Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Chen, Chris, McIver, Annabelle, Morgan, Carroll
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08437
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866909925143216128
author Chen, Chris
McIver, Annabelle
Morgan, Carroll
author_facet Chen, Chris
McIver, Annabelle
Morgan, Carroll
contents Data refinement is the standard extension of a refinement relation from programs to datatypes (i.e. a behavioural subtyping relation). Forward/backward simulations provide a tractable method for establishing data refinement, and have been thoroughly studied for nondeterministic programs. However, for standard models of mixed probability and nondeterminism, ordinary assignment statements may not commute with (variable-disjoint) program fragments. This (1) invalidates a key assumption underlying the soundness of simulations, and (2) prevents modelling probabilistic datatypes with encapsulated state. We introduce a weakest precondition semantics for Kuifje$_\sqcap$, a language for partially observable Markov decision processes, using so-called loss (function) transformers. We prove soundness of forward/backward simulations in this richer setting, modulo healthiness conditions with a remarkable duality: forward simulations cannot leak information, and backward simulations cannot exploit leaked information.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_08437
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Forward and Backward Simulations for Partially Observable Probability
Chen, Chris
McIver, Annabelle
Morgan, Carroll
Logic in Computer Science
Data refinement is the standard extension of a refinement relation from programs to datatypes (i.e. a behavioural subtyping relation). Forward/backward simulations provide a tractable method for establishing data refinement, and have been thoroughly studied for nondeterministic programs. However, for standard models of mixed probability and nondeterminism, ordinary assignment statements may not commute with (variable-disjoint) program fragments. This (1) invalidates a key assumption underlying the soundness of simulations, and (2) prevents modelling probabilistic datatypes with encapsulated state. We introduce a weakest precondition semantics for Kuifje$_\sqcap$, a language for partially observable Markov decision processes, using so-called loss (function) transformers. We prove soundness of forward/backward simulations in this richer setting, modulo healthiness conditions with a remarkable duality: forward simulations cannot leak information, and backward simulations cannot exploit leaked information.
title Forward and Backward Simulations for Partially Observable Probability
topic Logic in Computer Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08437