Work

Process Calculus of Epistemic Systems

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In the analysis and design of multi-agent systems, the representation and communication of knowledge is a critical challenge. The traditional methods of the past, such as dynamic epistemic logic, often lack a process algebraic perspective for modeling concurrent belief-driven interactions. This paper proposes the Calculus of Epistemic Systems (CES), a process calculus that formalizes agents’ communication behaviors within an epistemic environment and captures how epistemic interactions dynamically update agents’ belief bases. We establish key epistemic properties of CES and investigate strong bisimilarity, weak bisimilarity, and observational congruence, proving their substitutivity under all combinators. A persuasion scenario between a companion agent and an elderly user demonstrates the framework’s applicability. Additionally, we show how CES can embed process terms as modal operators in a dynamic epistemic logic. This may unify two major lines of research.

Source: Axioms

DOI: 10.3390/axioms15090648

Authors: Jinjin Zhang, Xiaoxia Zhou, Zhaohui Zhu, Xia Jing, Yan Zhang

Institutions: Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing Forestry University

Language: English

Topic: Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge

Subfield: Artificial Intelligence

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896

OpenAlex ID: W7204805993

FWCI:

Cites: 12

Cited by:

Related to: 10