Dichotomies and Duality in First-order Model Checking Problems

Abstract

We study the complexity of the model checking problem, for fixed model A, over certain fragments L of first-order logic. These are sometimes known as the expression complexities of L. We obtain various complexity classification theorems for these logics L as each ranges over models A, in the spirit of the dichotomy conjecture for the Constraint Satisfaction Problem -- which itself may be seen as the model checking problem for existential conjunctive positive first-order logic.