Constructive design of a hierarchy of semantics of a transition system by abstract interpretation

We construct a hierarchy of semantics by successive abstract interpretations. Starting from the maximal trace semantics of a transition system, we derive the big-step semantics, termination and nontermination semantics, Plotkin's natural, Smyth's demoniac and Hoare's angelic relationa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theoretical computer science 2002-04, Vol.277 (1), p.47-103
Main Author: Cousot, Patrick
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We construct a hierarchy of semantics by successive abstract interpretations. Starting from the maximal trace semantics of a transition system, we derive the big-step semantics, termination and nontermination semantics, Plotkin's natural, Smyth's demoniac and Hoare's angelic relational semantics and equivalent nondeterministic denotational semantics (with alternative powerdomains to the Egli–Milner and Smyth constructions), D. Scott's deterministic denotational semantics, the generalized and Dijkstra's conservative/liberal predicate transformer semantics, the generalized/total and Hoare's partial correctness axiomatic semantics and the corresponding proof methods. All the semantics are presented in a uniform fixpoint form and the correspondences between these semantics are established through composable Galois connections, each semantics being formally calculated by abstract interpretation of a more concrete one using Kleene and/or Tarski fixpoint approximation transfer theorems.
ISSN:0304-3975
1879-2294
DOI:10.1016/S0304-3975(00)00313-3