Abstract

We develop a model-checking algorithm for a logic that permits propositions to be defined using greatest and least fixed points of mutually recursive systems of equations. This logic is as expressive as the alternation-free fragment of the modal mu-calculus identified by Emerson and Lei, and it may therefore be used to encode a number of temporal logics and behavioral preorders. Our algorithm determines whether a process satisfies a formula in time proportional to the product of the sizes of the process and the formula; this improves on the best known algorithm for similar fixed-point logics. 1 Introduction Behavioral equivalences and preorders, and temporal logics, have been used extensively in automated verification tools for finite-state processes [3, 12, 18, 19, 20]. The relations are typically used to relate a high-level specification process to a more detailed implementation process, while the logics enable system designers to formulate collections of properties that implementa...

Citations