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DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.34

Algorithm and Strategy Construction for Sure-Almost-Sure Stochastic Parity Games

Authors: Laurent Doyen and Shibashis Guha

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 364, 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)

Abstract

We consider turn-based stochastic two-player games with a combination of a parity condition that must hold surely, that is in all possible outcomes, and of a parity condition that must hold almost-surely, that is with probability 1. The problem of deciding the existence of a winning strategy in such games is central in the framework of synthesis beyond worst-case where a hard requirement that must hold surely is combined with a softer requirement. Recent works showed that the problem is coNP-complete, and infinite-memory strategies are necessary in general, even in one-player games (i.e., Markov decision processes). However, memoryless strategies are sufficient for the opponent player. Despite these comprehensive results, the known algorithmic solution enumerates all memoryless strategies of the opponent, which is exponential in all cases, and does not construct a winning strategy when one exists. We present a recursive algorithm, based on a characterisation of the winning region, that gives a deeper insight into the problem. In particular, we show how to construct a winning strategy to achieve the combination of sure and almost-sure parity, and we derive new complexity and memory bounds for special classes of the problem, defined by fixing the index of either of the two parity conditions.

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Laurent Doyen and Shibashis Guha. Algorithm and Strategy Construction for Sure-Almost-Sure Stochastic Parity Games. In 43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 364, pp. 34:1-34:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026)

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@InProceedings{doyen_et_al:LIPIcs.STACS.2026.34,
  author =	{Doyen, Laurent and Guha, Shibashis},
  title =	{{Algorithm and Strategy Construction for Sure-Almost-Sure Stochastic Parity Games}},
  booktitle =	{43rd International Symposium on Theoretical Aspects of Computer Science (STACS 2026)},
  pages =	{34:1--34:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-412-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2026},
  volume =	{364},
  editor =	{Mahajan, Meena and Manea, Florin and McIver, Annabelle and Thắng, Nguy\~{ê}n Kim},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.34},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-255230},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.STACS.2026.34},
  annote =	{Keywords: stochastic games, parity objectives, reactive synthesis}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.12

Explorability in Pushdown Automata

Authors: Ayaan Bedi and Karoliina Lehtinen

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 360, 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)

Abstract

We study explorability, a measure of nondeterminism in pushdown automata, which generalises history-determinism. An automaton is k-explorable if, while reading the input, it suffices to follow k concurrent runs, built step-by-step based only on the input seen so far, to construct an accepting one, if it exists. We show that the class of explorable PDAs lies strictly between history-deterministic and fully nondeterministic PDAs in terms of both expressiveness and succinctness. In fact increasing explorability induces an infinite hierarchy: each level k defines a strictly more expressive class than level k-1, yet the entire class remains less expressive than general nondeterministic PDAs. We then introduce a parameterized notion of explorability, where the number of runs may depend on input length, and show that exponential explorability precisely captures the context-free languages. Finally, we prove that explorable PDAs can be doubly exponentially more succinct than history-deterministic ones, and that the succinctness gap between deterministic and 2-explorable PDAs is not recursively enumerable. These results position explorability as a robust and operationally meaningful measure of nondeterminism for pushdown systems.

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Ayaan Bedi and Karoliina Lehtinen. Explorability in Pushdown Automata. In 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 360, pp. 12:1-12:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{bedi_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.12,
  author =	{Bedi, Ayaan and Lehtinen, Karoliina},
  title =	{{Explorability in Pushdown Automata}},
  booktitle =	{45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)},
  pages =	{12:1--12:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-406-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{360},
  editor =	{Aiswarya, C. and Mehta, Ruta and Roy, Subhajit},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.12},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-250921},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.12},
  annote =	{Keywords: Pushdown automata, nondeterminism, explorability, history-determinism}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.35

Scalable Learning of One-Counter Automata via State-Merging Algorithms

Authors: Shibashis Guha, Anirban Majumdar, Prince Mathew, and A.V. Sreejith

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 360, 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)

Abstract

We propose One-counter Positive Negative Inference (OPNI), a passive learning algorithm for deterministic real-time one-counter automata (DROCA). Inspired by the RPNI algorithm for regular languages, OPNI constructs a DROCA consistent with any given valid sample set. We further present a semi-algorithm for active learning of DROCA using OPNI, and provide an implementation of the approach. Our experimental results demonstrate that this approach scales more effectively than existing state-of-the-art algorithms. We also evaluate the performance of the proposed approach for learning visibly one-counter automata.

