Logic programming approach to automata-based decision procedures

•We propose a novel technique to the decision problem of WSnS (weak monadic second-order logic with n successors).•We outline the advantages of the proposed method over more traditional approaches and provide experimental results demonstrating the performance gain with the proposed method.•We also explore various optimizations of the proposed technique.

We propose a novel technique that reduces the decision problem of WSnS (weak monadic second-order logic with n successors) to the problem of evaluation of Complex-value Datalog queries. We then show how the use of advanced implementation techniques for Logic Programs, in particular the use of tabling in the XSB system, yields a considerable improvement in performance over more traditional approaches. We also explore various optimizations of the proposed technique based on variants of tabling and goal reordering. Although our primary focus is on WS1S, the logic of single successor, we show that it is straightforward to adapt our approach for other logics with existing automata-theoretic decision procedures, for example WS2S.