Compressed word problems for inverse monoids

Abstract

The compressed word problem for a finitely generated monoid M asks whether two given compressed words over the generators of M represent the same element of M. For string compression, straight-line programs, i.e., context-free grammars that generate a single string, are used in this paper. It is shown that the compressed word problem for a free inverse monoid of finite rank at least two is complete for Π2p (second universal level of the polynomial time hierarchy). Moreover, it is shown that there exists a fixed finite idempotent presentation (i.e., a finite set of relations involving idempotents of a free inverse monoid), for which the corresponding quotient monoid has a PSPACE-complete compressed word problem. The ordinary uncompressed word problem for such a quotient can be solved in logspace [10]. Finally, a PSPACE-algorithm that checks whether a given element of a free inverse monoid belongs to a given rational subset is presented. This problem is also shown to be PSPACE-complete (even for a fixed finitely generated submonoid instead of a variable rational subset). © 2011 Springer-Verlag GmbH.