A categorical and logical framework for iterated protocols

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Goubault, Eric, Flores, Bernardo Hummes, Kniazev, Roman, Ledent, Jeremy, Rajsbaum, Sergio
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915288018059264
author Goubault, Eric
Flores, Bernardo Hummes
Kniazev, Roman
Ledent, Jeremy
Rajsbaum, Sergio
author_facet Goubault, Eric
Flores, Bernardo Hummes
Kniazev, Roman
Ledent, Jeremy
Rajsbaum, Sergio
contents In this article, we show that the now classical protocol complex approach to distributed task solvability of Herlihy et al. can be understood in standard categorical terms. First, protocol complexes are functors, from chromatic (semi-) simplicial sets to chromatic simplicial sets, that naturally give rise to algebras. These algebras describe the next state operator for the corresponding distributed systems. This is constructed for semi-synchronous distributed systems with general patterns of communication for which we show that these functors are always Yoneda extensions of simpler functors, implying a number of interesting properties. Furthermore, for these protocol complex functors, we prove the existence of a free algebra on any initial chromatic simplicial complex, modeling iterated protocol complexes. Under this categorical formalization, protocol complexes are seen as transition systems, where states are structured as chromatic simplicial sets. We exploit the epistemic interpretation of chromatic simplicial sets and the underlying transition system (or algebra) structure to introduce a temporal-epistemic logic and its semantics on all free algebras on chromatic simplicial sets. We end up by giving hints on how to extend this framework to more general dynamic network graphs and state-dependent protocols, and give example in fault-tolerant distributed systems and mobile robotics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_10071
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A categorical and logical framework for iterated protocols
Goubault, Eric
Flores, Bernardo Hummes
Kniazev, Roman
Ledent, Jeremy
Rajsbaum, Sergio
Logic in Computer Science
Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
In this article, we show that the now classical protocol complex approach to distributed task solvability of Herlihy et al. can be understood in standard categorical terms. First, protocol complexes are functors, from chromatic (semi-) simplicial sets to chromatic simplicial sets, that naturally give rise to algebras. These algebras describe the next state operator for the corresponding distributed systems. This is constructed for semi-synchronous distributed systems with general patterns of communication for which we show that these functors are always Yoneda extensions of simpler functors, implying a number of interesting properties. Furthermore, for these protocol complex functors, we prove the existence of a free algebra on any initial chromatic simplicial complex, modeling iterated protocol complexes. Under this categorical formalization, protocol complexes are seen as transition systems, where states are structured as chromatic simplicial sets. We exploit the epistemic interpretation of chromatic simplicial sets and the underlying transition system (or algebra) structure to introduce a temporal-epistemic logic and its semantics on all free algebras on chromatic simplicial sets. We end up by giving hints on how to extend this framework to more general dynamic network graphs and state-dependent protocols, and give example in fault-tolerant distributed systems and mobile robotics.
title A categorical and logical framework for iterated protocols
topic Logic in Computer Science
Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.10071