Cite as

Shibashis Guha, Anirban Majumdar, Prince Mathew, and A.V. Sreejith. Scalable Learning of One-Counter Automata via State-Merging Algorithms. In 45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 360, pp. 35:1-35:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{guha_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.35,
  author =	{Guha, Shibashis and Majumdar, Anirban and Mathew, Prince and Sreejith, A.V.},
  title =	{{Scalable Learning of One-Counter Automata via State-Merging Algorithms}},
  booktitle =	{45th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2025)},
  pages =	{35:1--35:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-406-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{360},
  editor =	{Aiswarya, C. and Mehta, Ruta and Roy, Subhajit},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.35},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-251168},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2025.35},
  annote =	{Keywords: active learning, passive learning, one-counter automata, RPNI}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.38

The Complexity of Separability for Semilinear Sets and Parikh Automata

Authors: Elias Rojas Collins, Chris Köcher, and Georg Zetzsche

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

Abstract

In a separability problem, we are given two sets K and L from a class 𝒞, and we want to decide whether there exists a set S from a class 𝒮 such that K ⊆ S and S ∩ L = ∅. In this case, we speak of separability of sets in 𝒞 by sets in 𝒮. We study two types of separability problems. First, we consider separability of semilinear sets (i.e. subsets of ℕ^d for some d) by sets definable by quantifier-free monadic Presburger formulas (or equivalently, the recognizable subsets of ℕ^d). Here, a formula is monadic if each atom uses at most one variable. Second, we consider separability of languages of Parikh automata by regular languages. A Parikh automaton is a machine with access to counters that can only be incremented, and have to meet a semilinear constraint at the end of the run. Both of these separability problems are known to be decidable with elementary complexity. Our main results are that both problems are coNP-complete. In the case of semilinear sets, coNP-completeness holds regardless of whether the input sets are specified by existential Presburger formulas, quantifier-free formulas, or semilinear representations. Our results imply that recognizable separability of rational subsets of Σ* × ℕ^d (shown decidable by Choffrut and Grigorieff) is coNP-complete as well. Another application is that regularity of deterministic Parikh automata (where the target set is specified using a quantifier-free Presburger formula) is coNP-complete as well.

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Elias Rojas Collins, Chris Köcher, and Georg Zetzsche. The Complexity of Separability for Semilinear Sets and Parikh Automata. In 50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 345, pp. 38:1-38:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{collins_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.38,
  author =	{Collins, Elias Rojas and K\"{o}cher, Chris and Zetzsche, Georg},
  title =	{{The Complexity of Separability for Semilinear Sets and Parikh Automata}},
  booktitle =	{50th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2025)},
  pages =	{38:1--38:21},
  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.2025.38},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-241457},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2025.38},
  annote =	{Keywords: Vector Addition System, Separability, Regular Language}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.16

Expectation in Stochastic Games with Prefix-Independent Objectives

Authors: Laurent Doyen, Pranshu Gaba, and Shibashis Guha

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

Abstract

Stochastic two-player games model systems with an environment that is both adversarial and stochastic. In this paper, we study the expected value of bounded quantitative prefix-independent objectives in the context of stochastic games. We show a generic reduction from the expectation problem to linearly many instances of the almost-sure satisfaction problem for threshold Boolean objectives. The result follows from partitioning the vertices of the game into so-called value classes where each class consists of vertices of the same value. Our procedure further entails that the memory required by both players to play optimally for the expectation problem is no more than the memory required by the players to play optimally for the almost-sure satisfaction problem for a corresponding threshold Boolean objective. We show the applicability of the framework to compute the expected window mean-payoff measure in stochastic games. The window mean-payoff measure strengthens the classical mean-payoff measure by computing the mean payoff over windows of bounded length that slide along an infinite path. We show that the decision problem to check if the expected window mean-payoff value is at least a given threshold is in UP ∩ coUP when the window length is given in unary.

