English

Arithmetics within the Linear Time Hierarchy

Logic in Computer Science 2025-08-20 v1 Logic

Abstract

We identify fragments of the arithmetic S1S_1 that enjoy nice closure properties and have exact characterization of their definable multifunctions. To do this, in the language of S1S_1, L1L_1, starting from the formula classes, Σib\Sigma^{\mathsf b}_{i}, which ignore sharply bounded quantifiers when determining quantifier alternations, we define new syntactic classes by counting bounded existential sharply bounded universal quantifiers blocks. Using these, we define arithmetics: S˘1i\breve{S}^{i}_{1}, TLS1iTLS^i_1 and TSC1iTSC^i_1. S˘1i\breve{S}^{i}_{1} consists of open axioms for the language symbols and length induction for one of our new classes, SIUTi,1{p(id)}SIUT_{i,1}^{\{p(|id|)\}}. TLS1iTLS^i_1 and TSC1iTSC^i_1 are defined using axioms related to dependent choice sequences for formulas from two other classes within Σib\Sigma^{\mathsf b}_{i}. We prove for i1i \geq 1 that TLS1iTSC1iS˘1iB(SITTi+1{p(id)})TLS1i+1TLS^i_1 \subseteq TSC^i_1 \subseteq \breve{S}^{i}_{1} \preceq_{\forall B(SITT_{i+1}^{\{p(|id|)\}})} TLS^{i+1}_1 and that the SITTi{p(id)}SITT_{i}^{\{p(|id|)\}}-definable in TLS1iTLS^i_1 (resp. SITTi{2p(id)}SITT_{i}^{\{2^{p(||id||)}\}}-definable in TSC1iTSC^i_1) multifunctions are L1L_1-FLOGSPACESITi,1[wit]FLOGSPACE^{SIT_{i,1}}[wit] (resp. L1L_1-FSCSITi,1[wit]FSC^{SIT_{i,1}}[wit]). These multifunction classes are respectively the logspace or SCSC (poly-time, polylog-space) computable multifunctions whose output is bound by a term in L1L_1 and that have access to a witness oracle for another restriction on the Σib\Sigma^{\mathsf b}_{i} formulas, SITi,1SIT_{i,1}. For the i=1i=1 cases, this simplifies respectively to the functions in logspace and SCSC, Steve's Class, poly-time, polylog-space. We prove independence results related to the Matiyasevich Robinson Davis Putnam Theorem (MRDP) and to whether our theories prove simultaneous nondeterministic polynomial time, sublinear space is equal to co-nondeterministic polynomial time, sublinear space.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2508.13195,
  title  = {Arithmetics within the Linear Time Hierarchy},
  author = {Chris Pollett},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.13195},
  year   = {2025}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T04:55:22.143Z