Certificates for short extending words in a finite automaton

📅 2026-09-18
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🤖 AI Summary
研究通过定义一个新的整数函数B(S)来确定有限自动机中子集S的最短扩展词长度,解决了如何有效认证和计算非欧拉自动机中状态子集扩展性的问题。
📝 Abstract
Let $\mathcal A$ be a complete deterministic finite automaton on a state set $Q$ of size $n$ with $k$ letters, and for a proper nonempty subset $S$ of $Q$ let $\mathrm{minext}(S)$ be the length of a shortest word $u$ with $|Su^{-1}|>|S|$, where $Su^{-1}=\{q: q\cdot u\in S\}$. To each state $q$ attach the integer $β^{\ast}_q=\sum_{t=1}^{n-1}k^{\,n-1-t}(\mathrm{indeg}_t(q)-k^{t})$, where $\mathrm{indeg}_t(q)$ counts the pairs $(p,u)$ with $|u|=t$ and $p\cdot u=q$, and let $B(S)=\sum_{q\in S}β^{\ast}_q$. On every synchronizing automaton, $B(S)\ge0$ implies $\mathrm{minext}(S)\le n-1$, so, as $B(Q)=0$, one of $S$ and $Q\setminus S$ extends within $n-1$; when $B(S)>0$ no hypothesis is needed. Kari's Eulerian extension lemma is the case $β^{\ast}=0$, and $β^{\ast}$, like every member of the family $\sum_{t=1}^{n-1}c_tσ_t$, $c_t>0$, vanishes identically if and only if the automaton is Eulerian, where $σ_t(S)=\sum_{q\in S}(\mathrm{indeg}_t(q)-k^{t})$. On strongly connected automata $σ_t(S)/k^{t}$ has Cesàro limit $n\,e(S)/e(Q)-|S|$ for Friedman's weight $e$; that limit certifies singletons but no larger subset in general. The hypothesis $B(S)\ge0$ cannot be relaxed by one integer unit, nor can the constant $n-1$ be improved. A second-moment test on the sizes $|Su^{-1}|$ certifies 60 to 95 percent of the subsets with $B(S)<0$ at $n\le7$. Along non-Eulerian automata whose words of length $n-1$ merge a fraction of the state pairs bounded below, with $\max_q\mathrm{indeg}_{n-1}(q)=o(nk^{n-1})$, it certifies all but a vanishing share of them. The functional $B$ certifies half of the subsets outside $\{B=0\}$. At each subset size coprime to $n$ ($n\ge4$) some synchronizing Eulerian binary automaton attains the constant $n-1$; whether only there is open. No reset bound follows: Černý's automata have subsets not extending within $n-1$.
Problem

Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.

finite automaton
shortest extending word
state set
Innovation

Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.

finite automaton
shortest extending word
second-moment test
Eulerian automata
synchronization
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M
Michele Miccinesi
University of Pisa, Italy