Context Semantics, Linear Logic and Computational Complexity

We show that context semantics can be fruitfully applied to the quantitative analysis of proof normalization in linear logic. In particular, context semantics lets us define the weight of a proof-net as a measure of its inherent complexity: it is both an upper bound to normalization time (modulo a polynomial overhead, independently on the reduction strategy) and a lower bound to the number of steps to normal form (for certain reduction strategies). Weights are then exploited in proving strong soundness theorems for various subsystems of linear logic, namely elementary linear logic, soft linear logic and light linear logic.Comment: 22 page

The Geometry of Synchronization (Long Version)

We graft synchronization onto Girard's Geometry of Interaction in its most concrete form, namely token machines. This is realized by introducing proof-nets for SMLL, an extension of multiplicative linear logic with a specific construct modeling synchronization points, and of a multi-token abstract machine model for it. Interestingly, the correctness criterion ensures the absence of deadlocks along reduction and in the underlying machine, this way linking logical and operational properties.Comment: 26 page

Geometry of Resource Interaction - A Minimalist Approach

International audienceThe Resource λ-calculus is a variation of the λ-calculus where arguments can be superposed and must be linearly used. Hence it is a model for linear and non-deterministic and programming languages, and the target language of Ehrhard-Taylor expansion of λ-terms. In a strictly typed restriction of the Resource λ-calculus, we study the notion of path persistence, and we define a Geometry of Interaction that characterises it. The construction is also invariant under reduction and able to count addends in normal forms

Is the Optimal Implementation Inefficient? Elementarily Not

Sharing graphs are a local and asynchronous implementation of lambda-calculus beta-reduction (or linear logic proof-net cut-elimination) that avoids useless duplications. Empirical benchmarks suggest that they are one of the most efficient machineries, when one wants to fully exploit the higher-order features of lambda-calculus. However, we still lack confirming grounds with theoretical solidity to dispel uncertainties about the adoption of sharing graphs. Aiming at analysing in detail the worst-case overhead cost of sharing operators, we restrict to the case of elementary and light linear logic, two subsystems with bounded computational complexity of multiplicative exponential linear logic. In these two cases, the bookkeeping component is unnecessary, and sharing graphs are simplified to the so-called "abstract algorithm". By a modular cost comparison over a syntactical simulation, we prove that the overhead of shared reductions is quadratically bounded to cost of the naive implementation, i.e. proof-net reduction. This result generalises and strengthens a previous complexity result, and implies that the price of sharing is negligible, if compared to the obtainable benefits on reductions requiring a large amount of duplication

Simple Parsimonious Types and Logarithmic Space

We present a functional characterization of deterministic logspace-computable predicates based on a variant (although not a subsystem) of propositional linear logic, which we call parsimonious logic. The resulting calculus is simply-typed and contains no primitive besides those provided by the underlying logical system, which makes it one of the simplest higher-order languages capturing logspace currently known. Completeness of the calculus uses the descriptive complexity characterization of logspace (we encode first-order logic with deterministic closure), whereas soundness is established by executing terms on a token machine (using the geometry of interaction)

Linear Dependent Types in a Call-by-Value Scenario (Long Version)

Linear dependent types allow to precisely capture both the extensional behaviour and the time complexity of lambda terms, when the latter are evaluated by Krivine's abstract machine. In this work, we show that the same paradigm can be applied to call-by-value evaluation. A system of linear dependent types for Plotkin's PCF is introduced, called dlPCFV, whose types reflect the complexity of evaluating terms in the so-called CEK machine. dlPCFV is proved to be sound, but also relatively complete: every true statement about the extensional and intentional behaviour of terms can be derived, provided all true index term inequalities can be used as assumptions.Comment: 22 page

A semantic measure of the execution time in linear logic

AbstractWe give a semantic account of the execution time (i.e. the number of cut elimination steps leading to the normal form) of an untyped MELL net. We first prove that: (1) a net is head-normalizable (i.e. normalizable at depth 0) if and only if its interpretation in the multiset based relational semantics is not empty and (2) a net is normalizable if and only if its exhaustive interpretation (a suitable restriction of its interpretation) is not empty. We then give a semantic measure of execution time: we prove that we can compute the number of cut elimination steps leading to a cut free normal form of the net obtained by connecting two cut free nets by means of a cut-link, from the interpretations of the two cut free nets. These results are inspired by similar ones obtained by the first author for the untyped lambda-calculus

On paths-based criteria for polynomial time complexity in proof-nets

Girard's Light linear logic (LLL) characterized polynomial time in the proof-as-program paradigm with a bound on cut elimination. This logic relied on a stratification principle and a "one-door" principle which were generalized later respectively in the systems L^4 and L^3a. Each system was brought with its own complex proof of Ptime soundness. In this paper we propose a broad sufficient criterion for Ptime soundness for linear logic subsystems, based on the study of paths inside the proof-nets, which factorizes proofs of soundness of existing systems and may be used for future systems. As an additional gain, our bound stands for any reduction strategy whereas most bounds in the literature only stand for a particular strategy.Comment: Long version of a conference pape