Abstract We show that a computable function $f:\mathbb R\rightarrow \mathbb R$ has Luzin’s property (N) if and only if it reflects $\Pi ^1_1$ -randomness, if and only if it reflects $\Delta ^1_1({\mathcal {O}})$ -randomness, and if and only if it reflects ${\mathcal {O}}$ -Kurtz randomness, but reflecting Martin–Löf randomness or weak-2-randomness does not suffice. Here a function f is said to reflect a randomness notion R if whenever $f(x)$ is R-random, then x is R-random as well. If additionally f is known to have bounded variation, then we show f has Luzin’s (N) if and only if it reflects weak-2-randomness, and if and only if it reflects $\emptyset '$ -Kurtz randomness. This links classical real analysis with algorithmic randomness.

We study the power of BSS-machines enhanced with abilities such as computing the measure of a BSS-decidable set or computing limits of BSS-computable converging sequences. Our variations coalesce into just two equivalence classes, each of which also can be described as a lower cone in the Weihrauch degrees. We then classify computational tasks such as computing the measure of Δ⁰₂-set of reals, integrating piece-wise continuous functions and recovering a continuous function from an L₁([0, 1])-description. All these share the Weihrauch degree lim.

Abstract In this work we investigate the Weihrauch degree of the problem Decreasing Sequence ( $\mathsf {DS}$ ) of finding an infinite descending sequence through a given ill-founded linear order, which is shared by the problem Bad Sequence ( $\mathsf {BS}$ ) of finding a bad sequence through a given non-well quasi-order. We show that $\mathsf {DS}$ , despite being hard to solve (it has computable inputs with no hyperarithmetic solution), is rather weak in terms of uniform computational strength. To make the latter precise, we introduce the notion of the deterministic part of a Weihrauch degree. We then generalize $\mathsf {DS}$ and $\mathsf {BS}$ by considering $\boldsymbol {\Gamma }$ -presented orders, where $\boldsymbol {\Gamma }$ is a Borel pointclass or $\boldsymbol {\Delta }^1_1$ , $\boldsymbol {\Sigma }^1_1$ , $\boldsymbol {\Pi }^1_1$ . We study the obtained $\mathsf {DS}$ -hierarchy and $\mathsf {BS}$ -hierarchy of problems in comparison with the (effective) Baire hierarchy and show that they do not collapse at any finite level.

According to Haar's Theorem, every compact group $G$ admits a unique (regular, right and) left-invariant Borel probability measure $μ_G$. Let the Haar integral (of $G$) denote the functional $\int_G:\mathcal{C}(G)\ni f\mapsto \int f\,dμ_G$ integrating any continuous function $f:G\to\mathbb{R}$ with respect to $μ_G$. This generalizes, and recovers for the additive group $G=[0;1)\mod 1$, the usual Riemann integral: computable (cmp. Weihrauch 2000, Theorem 6.4.1), and of computational cost characterizing complexity class #P$_1$ (cmp. Ko 1991, Theorem 5.32). We establish that in fact every computably compact computable metric group renders the Haar integral computable: once asserting computability using an elegant synthetic argument, exploiting uniqueness in a computably compact space of probability measures; and once presenting and analyzing an explicit, imperative algorithm based on 'maximum packings' with rigorous error bounds and guaranteed convergence. Regarding computational complexity, for the groups $\mathcal{SO}(3)$ and $\mathcal{SU}(2)$ we reduce the Haar integral to and from Euclidean/Riemann integration. In particular both also characterize #P$_1$. Implementation and empirical evaluation using the iRRAM C++ library for exact real computation confirms the (thus necessary) exponential runtime.

Abstract There are close similarities between the Weihrauch lattice and the zoo of axiom systems in reverse mathematics. Following these similarities has often allowed researchers to translate results from one setting to the other. However, amongst the big five axiom systems from reverse mathematics, so far $\mathrm {ATR}_0$ has no identified counterpart in the Weihrauch degrees. We explore and evaluate several candidates, and conclude that the situation is complicated.

We introduce a parametrized version of the Wadge game for functions and show that each lower cone in the Weihrauch degrees is characterized by such a game. These parametrized Wadge games subsume the original Wadge game, the eraser and backtrack games as well as Semmes's tree games. In particular, we propose that the lower cones in the Weihrauch degrees are the answer to Andretta's question on which classes of functions admit game characterizations. We then discuss some applications of such parametrized Wadge games. Using machinery from Weihrauch reducibility theory, we introduce games characterizing every (transfinite) level of the Baire hierarchy via an iteration of a pruning derivative on countably branching trees.

