Discriminating Lambda-Terms Using Clocked Boehm Trees

As observed by Intrigila, there are hardly techniques available in the lambda-calculus to prove that two lambda-terms are not beta-convertible. Techniques employing the usual Boehm Trees are inadequate when we deal with terms having the same Boehm Tree (BT). This is the case in particular for fixed point combinators, as they all have the same BT. Another interesting equation, whose consideration was suggested by Scott, is BY = BYS, an equation valid in the classical model P-omega of lambda-calculus, and hence valid with respect to BT-equality but nevertheless the terms are beta-inconvertible. To prove such beta-inconvertibilities, we employ `clocked' BT's, with annotations that convey information of the tempo in which the data in the BT are produced. Boehm Trees are thus enriched with an intrinsic clock behaviour, leading to a refined discrimination method for lambda-terms. The corresponding equality is strictly intermediate between beta-convertibility and Boehm Tree equality, the equality in the model P-omega. An analogous approach pertains to Levy-Longo and Berarducci Trees. Our refined Boehm Trees find in particular an application in beta-discriminating fixed point combinators (fpc's). It turns out that Scott's equation BY = BYS is the key to unlocking a plethora of fpc's, generated by a variety of production schemes of which the simplest was found by Boehm, stating that new fpc's are obtained by postfixing the term SI, also known as Smullyan's Owl. We prove that all these newly generated fpc's are indeed new, by considering their clocked BT's. Even so, not all pairs of new fpc's can be discriminated this way. For that purpose we increase the discrimination power by a precision of the clock notion that we call `atomic clock'.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1002.257

Functional Big-step Semantics

When doing an interactive proof about a piece of software, it is important that the underlying programming language’s semantics does not make the proof unnecessarily difficult or unwieldy. Both smallstep and big-step semantics are commonly used, and the latter is typically given by an inductively defined relation. In this paper, we consider an alternative: using a recursive function akin to an interpreter for the language. The advantages include a better induction theorem, less duplication, accessibility to ordinary functional programmers, and the ease of doing symbolic simulation in proofs via rewriting. We believe that this style of semantics is well suited for compiler verification, including proofs of divergence preservation. We do not claim the invention of this style of semantics: our contribution here is to clarify its value, and to explain how it supports several language features that might appear to require a relational or small-step approach. We illustrate the technique on a simple imperative language with C-like for-loops and a break statement, and compare it to a variety of other approaches. We also provide ML and lambda-calculus based examples to illustrate its generality

Modal dependent type theory and dependent right adjoints

In recent years we have seen several new models of dependent type theory extended with some form of modal necessity operator, including nominal type theory, guarded and clocked type theory, and spatial and cohesive type theory. In this paper we study modal dependent type theory: dependent type theory with an operator satisfying (a dependent version of) the K-axiom of modal logic. We investigate both semantics and syntax. For the semantics, we introduce categories with families with a dependent right adjoint (CwDRA) and show that the examples above can be presented as such. Indeed, we show that any finite limit category with an adjunction of endofunctors gives rise to a CwDRA via the local universe construction. For the syntax, we introduce a dependently typed extension of Fitch-style modal lambda-calculus, show that it can be interpreted in any CwDRA, and build a term model. We extend the syntax and semantics with universes

Modal dependent type theory and dependent right adjoints

In recent years we have seen several new models of dependent type theory extended with some form of modal necessity operator, including nominal type theory, guarded and clocked type theory, and spatial and cohesive type theory. In this paper we study modal dependent type theory: dependent type theory with an operator satisfying (a dependent version of) the K-axiom of modal logic. We investigate both semantics and syntax. For the semantics, we introduce categories with families with a dependent right adjoint (CwDRA) and show that the examples above can be presented as such. Indeed, we show that any finite limit category with an adjunction of endofunctors gives rise to a CwDRA via the local universe construction. For the syntax, we introduce a dependently typed extension of Fitch-style modal lambda-calculus, show that it can be interpreted in any CwDRA, and build a term model. We extend the syntax and semantics with universes

Ticking clocks as dependent right adjoints: Denotational semantics for clocked type theory

Clocked Type Theory (CloTT) is a type theory for guarded recursion useful for programming with coinductive types, allowing productivity to be encoded in types, and for reasoning about advanced programming language features using an abstract form of step-indexing. CloTT has previously been shown to enjoy a number of syntactic properties including strong normalisation, canonicity and decidability of the equational theory. In this paper we present a denotational semantics for CloTT useful, e.g., for studying future extensions of CloTT with constructions such as path types. The main challenge for constructing this model is to model the notion of ticks on a clock used in CloTT for coinductive reasoning about coinductive types. We build on a category previously used to model guarded recursion with multiple clocks. In this category there is an object of clocks but no object of ticks, and so tick-assumptions in a context can not be modelled using standard tools. Instead we model ticks using dependent right adjoint functors, a generalisation of the category theoretic notion of adjunction to the setting of categories with families. Dependent right adjoints are known to model Fitch-style modal types, but in the case of CloTT, the modal operators constitute a family indexed internally in the type theory by clocks. We model this family using a dependent right adjoint on the slice category over the object of clocks. Finally we show how to model the tick constant of CloTT using a semantic substitution. This work improves on a previous model by the first two named authors which not only had a flaw but was also considerably more complicated.Comment: 31 pages. Second version is a minor revision. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1804.0668