Tree Automata Help One To Solve Equational Formulae In AC-Theories

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In this paper we consider particular equational formulae where equality = AC is the congruence induced by a set of associative-commutative axioms. The formulae we are interested in have the form t ≠ ACt1 ∧…t ≠ ACtn and are usually known as complement problems. To solve a complement problem is to find an instance of t which is not an instance of any ti modulo associativity-commutativity. We give a decision procedure based on tree automata which solves these formulae when all the ti1s are linear. We show that this solution also gives a decision of inductive reducibility modulo associativity and commutativity in the linear case and we give several extensions of this approach. Then, we define a new class of tree automata, called conditional tree automata which recognize sets of generalized terms, i.e terms written as multisets, and where the application of a rule depends on the satisfiability of a formula of Presburger's arithmetic. This class of tree automata allows one to solve non-linear complement problems when all occurrences of a non-linear variable occur under the same node (in flattened terms). This solution also provides a procedure to decide inductive reducibility modulo associativity-commutativity in the same case.