English

Computing the $D$-base and $D$-relation in finite closure systems

Data Structures and Algorithms 2025-09-23 v3 Computational Complexity Combinatorics

Abstract

Implicational bases (IBs) are a common representation of finite closure systems and lattices, along with meet-irreducible elements. They appear in a wide variety of fields ranging from logic and databases to Knowledge Space Theory. Different IBs can represent the same closure system. Therefore, several IBs have been studied, such as the canonical and canonical direct bases. In this paper, we investigate the DD-base, a refinement of the canonical direct base. It is connected with the DD-relation, an essential tool in the study of free lattices. The DD-base demonstrates desirable algorithmic properties, and together with the DD-relation, it conveys essential properties of the underlying closure system. Hence, computing the DD-base and the DD-relation of a closure system from another representation is crucial to enjoy its benefits. However, complexity results for this task are lacking. In this paper, we give algorithms and hardness results for the computation of the DD-base and DD-relation. Specifically, we establish the NPNP-completeness of finding the DD-relation from an arbitrary IB; we give an output-quasi-polynomial time algorithm to compute the DD-base from meet-irreducible elements; and we obtain a polynomial-delay algorithm computing the DD-base from an arbitrary IB. These results complete the picture regarding the complexity of identifying the DD-base and DD-relation of a closure system.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2404.07037,
  title  = {Computing the $D$-base and $D$-relation in finite closure systems},
  author = {Kira Adaricheva and Lhouari Nourine and Simon Vilmin},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.07037},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

28 pages (with appendices), 11 figures, added a proof for Lemma 6

R2 v1 2026-06-28T15:50:00.077Z