SCTL: Towards Combining Model Checking and Proof Checking

Abstract: Model checking and automated theorem proving are two pillars of formal methods. This paper investigates model checking from an automated theorem proving perspective, aiming at combining the expressiveness of automated theorem proving and the complete automaticity of model checking. The focus of this paper is on the verification of temporal logic properties of Kripke models. The main contributions of this paper are: first the definition of an extended computation tree logic that allows polyadic predicate symbols, then a proof system for this logic, taking Kripke models as parameters, then, the design of a proof-search algorithm for this calculus and a new automated theorem prover to implement it. The verification process is completely automatic, and produces either a counterexample when the property does not hold, or a certificate when it does. The experimental result compares well to existing state-of-the-art tools on some benchmarks, including an application to air traffic control and the design choices that lead to this efficiency are discussed.