Initial Semantics for Strengthened Signatures

We give a new general definition of arity, yielding the companion notions of signature and associated syntax. This setting is modular in the sense requested by Ghani and Uustalu: merging two extensions of syntax corresponds to building an amalgamated sum. These signatures are too general in the sense that we are not able to prove the existence of an associated syntax in this general context. So we have to select arities and signatures for which there exists the desired initial monad. For this, we follow a track opened by Matthes and Uustalu: we introduce a notion of strengthened arity and prove that the corresponding signatures have initial semantics (i.e. associated syntax). Our strengthened arities admit colimits, which allows the treatment of the \lambda-calculus with explicit substitution.Comment: In Proceedings FICS 2012, arXiv:1202.317

Variable binding, symmetric monoidal closed theories, and bigraphs

This paper investigates the use of symmetric monoidal closed (SMC) structure for representing syntax with variable binding, in particular for languages with linear aspects. In our setting, one first specifies an SMC theory T, which may express binding operations, in a way reminiscent from higher-order abstract syntax. This theory generates an SMC category S(T) whose morphisms are, in a sense, terms in the desired syntax. We apply our approach to Jensen and Milner's (abstract binding) bigraphs, which are linear w.r.t. processes. This leads to an alternative category of bigraphs, which we compare to the original.Comment: An introduction to two more technical previous preprints. Accepted at Concur '0

Cartesian closed 2-categories and permutation equivalence in higher-order rewriting

We propose a semantics for permutation equivalence in higher-order rewriting. This semantics takes place in cartesian closed 2-categories, and is proved sound and complete

C-system of a module over a monad on sets

This is the second paper in a series that aims to provide mathematical descriptions of objects and constructions related to the first few steps of the semantical theory of dependent type systems. We construct for any pair $(R,LM)$, where $R$ is a monad on sets and $LM$ is a left module over $R$, a C-system (contextual category) $CC(R,LM)$ and describe a class of sub-quotients of $CC(R,LM)$ in terms of objects directly constructed from $R$ and $LM$. In the special case of the monads of expressions associated with nominal signatures this construction gives the C-systems of general dependent type theories when they are specified by collections of judgements of the four standard kinds

Innocent strategies as presheaves and interactive equivalences for CCS

Seeking a general framework for reasoning about and comparing programming languages, we derive a new view of Milner's CCS. We construct a category E of plays, and a subcategory V of views. We argue that presheaves on V adequately represent innocent strategies, in the sense of game semantics. We then equip innocent strategies with a simple notion of interaction. This results in an interpretation of CCS. Based on this, we propose a notion of interactive equivalence for innocent strategies, which is close in spirit to Beffara's interpretation of testing equivalences in concurrency theory. In this framework we prove that the analogues of fair and must testing equivalences coincide, while they differ in the standard setting.Comment: In Proceedings ICE 2011, arXiv:1108.014

Heterogeneous substitution systems revisited

Matthes and Uustalu (TCS 327(1-2):155-174, 2004) presented a categorical description of substitution systems capable of capturing syntax involving binding which is independent of whether the syntax is made up from least or greatest fixed points. We extend this work in two directions: we continue the analysis by creating more categorical structure, in particular by organizing substitution systems into a category and studying its properties, and we develop the proofs of the results of the cited paper and our new ones in UniMath, a recent library of univalent mathematics formalized in the Coq theorem prover.Comment: 24 page

A C-system defined by a universe category

This is a major update of the previous version. The methods of the paper are now fully constructive and the style is "formalization ready" with the emphasis on the possibility of formalization both in type theory and in constructive set theory without the axiom of choice. This is the third paper in a series started in 1406.7413. In it we construct a C-system $CC({\cal C},p)$ starting from a category $\cal C$ together with a morphism $p:\widetilde{U}\rightarrow U$, a choice of pull-back squares based on $p$ for all morphisms to $U$ and a choice of a final object of $\cal C$. Such a quadruple is called a universe category. We then define universe category functors and construct homomorphisms of C-systems $CC({\cal C},p)$ defined by universe category functors. As a corollary of this construction and its properties we show that the C-systems corresponding to different choices of pull-backs and final objects are constructively isomorphic. In the second part of the paper we provide for any C-system CC three constructions of pairs $(({\cal C},p),H)$ where $({\cal C},p)$ is a universe category and $H:CC\rightarrow CC({\cal C},p)$ is an isomorphism. In the third part we define, using the constructions of the previous parts, for any category $C$ with a final object and fiber products a C-system $CC(C)$ and an equivalence $(J^*,J_*):C \rightarrow CC$

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