The algebraic path problem provides a general setting for shortest path algorithms in optimization and computer science. This work extends the algebraic path problem to networks equipped with input and output boundaries. We show that the algebraic path problem is functorial as a mapping from a double category whose horizontal composition is gluing of open networks. We introduce functional open matrices, for which the functoriality of the algebraic path problem has a more practical expression.

We present a unified framework for Petri nets and various variants, such as pre-nets and Kock's whole-grain Petri nets. Our framework is based on a less well-studied notion that we call Σ-nets, which allow fine-grained control over whether each transition behaves according to the collective or individual token philosophy. We describe three forms of execution semantics in which pre-nets generate strict monoidal categories, Σ-nets (including whole-grain Petri nets) generate symmetric strict monoidal categories, and Petri nets generate commutative monoidal categories, all by left adjoint functors. We also construct adjunctions relating these categories of nets to each other, in particular showing that all kinds of net can be embedded in the unifying category of Σ-nets, in a way that commutes coherently with their execution semantics.

Abstract The reachability semantics for Petri nets can be studied using open Petri nets. For us, an “open” Petri net is one with certain places designated as inputs and outputs via a cospan of sets. We can compose open Petri nets by gluing the outputs of one to the inputs of another. Open Petri nets can be treated as morphisms of a category Open(Petri), which becomes symmetric monoidal under disjoint union. However, since the composite of open Petri nets is defined only up to isomorphism, it is better to treat them as morphisms of a symmetric monoidal double category ${\mathbb O}$ pen(Petri). We describe two forms of semantics for open Petri nets using symmetric monoidal double functors out of ${\mathbb O}$ pen(Petri). The first, an operational semantics, gives for each open Petri net a category whose morphisms are the processes that this net can carry out. This is done in a compositional way, so that these categories can be computed on smaller subnets and then glued together. The second, a reachability semantics, simply says which markings of the outputs can be reached from a given marking of the inputs.

Abstract We give a definition of Q-net, a generalization of Petri nets based on a Lawvere theory Q, for which many existing variants of Petri nets are a special case. This definition is functorial with respect to change in Lawvere theory, and we exploit this to explore the relationships between different kinds of Q-nets. To justify our definition of Q-net, we construct a family of adjunctions for each Lawvere theory explicating the way in which Q-nets present free models of Q in Cat. This gives a functorial description of the operational semantics for an arbitrary category of Q-nets. We show how this can be used to construct the semantics for Petri nets, pre-nets, integer nets, and elementary net systems.