, Olivier},
  title =	{{A Characterisation of Functions Computable in Polynomial Time and Space over the Reals with Discrete Ordinary Differential Equations: Simulation of Turing Machines with Analytic Discrete ODEs}},
  booktitle =	{48th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2023)},
  pages =	{21:1--21:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-292-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{272},
  editor =	{Leroux, J\'{e}r\^{o}me and Lombardy, Sylvain and Peleg, David},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2023.21},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-185554},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2023.21},
  annote =	{Keywords: Discrete ordinary differential equations, Finite Differences, Implicit complexity, Recursion scheme, Ordinary differential equations, Models of computation, Analog Computations}
}
Document
Invited Talk
Computability, Complexity and Programming with Ordinary Differential Equations (Invited Talk)

Authors: Olivier Bournez

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 154, 37th International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2020)


Abstract
Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) appear to be a universally adopted and very natural way for expressing properties for continuous time dynamical systems. They are intensively used, in particular in applied sciences. There exists an abundant literature about the hardness of solving ODEs with numerical methods. We adopt a dual view: we consider ODEs as a way to program or to describe our mathematical/computer science world. We survey several results considering ODEs under this computational perspective, with a computability and complexity theory point of view. In particular, we provide various reasons why polynomial ODEs should be considered as the continuous time analog of Turing machines for continuous-time computations, or should be used as a way to talk about mathematical logic. This has already applications in various fields: determining whether analog models of computation can compute faster than classical digital models of computation; solving complexity issues for computations with biochemical reactions in bioinformatics; machine independent characterizations of various computability and complexity classes such as PTIME or NPTIME, or proof of the existence of a universal polynomial ordinary differential equation whose solutions can approximate any continuous function if provided with a suitable well-chosen initial condition.

Cite as

Olivier Bournez. Computability, Complexity and Programming with Ordinary Differential Equations (Invited Talk). In 37th International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2020). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 154, pp. 3:1-3:13, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bournez:LIPIcs.STACS.2020.3,
  author =	{Bournez, Olivier},
  title =	{{Computability, Complexity and Programming with Ordinary Differential Equations}},
  booktitle =	{37th International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2020)},
  pages =	{3:1--3:13},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-140-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{154},
  editor =	{Paul, Christophe and Bl\"{a}ser, Markus},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2020.3},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-118642},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2020.3},
  annote =	{Keywords: Ordinary differential equations, Models of computation, Analog Computations, discrete ordinary differential equations, Implicit complexity, recursion scheme}
}
Document
Recursion Schemes, Discrete Differential Equations and Characterization of Polynomial Time Computations

Authors: Olivier Bournez and Arnaud Durand

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 138, 44th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2019)


Abstract
This paper studies the expressive and computational power of discrete Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs). It presents a new framework using discrete ODEs as a central tool for computation and algorithm design. We present the general theory of discrete ODEs for computation theory, we illustrate this with various examples of algorithms, and we provide several implicit characterizations of complexity and computability classes. The proposed framework presents an original point of view on complexity and computation classes. It unifies several constructions that have been proposed for characterizing these classes including classical approaches in implicit complexity using restricted recursion schemes, as well as recent characterizations of computability and complexity by classes of continuous ordinary differential equations. It also helps understanding the relationships between analog computations and classical discrete models of computation theory. At a more technical point of view, this paper points out the fundamental role of linear (discrete) ordinary differential equations and classical ODE tools such as changes of variables to capture computability and complexity measures, or as a tool for programming many algorithms.

Cite as

Olivier Bournez and Arnaud Durand. Recursion Schemes, Discrete Differential Equations and Characterization of Polynomial Time Computations. In 44th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 138, pp. 23:1-23:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)


Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bournez_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2019.23,
  author =	{Bournez, Olivier and Durand, Arnaud},
  title =	{{Recursion Schemes, Discrete Differential Equations and Characterization of Polynomial Time Computations}},
  booktitle =	{44th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2019)},
  pages =	{23:1--23:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-117-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{138},
  editor =	{Rossmanith, Peter and Heggernes, Pinar and Katoen, Joost-Pieter},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2019.23},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-109670},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2019.23},
  annote =	{Keywords: Implicit complexity, discrete ordinary differential equations, recursion scheme}
}
  • Refine by Type
  • 17 Document/PDF
  • 8 Document/HTML

  • Refine by Publication Year
  • 9 2025
  • 3 2024
  • 1 2023
  • 1 2020
  • 1 2019
  • Show More...

  • Refine by Author
  • 9 Bournez, Olivier
  • 3 Blanc, Manon
  • 2 Giesl, Jürgen
  • 2 Pouly, Amaury
  • 1 Ahrens, Emma
  • Show More...

  • Refine by Series/Journal
  • 17 LIPIcs

  • Refine by Classification
  • 7 Theory of computation → Computability
  • 7 Theory of computation → Models of computation
  • 6 Theory of computation → Complexity classes
  • 5 Mathematics of computing → Ordinary differential equations
  • 4 Computer systems organization → Analog computers
  • Show More...

  • Refine by Keyword
  • 5 Models of computation
  • 4 Implicit complexity
  • 3 Complexity theory
  • 3 Ordinary differential equations
  • 2 Analog Computations
  • Show More...

Any Issues?
X

Feedback on the Current Page

CAPTCHA

Thanks for your feedback!

Feedback submitted to Dagstuhl Publishing

Could not send message

Please try again later or send an E-mail