No Arabic abstract
Fidelity is one of the most widely used quantities in quantum information that measure the distance of quantum states through a noisy channel. In this paper, we introduce a quantum analogy of computation tree logic (CTL) called QCTL, which concerns fidelity instead of probability in probabilistic CTL, over quantum Markov chains (QMCs). Noisy channels are modelled by super-operators, which are specified by QCTL formulas; the initial quantum states are modelled by density operators, which are left parametric in the given QMC. The problem is to compute the minimumfidelity over all initial states for conservation. We achieve it by a reduction to quantifier elimination in the existential theory of the reals. The method is absolutely exact, so that QCTL formulas are proven to be decidable in exponential time. Finally, we implement the proposed method and demonstrate its effectiveness via a quantum IPv4 protocol.
Parametric Markov chains occur quite naturally in various applications: they can be used for a conservative analysis of probabilistic systems (no matter how the parameter is chosen, the system works to specification); they can be used to find optimal settings for a parameter; they can be used to visualise the influence of system parameters; and they can be used to make it easy to adjust the analysis for the case that parameters change. Unfortunately, these advancements come at a cost: parametric model checking is---or rather was---often slow. To make the analysis of parametric Markov models scale, we need three ingredients: clever algorithms, the right data structure, and good engineering. Clever algorithms are often the main (or sole) selling point; and we face the trouble that this paper focuses on -- the latter ingredients to efficient model checking. Consequently, our easiest claim to fame is in the speed-up we have often realised when comparing to the state of the art.
We revisit the symbolic verification of Markov chains with respect to finite horizon reachability properties. The prevalent approach iteratively computes step-bounded state reachability probabilities. By contrast, recent advances in probabilistic inference suggest symbolically representing all horizon-length paths through the Markov chain. We ask whether this perspective advances the state-of-the-art in probabilistic model checking. First, we formally describe both approaches in order to highlight their key differences. Then, using these insights we develop Rubicon, a tool that transpiles Prism models to the probabilistic inference tool Dice. Finally, we demonstrate better scalability compared to probabilistic model checkers on selected benchmarks. All together, our results suggest that probabilistic inference is a valuable addition to the probabilistic model checking portfolio -- with Rubicon as a first step towards integrating both perspectives.
Verifying quantum systems has attracted a lot of interests in the last decades. In this paper, we initialised the model checking of quantum continuous-time Markov chain (QCTMC). As a real-time system, we specify the temporal properties on QCTMC by signal temporal logic (STL). To effectively check the atomic propositions in STL, we develop a state-of-art real root isolation algorithm under Schanuels conjecture; further, we check the general STL formula by interval operations with a bottom-up fashion, whose query complexity turns out to be linear in the size of the input formula by calling the real root isolation algorithm. A running example of an open quantum walk is provided to demonstrate our method.
Many complex systems can be described by population models, in which a pool of agents interacts and produces complex collective behaviours. We consider the problem of verifying formal properties of the underlying mathematical representation of these models, which is a Continuous Time Markov Chain, often with a huge state space. To circumvent the state space explosion, we rely on stochastic approximation techniques, which replace the large model by a simpler one, guaranteed to be probabilistically consistent. We show how to efficiently and accurately verify properties of random individual agents, specified by Continuous Stochastic Logic extended with Timed Automata (CSL-TA), and how to lift these specifications to the collective level, approximating the number of agents satisfying them using second or higher order stochastic approximation techniques.
Knowledge-based programs provide an abstract level of description of protocols in which agent actions are related to their states of knowledge. The paper describes how epistemic model checking technology may be applied to discover and verify concrete implementations based on this abstract level of description. The details of the implementations depend on the specific context of use of the protocol. The knowledge-based approach enables the implementations to be optimized relative to these conditions of use. The approach is illustrated using extensions of the Dining Cryptographers protocol, a security protocol for anonymous broadcast.