Technical Reports

The report FIMU-RS-2004-03

Model Checking Probabilistic Pushdown Automata

by Javier Esparza, Antonín Kuèera, Richard Mayr, A full version of the paper presented at LICS`04. July 2004, 34 pages.

FIMU-RS-2004-03. Available as Postscript, PDF.

Abstract:

We consider the model checking problem for probabilistic pushdown automata (pPDA) and properties expressible in various probabilistic logics. We start with properties that can be formulated as instances of a generalized random walk problem. We prove that both qualitative and quantitative model checking for this class of properties and pPDA is decidable. Then we show that model checking for the qualitative fragment of the logic PCTL and pPDA is also decidable. Moreover, we develop an error-tolerant model checking algorithm for general PCTL and the subclass of stateless pPDA. Finally, we consider the class of properties definable by deterministic Buchi automata, and show that both qualitative and quantitative model checking for pPDA is decidable.