Three Applications to Rational Relations of the High Undecidability of the Infinite Post Correspondence Problem in a Regular omega-Language

Abstract

It was noticed by Harel in [Har86] that "one can define ${\Sigma }_1^1$-complete versions of the well-known Post Correspondence Problem". We first give a complete proof of this result, showing that the infinite Post Correspondence Problem in a regular $\omega$-language is ${\Sigma }_1^1$-complete, hence located beyond the arithmetical hierarchy and highly undecidable. We infer from this result that it is ${\Pi }_1^1$-complete to determine whether two given infinitary rational relations are disjoint. Then we prove that there is an amazing gap between two decision problems about $\omega$-rational functions realized by finite state Büchi transducers. Indeed Prieur proved in [Pri01, Pri02] that it is decidable whether a given $\omega$-rational function is continuous, while we show here that it is ${\Sigma }_1^1$-complete to determine whether a given $\omega$-rational function has at least one point of continuity. Next we prove that it is ${\Pi }_1^1$-complete to determine whether the continuity set of a given $\omega$-rational function is $\omega$-regular. This gives the exact complexity of two problems which were shown to be undecidable in [CFS08].

arXiv commentTo appear in: Special Issue: Frontier Between Decidability and Undecidability and Related Problems, International Journal of Foundations of Computer Science

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