Cite as

Laurent Doyen, Pranshu Gaba, and Shibashis Guha. Expectation in Stochastic Games with Prefix-Independent Objectives. In 36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 348, pp. 16:1-16:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{doyen_et_al:LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.16,
  author =	{Doyen, Laurent and Gaba, Pranshu and Guha, Shibashis},
  title =	{{Expectation in Stochastic Games with Prefix-Independent Objectives}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025)},
  pages =	{16:1--16:19},
  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.2025.16},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-239668},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.16},
  annote =	{Keywords: Stochastic games, finitary objectives, mean payoff, reactive synthesis}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.32

Resolving Nondeterminism by Chance

Authors: Soumyajit Paul, David Purser, Sven Schewe, Qiyi Tang, Patrick Totzke, and Di-De Yen

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

Abstract

History-deterministic automata are those in which nondeterministic choices can be correctly resolved stepwise: there is a strategy to select a continuation of a run given the next input letter so that if the overall input word admits some accepting run, then the constructed run is also accepting. Motivated by checking qualitative properties in probabilistic verification, we consider the setting where the resolver strategy can randomise and only needs to succeed with lower-bounded probability. We study the expressiveness of such stochastically-resolvable automata as well as consider the decision questions of whether a given automaton has this property. In particular, we show that it is undecidable to check if a given NFA is λ-stochastically resolvable. This problem is decidable for finitely-ambiguous automata. We also present complexity upper and lower bounds for several well-studied classes of automata for which this problem remains decidable.

Cite as

Soumyajit Paul, David Purser, Sven Schewe, Qiyi Tang, Patrick Totzke, and Di-De Yen. Resolving Nondeterminism by Chance. In 36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 348, pp. 32:1-32:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{paul_et_al:LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.32,
  author =	{Paul, Soumyajit and Purser, David and Schewe, Sven and Tang, Qiyi and Totzke, Patrick and Yen, Di-De},
  title =	{{Resolving Nondeterminism by Chance}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2025)},
  pages =	{32:1--32:22},
  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.2025.32},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-239822},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2025.32},
  annote =	{Keywords: History-determinism, finite automata, probabilistic automata}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.16

A Game of Pawns

Authors: Guy Avni, Pranav Ghorpade, and Shibashis Guha

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 279, 34th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2023)

Abstract

We introduce and study pawn games, a class of two-player zero-sum turn-based graph games. A turn-based graph game proceeds by placing a token on an initial vertex, and whoever controls the vertex on which the token is located, chooses its next location. This leads to a path in the graph, which determines the winner. Traditionally, the control of vertices is predetermined and fixed. The novelty of pawn games is that control of vertices changes dynamically throughout the game as follows. Each vertex of a pawn game is owned by a pawn. In each turn, the pawns are partitioned between the two players, and the player who controls the pawn that owns the vertex on which the token is located, chooses the next location of the token. Control of pawns changes dynamically throughout the game according to a fixed mechanism. Specifically, we define several grabbing-based mechanisms in which control of at most one pawn transfers at the end of each turn. We study the complexity of solving pawn games, where we focus on reachability objectives and parameterize the problem by the mechanism that is being used and by restrictions on pawn ownership of vertices. On the positive side, even though pawn games are exponentially-succinct turn-based games, we identify several natural classes that can be solved in PTIME. On the negative side, we identify several EXPTIME-complete classes, where our hardness proofs are based on a new class of games called Lock & Key games, which may be of independent interest.

