Confluence by Decreasing Diagrams -- Formalized

This paper presents a formalization of decreasing diagrams in the theorem prover Isabelle. It discusses mechanical proofs showing that any locally decreasing abstract rewrite system is confluent. The valley and the conversion version of decreasing diagrams are considered.Comment: 17 pages; valley and conversion version; RTA 201

Combining Algebra and Higher-Order Types

We study the higher-order rewrite/equational proof systems obtained by adding the simply typed lambda calculus to algebraic rewrite/equational proof systems. We show that if a many-sorted algebraic rewrite system has the Church-Rosser property, then the corresponding higher-order rewrite system which adds simply typed ß-reduction has the Church-Rosser property too. This result is relevant to parallel implementations of functional programming languages. We also show that provability in the higher-order equational proof system obtained by adding the simply typed ß and η axioms to some many-sorted algebraic proof system is effectively reducible to provability in that algebraic proof system. This effective reduction also establishes transformations between higher-order and algebraic equational proofs, transformations which can be useful in automated deduction

Polymorphic Rewriting Conserves Algebraic Strong Normalization and Confluence

We study combinations of many-sorted algebraic term rewriting systems and polymorphic lambda term rewriting. Algebraic and lambda terms are mixed by adding the symbols of the algebraic signature to the polymorphic lambda calculus, as higher-order constants. We show that if a many-sorted algebraic rewrite system R is strongly normalizing (terminating, noetherian), then R + β + η + type-β + type-η rewriting of mixed terms is also strongly normalizing. We obtain this results using a technique which generalizes Girard\u27s candidats de reductibilité , introduced in the original proof of strong normalization for the polymorphic lambda calculus. We also show that if a many-sorted algebraic rewrite system R has the Church-Rosser property (is confluent), then R + β + type-β + type-η rewriting of mixed terms has the Church- Rosser property too. Combining the two results, we conclude that if R is canonical (complete) on algebraic terms, then R + β + type-β + type-η is canonical on mixed terms. η reduction does not commute with a1gebraic reduction, in general. However, using long β- normal forms, we show that if R is canonical then R + β + η + type-β + type-η convertibility is still decidable

Polymorphic Rewriting Conserves Algebraic Confluence

We study combinations of many-sorted algebraic term rewriting systems and polymorphic lambda term rewriting. Algebraic and lambda terms are mixed by adding the symbols of the algebraic signature to the polymorphic lambda calculus, as higher-order constants. We show that if a many-sorted algebraic rewrite system R has the Church-Rosser property (is confluent), then R + β + type-β + type-η rewriting of mixed terms has the Church-Rosser property too. η reduction does not commute with algebraic reduction, in general. However, using long normal forms, we show that if R is canonical (confluent and strongly normalizing) then equational provability from R + β + η + type-β + type-η is still decidable

Term rewriting systems from Church-Rosser to Knuth-Bendix and beyond

Term rewriting systems are important for computability theory of abstract data types, for automatic theorem proving, and for the foundations of functional programming. In this short survey we present, starting from first principles, several of the basic notions and facts in the area of term rewriting. Our treatment, which often will be informal, covers abstract rewriting, Combinatory Logic, orthogonal systems, strategies, critical pair completion, and some extended rewriting formats

A language for multiplicative-additive linear logic

A term calculus for the proofs in multiplicative-additive linear logic is introduced and motivated as a programming language for channel based concurrency. The term calculus is proved complete for a semantics in linearly distributive categories with additives. It is also shown that proof equivalence is decidable by showing that the cut elimination rewrites supply a confluent rewriting system modulo equations.Comment: 16 pages without appendices, 30 with appendice