Efficient execution in an automated reasoning environment

We describe a method that permits the user of a mechanized mathematical logic to write elegant logical definitions while allowing sound and efficient execution. In particular, the features supporting this method allow the user to install, in a logically sound way, alternative executable counterparts for logically defined functions. These alternatives are often much more efficient than the logically equivalent terms they replace. These features have been implemented in the ACL2 theorem prover, and we discuss several applications of the features in ACL2.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TIN2004–0388

Enhancements to ACL2 in Versions 6.2, 6.3, and 6.4

We report on improvements to ACL2 made since the 2013 ACL2 Workshop.Comment: In Proceedings ACL2 2014, arXiv:1406.123

Development of a Translator from LLVM to ACL2

In our current work a library of formally verified software components is to be created, and assembled, using the Low-Level Virtual Machine (LLVM) intermediate form, into subsystems whose top-level assurance relies on the assurance of the individual components. We have thus undertaken a project to build a translator from LLVM to the applicative subset of Common Lisp accepted by the ACL2 theorem prover. Our translator produces executable ACL2 formal models, allowing us to both prove theorems about the translated models as well as validate those models by testing. The resulting models can be translated and certified without user intervention, even for code with loops, thanks to the use of the def::ung macro which allows us to defer the question of termination. Initial measurements of concrete execution for translated LLVM functions indicate that performance is nearly 2.4 million LLVM instructions per second on a typical laptop computer. In this paper we overview the translation process and illustrate the translator's capabilities by way of a concrete example, including both a functional correctness theorem as well as a validation test for that example.Comment: In Proceedings ACL2 2014, arXiv:1406.123

ACL2 Verification of Simplicial Degeneracy Programs in the Kenzo System

Kenzo is a Computer Algebra system devoted to Algebraic Topology, and written in the Common Lisp programming language. It is a descendant of a previous system called EAT (for Effective Algebraic Topology). Kenzo shows a much better performance than EAT due, among other reasons, to a smart encoding of degeneracy lists as integers. In this paper, we give a complete automated proof of the correctness of this encoding used in Kenzo. The proof is carried out using ACL2, a system for proving properties of programs written in (a subset of) Common Lisp. The most interesting idea, from a methodological point of view, is our use of EAT to build a model on which the verification is carried out. Thus, EAT, which is logically simpler but less efficient than Kenzo, acts as a mathematical model and then Kenzo is formally verified against it.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia MTM2006-0651

Verified AIG Algorithms in ACL2

And-Inverter Graphs (AIGs) are a popular way to represent Boolean functions (like circuits). AIG simplification algorithms can dramatically reduce an AIG, and play an important role in modern hardware verification tools like equivalence checkers. In practice, these tricky algorithms are implemented with optimized C or C++ routines with no guarantee of correctness. Meanwhile, many interactive theorem provers can now employ SAT or SMT solvers to automatically solve finite goals, but no theorem prover makes use of these advanced, AIG-based approaches. We have developed two ways to represent AIGs within the ACL2 theorem prover. One representation, Hons-AIGs, is especially convenient to use and reason about. The other, Aignet, is the opposite; it is styled after modern AIG packages and allows for efficient algorithms. We have implemented functions for converting between these representations, random vector simulation, conversion to CNF, etc., and developed reasoning strategies for verifying these algorithms. Aside from these contributions towards verifying AIG algorithms, this work has an immediate, practical benefit for ACL2 users who are using GL to bit-blast finite ACL2 theorems: they can now optionally trust an off-the-shelf SAT solver to carry out the proof, instead of using the built-in BDD package. Looking to the future, it is a first step toward implementing verified AIG simplification algorithms that might further improve GL performance.Comment: In Proceedings ACL2 2013, arXiv:1304.712

A Certified Polynomial-Based Decision Procedure for Propositional Logic

In this paper we present the formalization of a decision procedure for Propositional Logic based on polynomial normalization. This formalization is suitable for its automatic verification in an applicative logic like Acl2. This application of polynomials has been developed by reusing a previous work on polynomial rings [19], showing that a proper formalization leads to a high level of reusability. Two checkers are defined: the first for contradiction formulas and the second for tautology formulas. The main theorems state that both checkers are sound and complete. Moreover, functions for generating models and counterexamples of formulas are provided. This facility plays also an important role in the main proofs. Finally, it is shown that this allows for a highly automated proof development