Cite as

Guy Avni, Pranav Ghorpade, and Shibashis Guha. A Game of Pawns. In 34th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 279, pp. 16:1-16:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@InProceedings{avni_et_al:LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.16,
  author =	{Avni, Guy and Ghorpade, Pranav and Guha, Shibashis},
  title =	{{A Game of Pawns}},
  booktitle =	{34th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2023)},
  pages =	{16:1--16:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-299-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{279},
  editor =	{P\'{e}rez, Guillermo A. and Raskin, Jean-Fran\c{c}ois},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.16},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-190100},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.16},
  annote =	{Keywords: Graph games, Reachability games, Pawn games, Dynamic vertex control}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.31

History-Deterministic Parikh Automata

Authors: Enzo Erlich, Shibashis Guha, Ismaël Jecker, Karoliina Lehtinen, and Martin Zimmermann

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 279, 34th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2023)

Abstract

Parikh automata extend finite automata by counters that can be tested for membership in a semilinear set, but only at the end of a run. Thereby, they preserve many of the desirable properties of finite automata. Deterministic Parikh automata are strictly weaker than nondeterministic ones, but enjoy better closure and algorithmic properties. This state of affairs motivates the study of intermediate forms of nondeterminism. Here, we investigate history-deterministic Parikh automata, i.e., automata whose nondeterminism can be resolved on the fly. This restricted form of nondeterminism is well-suited for applications which classically call for determinism, e.g., solving games and composition. We show that history-deterministic Parikh automata are strictly more expressive than deterministic ones, incomparable to unambiguous ones, and enjoy almost all of the closure properties of deterministic automata.

Cite as

Enzo Erlich, Shibashis Guha, Ismaël Jecker, Karoliina Lehtinen, and Martin Zimmermann. History-Deterministic Parikh Automata. In 34th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 279, pp. 31:1-31:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@InProceedings{erlich_et_al:LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.31,
  author =	{Erlich, Enzo and Guha, Shibashis and Jecker, Isma\"{e}l and Lehtinen, Karoliina and Zimmermann, Martin},
  title =	{{History-Deterministic Parikh Automata}},
  booktitle =	{34th International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2023)},
  pages =	{31:1--31:16},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-299-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{279},
  editor =	{P\'{e}rez, Guillermo A. and Raskin, Jean-Fran\c{c}ois},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.31},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-190250},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2023.31},
  annote =	{Keywords: Parikh automata, History-determinism, Reversal-bounded Counter Machines}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2022.40

Parikh Automata over Infinite Words

Authors: Shibashis Guha, Ismaël Jecker, Karoliina Lehtinen, and Martin Zimmermann

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 250, 42nd IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2022)

Abstract

Parikh automata extend finite automata by counters that can be tested for membership in a semilinear set, but only at the end of a run, thereby preserving many of the desirable algorithmic properties of finite automata. Here, we study the extension of the classical framework onto infinite inputs: We introduce reachability, safety, Büchi, and co-Büchi Parikh automata on infinite words and study expressiveness, closure properties, and the complexity of verification problems. We show that almost all classes of automata have pairwise incomparable expressiveness, both in the deterministic and the nondeterministic case; a result that sharply contrasts with the well-known hierarchy in the ω-regular setting. Furthermore, emptiness is shown decidable for Parikh automata with reachability or Büchi acceptance, but undecidable for safety and co-Büchi acceptance. Most importantly, we show decidability of model checking with specifications given by deterministic Parikh automata with safety or co-Büchi acceptance, but also undecidability for all other types of automata. Finally, solving games is undecidable for all types.

