Deque Languages, Automata and Planar Graphs

Abstract

The memory of a deque automaton is more general than a queue or two stacks; to avoid overgeneralization, we consider quasi-real-time operation. Normal forms of such automata are given. Deque languages form an AFL but not a full one. We define the characteristic deque language, CDL, which combines Dyck and AntiDyck (or FIFO) languages, and homomorphically characterizes the deque languages. The notion of deque graph, from graph theory, well represents deque computation by means of a planar hamiltonian graph on a cylinder, with edges visualizing producer-consumer relations for deque symbols. We give equivalent definitions of CDL by labelled deque graphs, by cancellation rules, and by means of shuffle and intersection of simpler languages. The labeled deque graph of a sentence generalizes traditional syntax trees. The layout of deque computations on a cylinder is remindful of 3D models used in theoretical (bio)chemistry.