Admissible strategies, i.e. those that are not dominated by any other strategy, are a typical rationality notion in game theory. In many classes of games this is justified by results showing that any strategy is admissible or dominated by an admissible strategy. However, in games played on finite graphs with quantitative objectives (as used for reactive synthesis), this is not the case. We consider increasing chains of strategies instead to recover a satisfactory rationality notion based on dominance in such games. We start with some order-theoretic considerations establishing sufficient criteria for this to work. We then turn our attention to generalised safety/reachability games as a particular application. We propose the notion of maximal uniform chain as the desired dominance-based rationality concept in these games. Decidability of some fundamental questions about uniform chains is established.

We study finite-memory (FM) determinacy in games on finite graphs, a central question for applications in controller synthesis, as FM strategies correspond to implementable controllers. We establish general conditions under which FM strategies suffice to play optimally, even in a broad multi-objective setting. We show that our framework encompasses important classes of games from the literature, and permits to go further, using a unified approach. While such an approach cannot match ad-hoc proofs with regard to tightness of memory bounds, it has two advantages: first, it gives a widely-applicable criterion for FM determinacy; second, it helps to understand the cornerstones of FM determinacy, which are often hidden but common in proofs for specific (combinations of) winning conditions.

We introduce two new operations (compositional products and implication) on Weihrauch degrees, and investigate the overall algebraic structure. The validity of the various distributivity laws is studied and forms the basis for a comparison with similar structures such as residuated lattices and concurrent Kleene algebras. Introducing the notion of an ideal with respect to the compositional product, we can consider suitable quotients of the Weihrauch degrees. We also prove some specific characterizations using the implication. In order to introduce and study compositional products and implications, we introduce and study a function space of multi-valued continuous functions. This space turns out to be particularly well-behaved for effectively traceable spaces that are closely related to admissibly represented spaces.

We introduce the notion of being Weihrauch-complete for layerwise computability and provide several natural examples related to complex oscillations, the law of the iterated logarithm and Birkhoff's theorem. We also consider hitting time operators, which share the Weihrauch degree of the former examples but fail to be layerwise computable.

This paper compares different representations (in the sense of computable analysis) of a number of function spaces that are of interest in analysis. In particular subspace representations inherited from a larger function space are compared to more natural representations for these spaces. The formal framework for the comparisons is provided by Weihrauch reducibility. The centrepiece of the paper considers several representations of the analytic functions on the unit disk and their mutual translations. All translations that are not already computable are shown to be Weihrauch equivalent to closed choice on the natural numbers. Subsequently some similar considerations are carried out for representations of polynomials. In this case in addition to closed choice the Weihrauch degree LPO∗ shows up as the difficulty of finding the degree or the zeros. As a final example, the smooth functions are contrasted with functions with bounded support and Schwartz functions. Here closed choice on the natural numbers and the lim $\lim $ degree appear.

We introduce and study Minkowski games. These are two-player games, where the players take turns to choose positions in R We provide some general characterizations of which player can win such games and explore the computational complexity of the associated decision problems. A natural representation of boundedness games yields coNP-completeness, whereas the safety games are undecidable.

In this invited paper, we study the concept of admissible strategies for two player win/lose infinite sequential games with imperfect information. We show that in stark contrast with the perfect information variant, admissible strategies are only guaranteed to exist when players have objectives that are closed sets. As a consequence, we also study decision problems related to the existence of admissible strategies for regular games as well as finite duration games.

In the presence of suitable power spaces, compactness of $\mathbf{X}$ can be characterized as the singleton $\{X\}$ being open in the space $\mathcal{O}(\mathbf{X})$ of open subsets of $\mathbf{X}$. Equivalently, this means that universal quantification over a compact space preserves open predicates. Using the language of represented spaces, one can make sense of notions such as a $Σ^0_2$-subset of the space of $Σ^0_2$-subsets of a given space. This suggests higher-order analogues to compactness: We can, e.g.~, investigate the spaces $\mathbf{X}$ where $\{X\}$ is a $Δ^0_2$-subset of the space of $Δ^0_2$-subsets of $\mathbf{X}$. Call this notion $\nabla$-compactness. As $Δ^0_2$ is self-dual, we find that both universal and existential quantifier over $\nabla$-compact spaces preserve $Δ^0_2$ predicates. Recall that a space is called Noetherian iff every subset is compact. Within the setting of Quasi-Polish spaces, we can fully characterize the $\nabla$-compact spaces: A Quasi-Polish space is Noetherian iff it is $\nabla$-compact. Note that the restriction to Quasi-Polish spaces is sufficiently general to include plenty of examples.

