The Complexity of Szilard Languages of Matrix Grammars Revisited

Abstract

The regulated rewriting mechanism is one of the most efficient methods to augment the Chomsky hierarchy with a large variety of language classes. In this paper we investigate the derivation mechanism in regulated rewriting grammars such as matrix grammars, by studying their Szilard languages. We focus on the complexity of Szilard languages associated with unrestricted and leftmost-like derivations in matrix grammars, with or without appearance checking. The reason is twofold. First, to relate these classes of languages to parallel complexity classes such as 𝒩𝒞¹ and 𝒜𝒞¹, and, second, to improve some previous results. We prove that unrestricted Szilard languages and certain leftmost Szilard languages of context-free matrix grammars, without appearance checking, can be accepted by indexing alternating Turing machines in logarithmic time and space. Consequently, these classes are included in U_E^*-uniform 𝒩𝒞¹. Unrestricted Szilard languages of matrix grammars with appearance checking can be accepted by deterministic Turing machines in 𝒪(n log n) time and 𝒪(log n) space. Leftmost-like Szilard languages of context-free matrix grammars, with appearance checking, can be recognized by nondeterministic Turing machines by using the same time and space resources. Hence, all these classes are included in 𝒜𝒞¹.