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On the decidability of process equivalences for the π-calculus

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Book cover Algebraic Methodology and Software Technology (AMAST 1995)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 936))

Abstract

We present general results for showing process equivalences applied to the finite control fragment of the π-calculus decidable. Firstly a Finite Reachability Theorem states that up to finite name spaces and up to a static normalisation procedure, the set of reachable agent expressions is finite. Secondly a Boundedness Lemma shows that no potential computations are missed when name spaces are chosen large enough, but finite. We show how these results lead to decidability for a number of π-calculus equivalences such as strong or weak, late or early bismulation equivalence. Furthermore, for strong late equivalence we show how our techniques can be used to adapt the well-known Paige-Tarjan algorithm. Strikingly this results in a single exponential running time not much worse than the running time for the case of for instance CCS. Our results considerably strengthens previous results on decidable equivalences for parameter-passing process calculi.

Work partially supported by ESPRIT BRA project 8130 “LOMAPS”.

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Author notes

  1. Mads Dam

    Present address: SICS, Box 1263, S-164 28, Kista, Sweden

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    1. Mads Dam
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    Correspondence to Mads Dam .

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    V. S. Alagar Maurice Nivat

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    © 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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    Dam, M. (1995). On the decidability of process equivalences for the π-calculus. In: Alagar, V.S., Nivat, M. (eds) Algebraic Methodology and Software Technology. AMAST 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 936. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60043-4_52

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60043-4_52

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    • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

    • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60043-5

    • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49410-2

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