Efficient on-the-fly model checking for CTL

Abstract

This paper gives an on-the-fly algorithm for determining whether a finite-state system satisfies a formula in the temporal logic CTL. The time complexity of our algorithm matches that of the best existing "global algorithm" for model checking in this logic, and it performs as well as the best known global algorithms for the sublogics CTL and LTL. In contrast with these approaches, however, our routine constructs the state space of the system under consideration in a need-driven fashion and will therefore perform better in practice.