English

Diagonalizing Through the $\omega$-Chain: Iterated Self-Certification on Bounded Turing Machines and its Least Fixed Point

Logic in Computer Science 2026-03-09 v1

Abstract

Bounded self-certification in Turing machines fails because self-simulation necessarily incurs a strictly positive temporal overhead. We translate this operational constraint into a domain-theoretic framework, defining an operator that advances a finite halting observation from time bound ii to i+1i+1. While no bounded machine can achieve a fixed point under this operator, the iterative process forms an ascending ω\omega-chain. The Scott limit of this chain resolves to the least fixed point of the operator, representing an unbounded computation that fully captures the machine's halting behavior. Our construction provides a novel perspective on the halting problem, framing the transition from finite observability to the least fixed point as the continuous deferral of the diagonal.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2603.06012,
  title  = {Diagonalizing Through the $\omega$-Chain: Iterated Self-Certification on Bounded Turing Machines and its Least Fixed Point},
  author = {Miara Sung},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.06012},
  year   = {2026}
}