Second-Order Algebraic Theories

Second-order universal algebra and second-order equational logic respectively provide a model theory and a formal deductive system for languages with variable binding and parameterised metavariables. This dissertation completes the algebraic foundations of second-order languages from the viewpoint of categorical algebra. In particular, the dissertation introduces the notion of second-order algebraic theory. A main role in the definition is played by the second-order theory of equality M, representing the most elementary operators and equations present in every second-order language. We show that M can be described abstractly via the universal property of being the free cartesian category on an exponentiable object. Thereby, in the tradition of categorical algebra, a second-order algebraic theory consists of a cartesian category M and a strict cartesian identity-on-objects functor M: M →M that preserves the universal exponentiable object of M. At the syntactic level, we establish the correctness of our definition by showing a categorical equivalence between second-order equational presentations and second-order algebraic theories. This equivalence, referred to as the Second-Order Syntactic Categorical Type Theory Correspondence, involves distilling a notion of syntactic translation between second-order equational presentations that corresponds to the canonical notion of morphism between second-order algebraic theories. Syntactic translations provide a mathematical formalisation of notions such as encodings and transforms for second-order languages. On top of the aforementioned syntactic correspondence, we furthermore establish the Second-Order Semantic Categorical Type Theory Correspondence. This involves generalising Lawvere’s notion of functorial model of algebraic theories to the second-order setting. By this semantic correspondence, second-order functorial semantics is shown to correspond to the model theory of second-order universal algebra. We finally show that the core of the theory surrounding Lawvere theories generalises to the second order as well. Instances of this development are the existence of algebraic functors and monad morphisms in the second-order universe. Moreover, we define a notion of translation homomorphism that allows us to establish a 2-categorical type theory correspondence

Second-Order Algebraic Theories

Fiore and Hur recently introduced a conservative extension of universal algebra and equational logic from first to second order. Second-order universal algebra and second-order equational logic respectively provide a model theory and a formal deductive system for languages with variable binding and parameterised metavariables. This work completes the foundations of the subject from the viewpoint of categorical algebra. Specifically, the paper introduces the notion of second-order algebraic theory and develops its basic theory. Two categorical equivalences are established: at the syntactic level, that of second-order equational presentations and second-order algebraic theories; at the semantic level, that of second-order algebras and second-order functorial models. Our development includes a mathematical definition of syntactic translation between second-order equational presentations. This gives the first formalisation of notions such as encodings and transforms in the context of languages with variable binding

Functorial Semantics for Petri Nets under the Individual Token Philosophy

Although the algebraic semantics of place/transition Petri nets under the collective token philosophy has been fully explained in terms of (strictly) symmetric (strict) monoidal categories, the analogous construction under the individual token philosophy is not completely satisfactory because it lacks universality and also functoriality. We introduce the notion of pre-net to recover these aspects, obtaining a fully satisfactory categorical treatment centered on the notion of adjunction. This allows us to present a purely logical description of net behaviours under the individual token philosophy in terms of theories and theory morphisms in partial membership equational logic, yielding a complete match with the theory developed by the authors for the collective token view of net

Strongly Complete Logics for Coalgebras

Coalgebras for a functor model different types of transition systems in a uniform way. This paper focuses on a uniform account of finitary logics for set-based coalgebras. In particular, a general construction of a logic from an arbitrary set-functor is given and proven to be strongly complete under additional assumptions. We proceed in three parts. Part I argues that sifted colimit preserving functors are those functors that preserve universal algebraic structure. Our main theorem here states that a functor preserves sifted colimits if and only if it has a finitary presentation by operations and equations. Moreover, the presentation of the category of algebras for the functor is obtained compositionally from the presentations of the underlying category and of the functor. Part II investigates algebras for a functor over ind-completions and extends the theorem of J{\'o}nsson and Tarski on canonical extensions of Boolean algebras with operators to this setting. Part III shows, based on Part I, how to associate a finitary logic to any finite-sets preserving functor T. Based on Part II we prove the logic to be strongly complete under a reasonable condition on T

`Third' Quantization of Vacuum Einstein Gravity and Free Yang-Mills Theories

Based on the algebraico-categorical (:sheaf-theoretic and sheaf cohomological) conceptual and technical machinery of Abstract Differential Geometry, a new, genuinely background spacetime manifold independent, field quantization scenario for vacuum Einstein gravity and free Yang-Mills theories is introduced. The scheme is coined `third quantization' and, although it formally appears to follow a canonical route, it is fully covariant, because it is an expressly functorial `procedure'. Various current and future Quantum Gravity research issues are discussed under the light of 3rd-quantization. A postscript gives a brief account of this author's personal encounters with Rafael Sorkin and his work.Comment: 43 pages; latest version contributed to a fest-volume celebrating Rafael Sorkin's 60th birthday (Erratum: in earlier versions I had wrongly written that the Editor for this volume is Daniele Oriti, with CUP as publisher. I apologize for the mistake.

Towards a homotopy theory of process algebra

This paper proves that labelled flows are expressive enough to contain all process algebras which are a standard model for concurrency. More precisely, we construct the space of execution paths and of higher dimensional homotopies between them for every process name of every process algebra with any synchronization algebra using a notion of labelled flow. This interpretation of process algebra satisfies the paradigm of higher dimensional automata (HDA): one non-degenerate full $n$-dimensional cube (no more no less) in the underlying space of the time flow corresponding to the concurrent execution of $n$ actions. This result will enable us in future papers to develop a homotopical approach of process algebras. Indeed, several homological constructions related to the causal structure of time flow are possible only in the framework of flows.Comment: 33 pages ; LaTeX2e ; 1 eps figure ; package semantics included ; v2 HDA paradigm clearly stated and simplification in a homotopical argument ; v3 "bug" fixed in notion of non-twisted shell + several redactional improvements ; v4 minor correction : the set of labels must not be ordered ; published at http://intlpress.com/HHA/v10/n1/a16