We introduce a new family of abstractions based on a data structure that we call labeled union-find , an extension of the classic efficient union-find data structure where edges carry labels. These labels have a composition operation that obey the group axioms. Like union-find, the labeled version can efficiently compute the transitive closure of a relation, but it is not limited to equivalence relations; it can represent any injective transformation between equivalence classes, which includes two-variables per equality (TVPE) constraints of the form y = a × + b . Using abstract interpretation theory, we study the properties deriving from the use of abstract relations as labels, and the combination of labeled union-find with other representations of constraints, allowing both improvements in precision and simplification of existing constraints. Due to its efficiency, the labeled union-find abstractions could find many uses; we use it in two use cases, program analysis based on abstract interpretation and constraint solving for SMT, with encouraging preliminary results.

@article{paperbot3068,
  title = {Relational Abstractions Based on Labeled Union-Find},
  author = {Dorian Lesbre and Matthieu Lemerre and Hichem Rami Ait-El-Hara and François Bobot},
  journal = {Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages},
  volume = {9},
  number = {PLDI},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1145/3729298}
}