Uniform sampling for networks of automata
Résumé
We call network of automata a family of partially synchronised automata, i.e. a family of deterministic automata which are synchronised via shared letters, and evolve independently otherwise. We address the problem of uniform random sampling of words recognised by a network of automata. To that purpose, we define the reduced automaton of the model, which involves only the product of the synchronised part of the component automata. We provide uniform sampling algorithms which are polynomial with respect to the size of the reduced automaton, greatly improving on the best known algorithms. Our sampling algorithms rely on combinatorial and probabilistic methods and are of three different types: exact, Boltzmann and Parry sampling.