Interpolation for data structures

Interpolation based automatic abstraction is a powerful and robust technique for the automated analysis of hardware and software systems. Its use has however been limited to control-dominated applications because of a lack of algorithms for computing interpolants for data structures used in software programs. We present efficient procedures to construct interpolants for the theories of arrays, sets, and multisets using the reduction approach for obtaining decision procedures for complex data structures. The approach taken is that of reducing the theories of such data structures to the theories of equality and linear arithmetic for which efficient interpolating decision procedures exist. This enables interpolation based techniques to be applied to proving properties of programs that manipulate these data structures.

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