Cite as

Shibashis Guha, Ismaël Jecker, Karoliina Lehtinen, and Martin Zimmermann. Parikh Automata over Infinite Words. In 42nd IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 250, pp. 40:1-40:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{guha_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2022.40,
  author =	{Guha, Shibashis and Jecker, Isma\"{e}l and Lehtinen, Karoliina and Zimmermann, Martin},
  title =	{{Parikh Automata over Infinite Words}},
  booktitle =	{42nd IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2022)},
  pages =	{40:1--40:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-261-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{250},
  editor =	{Dawar, Anuj and Guruswami, Venkatesan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2022.40},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-174327},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2022.40},
  annote =	{Keywords: Parikh automata, \omega-automata, Infinite Games}
}

Document

Track B: Automata, Logic, Semantics, and Theory of Programming

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2022.115

Strategy Synthesis for Global Window PCTL

Authors: Benjamin Bordais, Damien Busatto-Gaston, Shibashis Guha, and Jean-François Raskin

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 229, 49th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2022)

Abstract

Given a Markov decision process (MDP) M and a formula Φ, the strategy synthesis problem asks if there exists a strategy σ s.t. the resulting Markov chain M[σ] satisfies Φ. This problem is known to be undecidable for the probabilistic temporal logic PCTL. We study a class of formulae that can be seen as a fragment of PCTL where a local, bounded horizon property is enforced all along an execution. Moreover, we allow for linear expressions in the probabilistic inequalities. This logic is at the frontier of decidability, depending on the type of strategies considered. In particular, strategy synthesis is decidable when strategies are deterministic while the general problem is undecidable.

Cite as

Benjamin Bordais, Damien Busatto-Gaston, Shibashis Guha, and Jean-François Raskin. Strategy Synthesis for Global Window PCTL. In 49th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 229, pp. 115:1-115:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{bordais_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2022.115,
  author =	{Bordais, Benjamin and Busatto-Gaston, Damien and Guha, Shibashis and Raskin, Jean-Fran\c{c}ois},
  title =	{{Strategy Synthesis for Global Window PCTL}},
  booktitle =	{49th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2022)},
  pages =	{115:1--115:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-235-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{229},
  editor =	{Boja\'{n}czyk, Miko{\l}aj and Merelli, Emanuela and Woodruff, David P.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2022.115},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-164562},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2022.115},
  annote =	{Keywords: Markov decision processes, synthesis, PCTL}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2021.53

A Bit of Nondeterminism Makes Pushdown Automata Expressive and Succinct

Authors: Shibashis Guha, Ismaël Jecker, Karoliina Lehtinen, and Martin Zimmermann

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 202, 46th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2021)

Abstract

We study the expressiveness and succinctness of good-for-games pushdown automata (GFG-PDA) over finite words, that is, pushdown automata whose nondeterminism can be resolved based on the run constructed so far, but independently of the remainder of the input word. We prove that GFG-PDA recognise more languages than deterministic PDA (DPDA) but not all context-free languages (CFL). This class is orthogonal to unambiguous CFL. We further show that GFG-PDA can be exponentially more succinct than DPDA, while PDA can be double-exponentially more succinct than GFG-PDA. We also study GFGness in visibly pushdown automata (VPA), which enjoy better closure properties than PDA, and for which we show GFGness to be ExpTime-complete. GFG-VPA can be exponentially more succinct than deterministic VPA, while VPA can be exponentially more succinct than GFG-VPA. Both of these lower bounds are tight. Finally, we study the complexity of resolving nondeterminism in GFG-PDA. Every GFG-PDA has a positional resolver, a function that resolves nondeterminism and that is only dependant on the current configuration. Pushdown transducers are sufficient to implement the resolvers of GFG-VPA, but not those of GFG-PDA. GFG-PDA with finite-state resolvers are determinisable.

