The Mathematical Foundation fo Symbolic Trajectory Evaluation

In this paper we elucidate the mathematical foundation underlying both the basic and the extended forms of symbolic trajectory evaluation (STE), with emphasis on the latter. The specific technical contributions we make to the theory of STE are threefold. First, we provide a satisfactory answer to the question: what does it mean for a circuit to satisfy a trajectory assertion? Second, we make the observation that STE is a form of data flow analysis and, as a corollary, propose a conceptually simple algorithm for extended STE. Third, we show that the theory of abstract interpretation based on Galois connections is the appropriate framework in which to understand STE.