QPCF: higher order languages and quantum circuits

qPCF is a paradigmatic quantum programming language that ex- tends PCF with quantum circuits and a quantum co-processor. Quantum circuits are treated as classical data that can be duplicated and manipulated in flexible ways by means of a dependent type system. The co-processor is essentially a standard QRAM device, albeit we avoid to store permanently quantum states in between two co-processor's calls. Despite its quantum features, qPCF retains the classic programming approach of PCF. We introduce qPCF syntax, typing rules, and its operational semantics. We prove fundamental properties of the system, such as Preservation and Progress Theorems. Moreover, we provide some higher-order examples of circuit encoding

High-level signatures and initial semantics

We present a device for specifying and reasoning about syntax for datatypes, programming languages, and logic calculi. More precisely, we study a notion of signature for specifying syntactic constructions. In the spirit of Initial Semantics, we define the syntax generated by a signature to be the initial object---if it exists---in a suitable category of models. In our framework, the existence of an associated syntax to a signature is not automatically guaranteed. We identify, via the notion of presentation of a signature, a large class of signatures that do generate a syntax. Our (presentable) signatures subsume classical algebraic signatures (i.e., signatures for languages with variable binding, such as the pure lambda calculus) and extend them to include several other significant examples of syntactic constructions. One key feature of our notions of signature, syntax, and presentation is that they are highly compositional, in the sense that complex examples can be obtained by assembling simpler ones. Moreover, through the Initial Semantics approach, our framework provides, beyond the desired algebra of terms, a well-behaved substitution and the induction and recursion principles associated to the syntax. This paper builds upon ideas from a previous attempt by Hirschowitz-Maggesi, which, in turn, was directly inspired by some earlier work of Ghani-Uustalu-Hamana and Matthes-Uustalu. The main results presented in the paper are computer-checked within the UniMath system.Comment: v2: extended version of the article as published in CSL 2018 (http://dx.doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.CSL.2018.4); list of changes given in Section 1.5 of the paper; v3: small corrections throughout the paper, no major change

The dagger lambda calculus

We present a novel lambda calculus that casts the categorical approach to the study of quantum protocols into the rich and well established tradition of type theory. Our construction extends the linear typed lambda calculus with a linear negation of "trivialised" De Morgan duality. Reduction is realised through explicit substitution, based on a symmetric notion of binding of global scope, with rules acting on the entire typing judgement instead of on a specific subterm. Proofs of subject reduction, confluence, strong normalisation and consistency are provided, and the language is shown to be an internal language for dagger compact categories.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2014, arXiv:1412.810

Axioms and Decidability for Type Isomorphism in the Presence of Sums

We consider the problem of characterizing isomorphisms of types, or, equivalently, constructive cardinality of sets, in the simultaneous presence of disjoint unions, Cartesian products, and exponentials. Mostly relying on results about polynomials with exponentiation that have not been used in our context, we derive: that the usual finite axiomatization known as High-School Identities (HSI) is complete for a significant subclass of types; that it is decidable for that subclass when two types are isomorphic; that, for the whole of the set of types, a recursive extension of the axioms of HSI exists that is complete; and that, for the whole of the set of types, the question as to whether two types are isomorphic is decidable when base types are to be interpreted as finite sets. We also point out certain related open problems

A journey through resource control lambda calculi and explicit substitution using intersection types (an account)

In this paper we invite the reader to a journey through three lambda calculi with resource control: the lambda calculus, the sequent lambda calculus, and the lambda calculus with explicit substitution. All three calculi enable explicit control of resources due to the presence of weakening and contraction operators. Along this journey, we propose intersection type assignment systems for all three resource control calculi. We recognise the need for three kinds of variables all requiring different kinds of intersection types. Our main contribution is the characterisation of strong normalisation of reductions in all three calculi, using the techniques of reducibility, head subject expansion, a combination of well-orders and suitable embeddings of terms

Strong normalization from an unusual point of view

AbstractA new complete characterization of β-strong normalization is given, both in the classical and in the lazy λ-calculus, through the notion of potential valuability inside two suitable parametric calculi