Cite as

Shibashis Guha, Ismaël Jecker, Karoliina Lehtinen, and Martin Zimmermann. A Bit of Nondeterminism Makes Pushdown Automata Expressive and Succinct. In 46th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 202, pp. 53:1-53:20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@InProceedings{guha_et_al:LIPIcs.MFCS.2021.53,
  author =	{Guha, Shibashis and Jecker, Isma\"{e}l and Lehtinen, Karoliina and Zimmermann, Martin},
  title =	{{A Bit of Nondeterminism Makes Pushdown Automata Expressive and Succinct}},
  booktitle =	{46th International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (MFCS 2021)},
  pages =	{53:1--53:20},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-201-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{202},
  editor =	{Bonchi, Filippo and Puglisi, Simon J.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2021.53},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-144932},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.MFCS.2021.53},
  annote =	{Keywords: Pushdown Automata, Good-for-games, Synthesis, Succintness}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2021.9

Fragility and Robustness in Mean-Payoff Adversarial Stackelberg Games

Authors: Mrudula Balachander, Shibashis Guha, and Jean-François Raskin

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 203, 32nd International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2021)

Abstract

Two-player mean-payoff Stackelberg games are nonzero-sum infinite duration games played on a bi-weighted graph by Leader (Player 0) and Follower (Player 1). Such games are played sequentially: first, Leader announces her strategy, second, Follower chooses his best-response. If we cannot impose which best-response is chosen by Follower, we say that Follower, though strategic, is adversarial towards Leader. The maximal value that Leader can get in this nonzero-sum game is called the adversarial Stackelberg value (ASV) of the game. We study the robustness of strategies for Leader in these games against two types of deviations: (i) Modeling imprecision - the weights on the edges of the game arena may not be exactly correct, they may be delta-away from the right one. (ii) Sub-optimal response - Follower may play epsilon-optimal best-responses instead of perfect best-responses. First, we show that if the game is zero-sum then robustness is guaranteed while in the nonzero-sum case, optimal strategies for ASV are fragile. Second, we provide a solution concept to obtain strategies for Leader that are robust to both modeling imprecision, and as well as to the epsilon-optimal responses of Follower, and study several properties and algorithmic problems related to this solution concept.

Cite as

Mrudula Balachander, Shibashis Guha, and Jean-François Raskin. Fragility and Robustness in Mean-Payoff Adversarial Stackelberg Games. In 32nd International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 203, pp. 9:1-9:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@InProceedings{balachander_et_al:LIPIcs.CONCUR.2021.9,
  author =	{Balachander, Mrudula and Guha, Shibashis and Raskin, Jean-Fran\c{c}ois},
  title =	{{Fragility and Robustness in Mean-Payoff Adversarial Stackelberg Games}},
  booktitle =	{32nd International Conference on Concurrency Theory (CONCUR 2021)},
  pages =	{9:1--9:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-203-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{203},
  editor =	{Haddad, Serge and Varacca, Daniele},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2021.9},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-143863},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CONCUR.2021.9},
  annote =	{Keywords: mean-payoff, Stackelberg games, synthesis}
}

Document

Track B: Automata, Logic, Semantics, and Theory of Programming

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2020.127

The Adversarial Stackelberg Value in Quantitative Games

Authors: Emmanuel Filiot, Raffaella Gentilini, and Jean-François Raskin

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 168, 47th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2020)

Abstract

In this paper, we study the notion of adversarial Stackelberg value for two-player non-zero sum games played on bi-weighted graphs with the mean-payoff and the discounted sum functions. The adversarial Stackelberg value of Player 0 is the largest value that Player 0 can obtain when announcing her strategy to Player 1 which in turn responds with any of his best response. For the mean-payoff function, we show that the adversarial Stackelberg value is not always achievable but ε-optimal strategies exist. We show how to compute this value and prove that the associated threshold problem is in NP. For the discounted sum payoff function, we draw a link with the target discounted sum problem which explains why the problem is difficult to solve for this payoff function. We also provide solutions to related gap problems.

