Light types for polynomial time computation in lambda-calculus

We propose a new type system for lambda-calculus ensuring that well-typed programs can be executed in polynomial time: Dual light affine logic (DLAL). DLAL has a simple type language with a linear and an intuitionistic type arrow, and one modality. It corresponds to a fragment of Light affine logic (LAL). We show that contrarily to LAL, DLAL ensures good properties on lambda-terms: subject reduction is satisfied and a well-typed term admits a polynomial bound on the reduction by any strategy. We establish that as LAL, DLAL allows to represent all polytime functions. Finally we give a type inference procedure for propositional DLAL.Comment: 20 pages (including 10 pages of appendix). (revised version; in particular section 5 has been modified). A short version is to appear in the proceedings of the conference LICS 2004 (IEEE Computer Society Press

The Algebraic Intersection Type Unification Problem

The algebraic intersection type unification problem is an important component in proof search related to several natural decision problems in intersection type systems. It is unknown and remains open whether the algebraic intersection type unification problem is decidable. We give the first nontrivial lower bound for the problem by showing (our main result) that it is exponential time hard. Furthermore, we show that this holds even under rank 1 solutions (substitutions whose codomains are restricted to contain rank 1 types). In addition, we provide a fixed-parameter intractability result for intersection type matching (one-sided unification), which is known to be NP-complete. We place the algebraic intersection type unification problem in the context of unification theory. The equational theory of intersection types can be presented as an algebraic theory with an ACI (associative, commutative, and idempotent) operator (intersection type) combined with distributivity properties with respect to a second operator (function type). Although the problem is algebraically natural and interesting, it appears to occupy a hitherto unstudied place in the theory of unification, and our investigation of the problem suggests that new methods are required to understand the problem. Thus, for the lower bound proof, we were not able to reduce from known results in ACI-unification theory and use game-theoretic methods for two-player tiling games

Decidable structures between Church-style and Curry-style

It is well-known that the type-checking and type-inference problems are undecidable for second order lambda-calculus in Curry-style, although those for Church-style are decidable. What causes the differences in decidability and undecidability on the problems? We examine crucial conditions on terms for the (un)decidability property from the viewpoint of partially typed terms, and what kinds of type annotations are essential for (un)decidability of type-related problems. It is revealed that there exists an intermediate structure of second order lambda-terms, called a style of hole-application, between Church-style and Curry-style, such that the type-related problems are decidable under the structure. We also extend this idea to the omega-order polymorphic calculus F-omega, and show that the type-checking and type-inference problems then become undecidable

A Direct Algorithm for the Type Interference in the Rank 2 Fragment of the Second--Order λ-Calculus

We study the problem of type inference for a family of polymorphic type disciplines containing the power of Core-ML. This family comprises all levels of the stratification of the second-order lambda-calculus by "rank" of types. We show that typability is an undecidable problem at every rank k ≥ 3 of this stratification. While it was already known that typability is decidable at rank ≤ 2, no direct and easy-to-implement algorithm was available. To design such an algorithm, we develop a new notion of reduction and show how to use it to reduce the problem of typability at rank 2 to the problem of acyclic semi-unification. A by-product of our analysis is the publication of a simple solution procedure for acyclic semi-unification

Programmiersprachen und Rechenkonzepte

Seit 1984 veranstaltet die GI-Fachgruppe "Programmiersprachen und Rechenkonzepte" regelmäßig im Frühjahr einen Workshop im Physikzentrum Bad Honnef. Das Treffen dient in erster Linie dem gegenseitigen Kennenlernen, dem Erfahrungsaustausch, der Diskussion und der Vertiefung gegenseitiger Kontakte. In diesem Forum werden Vorträge und Demonstrationen sowohl bereits abgeschlossener als auch noch laufender Arbeiten vorgestellt, unter anderem (aber nicht ausschließlich) zu Themen wie - Sprachen, Sprachparadigmen, - Korrektheit von Entwurf und Implementierung, -Werkzeuge, -Software-/Hardware-Architekturen, -Spezifikation, Entwurf, - Validierung, Verifikation, - Implementierung, Integration, - Sicherheit (Safety und Security), - eingebettete Systeme, - hardware-nahe Programmierung. In diesem Technischen Bericht sind einige der präsentierten Arbeiten zusammen gestellt