Synchronizability of products of at least three cornered DFAs

Let k3k\geq 3, let Σ\Sigma be an alphabet, and let f:Σ{1,1}f:\Sigma^*\rightarrow\{-1,1\} satisfy f(ε)=1f(\varepsilon)=1. For DFAs M1,,MkM_1,\ldots,M_k over Σ\Sigma, suppose that each MiM_i has an ff-corner ziz_i. Their direct product is

M=M1××Mk.M=M_1\times\cdots\times M_k.

A word is (z1,,zk)(z_1,\ldots,z_k)-synchronizing if it maps every product state to (z1,,zk)(z_1,\ldots,z_k).

Product-corner conjecture. If M1,,MkM_1,\ldots,M_k are distinct and each contains an ff-corner ziz_i, then MM is (z1,,zk)(z_1,\ldots,z_k)-synchronizable. The conjecture extends the paper's product results from two factors to at least three factors. The source supplies no resolution, so it remains open.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Peter Bradshaw, Alexander Clow and Ladislav Stacho, “A cornering strategy for synchronizing a DFA”, arXiv:2405.00826 (2025).

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