Cite as

Emmanuel Filiot, Raffaella Gentilini, and Jean-François Raskin. The Adversarial Stackelberg Value in Quantitative Games. In 47th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2020). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 168, pp. 127:1-127:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)

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@InProceedings{filiot_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2020.127,
  author =	{Filiot, Emmanuel and Gentilini, Raffaella and Raskin, Jean-Fran\c{c}ois},
  title =	{{The Adversarial Stackelberg Value in Quantitative Games}},
  booktitle =	{47th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2020)},
  pages =	{127:1--127:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-138-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{168},
  editor =	{Czumaj, Artur and Dawar, Anuj and Merelli, Emanuela},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2020.127},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-125348},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2020.127},
  annote =	{Keywords: Non-zero sum games, reactive synthesis, adversarial Stackelberg}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2019.32

Expected Window Mean-Payoff

Authors: Benjamin Bordais, Shibashis Guha, and Jean-François Raskin

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 150, 39th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2019)

Abstract

We study the expected value of the window mean-payoff measure in Markov decision processes (MDPs) and Markov chains (MCs). The window mean-payoff measure strengthens the classical mean-payoff measure by measuring the mean-payoff over a window of bounded length that slides along an infinite path. This measure ensures better stability properties than the classical mean-payoff. Window mean-payoff has been introduced previously for two-player zero-sum games. As in the case of games, we study several variants of this definition: the measure can be defined to be prefix-independent or not, and for a fixed window length or for a window length that is left parametric. For fixed window length, we provide polynomial time algorithms for the prefix-independent version for both MDPs and MCs. When the length is left parametric, the problem of computing the expected value on MDPs is as hard as computing the mean-payoff value in two-player zero-sum games, a problem for which it is not known if it can be solved in polynomial time. For the prefix-dependent version, surprisingly, the expected window mean-payoff value cannot be computed in polynomial time unless P=PSPACE. For the parametric case and the prefix-dependent case, we manage to obtain algorithms with better complexities for MCs.

Cite as

Benjamin Bordais, Shibashis Guha, and Jean-François Raskin. Expected Window Mean-Payoff. In 39th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 150, pp. 32:1-32:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@InProceedings{bordais_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2019.32,
  author =	{Bordais, Benjamin and Guha, Shibashis and Raskin, Jean-Fran\c{c}ois},
  title =	{{Expected Window Mean-Payoff}},
  booktitle =	{39th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2019)},
  pages =	{32:1--32:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-131-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{150},
  editor =	{Chattopadhyay, Arkadev and Gastin, Paul},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2019.32},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-115940},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2019.32},
  annote =	{Keywords: mean-payoff, Markov decision processes, synthesis}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2019.40

Two-Way Parikh Automata

Authors: Emmanuel Filiot, Shibashis Guha, and Nicolas Mazzocchi

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 150, 39th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2019)

Abstract

Parikh automata extend automata with counters whose values can only be tested at the end of the computation, with respect to membership into a semi-linear set. Parikh automata have found several applications, for instance in transducer theory, as they enjoy a decidable emptiness problem. In this paper, we study two-way Parikh automata. We show that emptiness becomes undecidable in the non-deterministic case. However, it is PSpace-C when the number of visits to any input position is bounded and the semi-linear set is given as an existential Presburger formula. We also give tight complexity bounds for the inclusion, equivalence and universality problems. Finally, we characterise precisely the complexity of those problems when the semi-linear constraint is given by an arbitrary Presburger formula.

Cite as

Emmanuel Filiot, Shibashis Guha, and Nicolas Mazzocchi. Two-Way Parikh Automata. In 39th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 150, pp. 40:1-40:14, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@InProceedings{filiot_et_al:LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2019.40,
  author =	{Filiot, Emmanuel and Guha, Shibashis and Mazzocchi, Nicolas},
  title =	{{Two-Way Parikh Automata}},
  booktitle =	{39th IARCS Annual Conference on Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science (FSTTCS 2019)},
  pages =	{40:1--40:14},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-131-3},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{150},
  editor =	{Chattopadhyay, Arkadev and Gastin, Paul},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2019.40},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-116027},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.FSTTCS.2019.40},
  annote =	{Keywords: Parikh automata, two-way automata, Presburger arithmetic}
}

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