(definition)
Definition: A deterministic finite state machine that accepts infinite trees rather than just strings. The tree nodes are marked with the letters of the alphabet of the automaton, and the transition function encodes the next states for each branch of the tree. The expressive power of such automata varies depending on the acceptance conditions of the trees.
See also deterministic finite tree automaton.
Note: These are used in various studies in branching-time temporal logic, second order logic with multiple successors, etc.
Author: SKS
Tree Automata Techniques and Applications page.
If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please get in touch with Paul E. Black.
Entry modified 22 October 2007.
HTML page formatted Mon Oct 22 08:55:02 2007.
Cite this as:
Sandeep Kumar Shukla, "deterministic tree automaton", in
Dictionary of Algorithms and Data
Structures [online], Paul E. Black, ed.,
U.S. National Institute of
Standards and Technology. 22 October 2007. (accessed TODAY)
Available from: http://www.nist.gov/dads/HTML/determTreeAutom.html