We introduce and study Minkowski games. In these games, two players take turns to choose positions in R^d based on some rules. Variants include boundedness games, where one player wants to keep the positions bounded (while the other wants to escape to infinity), and safety games, where one player wants to stay within a given set (while the other wants to leave it). We provide some general characterizations of which player can win such games, and explore the computational complexity of the associated decision problems. A natural representation of boundedness games yields coNP-completeness, whereas the safety games are undecidable.

Computable analysis and effective descriptive set theory are both concerned with complete metric spaces, functions between them and subsets thereof in an effective setting. The precise relationship of the various definitions used in the two disciplines has so far been neglected, a situation this paper is meant to remedy. As the role of the Cauchy completion is relevant for both effective approaches to Polish spaces, we consider the interplay of effectivity and completion in some more detail.

This issue of Mathematical Structures in Computer Science is composed mainly of papers submitted by participants of the Workshop ‘Continuity, Computability, Constructivity: From Logic to Algorithms,’ held in Gregynog, a conference centre of the University of Wales located in the beautiful nature of Mid Wales, in the last week of June 2013. In addition, several colleagues accepted our invitation to contribute to this volume.

Multivalued functions are common in computable analysis (built upon the Type 2 Theory of Effectivity), and have made an appearance in complexity theory under the monikersearch problemsleading to complexity classes such as PPAD and PLS being studied. However, a systematic investigation of the resulting degree structures has only been initiated in the former situation so far (the Weihrauch-degrees). A more general understanding is possible, if the category-theoretic properties of multivalued functions are taken into account. In the present paper, the category-theoretic framework is established, and it is demonstrated that many-one degrees of multivalued functions form a distributive lattice under very general conditions, regardless of the actual reducibility notions used (e.g. Cook, Karp, Weihrauch). Beyond this, an abundance of open questions arises. Some classic results for reductions between functions carry over to multivalued functions, but others do not. The basic theme here again depends on category-theoretic differences between functions and multivalued functions.

In computable analysis testing a real number for being zero is a fundamental example of a non-computable task. This causes problems for division: We cannot ensure that the number we want to divide by is not zero. In many cases, any real number would be an acceptable outcome if the divisor is zero - but even this cannot be done in a computable way. In this note we investigate the strength of the computational problem Robust division: Given a pair of real numbers, the first not greater than the other, output their quotient if well-defined and any real number else. The formal framework is provided by Weihrauch reducibility. One particular result is that having later calls to the problem depending on the outcomes of earlier ones is strictly more powerful than performing all calls concurrently. However, having a nesting depths of two already provides the full power. This solves an open problem raised at a recent Dagstuhl meeting on Weihrauch reducibility. As application for Robust division, we show that it suffices to execute Gaussian elimination.

We propose to extend descriptive set theory (DST) beyond its traditional setting of Polish spaces to the represented spaces. There, we can reformulate DST in terms of endofunctors on the categories of represented spaces and computable or continuous functions. In particular, this approach satisfies the demand for a uniform approach to both classic and effective DST -- computability follows naturally from the setting, rather than having to be explicitly demanded. The previous endeavour to extend DST to the Quasi-Polish spaces is subsumed by this work. In several cases the category-theoretic setting enables new, very succinct proofs, and sheds a new light on why certain results are true. The framework lets us make formal some natural questions not easily approachable by traditional methods.

Computation with advice is suggested as generalization of both computation with discrete advice and Type-2 Nondeterminism. Several embodiments of the generic concept are discussed, and the close connection to Weihrauch reducibility is pointed out. As a novel concept, computability with random advice is studied; which corresponds to correct solutions being guessable with positive probability. In the framework of computation with advice, it is possible to define computational complexity for certain concepts of hypercomputation. Finally, some examples are given which illuminate the interplay of uniform and non-uniform techniques in order to investigate both computability with advice and the Weihrauch lattice.