Relational Parametricity for Computational Effects

According to Strachey, a polymorphic program is parametric if it applies a uniform algorithm independently of the type instantiations at which it is applied. The notion of relational parametricity, introduced by Reynolds, is one possible mathematical formulation of this idea. Relational parametricity provides a powerful tool for establishing data abstraction properties, proving equivalences of datatypes, and establishing equalities of programs. Such properties have been well studied in a pure functional setting. Many programs, however, exhibit computational effects, and are not accounted for by the standard theory of relational parametricity. In this paper, we develop a foundational framework for extending the notion of relational parametricity to programming languages with effects.Comment: 31 pages, appears in Logical Methods in Computer Scienc

Synthetic Domain Theory and Models of Linear Abadi-Plotkin Logic

AbstractIn a recent article [L. Birkedal, R. E. Møgelberg, and R. L. Petersen. Parametric domain-theoretic models of linear Abadi & Plotkin logic. Technical Report TR-2005-57, IT University of Copenhagen, February 2005] the first two authors and R.L. Petersen have defined a notion of parametric LAPL-structure. Such structures are parametric models of the equational theory PILLY, a polymorphic intuitionistic / linear type theory with fixed points, in which one can reason using parametricity and, for example, solve a large class of domain equations [L. Birkedal, R. E. Møgelberg, and R. L. Petersen. Parametric domain-theoretic models of linear Abadi & Plotkin logic. Technical Report TR-2005-57, IT University of Copenhagen, February 2005, L Birkedal, R. E. Møgelberg, and R. L. Petersen. Parametric domain-theoretic models of polymorphic intuitionistic / linear lambda calculus. In Proceedings of the Twenty-first Conference on the Mathematical Foundations of Programming Semantics, 2005. To appear].Based on recent work by Simpson and Rosolini [G. Rosolini and A. Simpson. Using synthetic domain theory to prove operational properties of a polymorphic programming language based on strictness. Manuscript, 2004] we construct a family of parametric LAPL-structures using synthetic domain theory and use the results of loc. cit. and results about LAPL-structures to prove operational consequences of parametricity for a strict version of the Lily programming language. In particular we can show that one can solve domain equations in the strict version of Lily up to ground contextual equivalence

Synthetic domain theory and models of linear Abadi-Plotkin logic

Plotkin suggested to use a polymorphic dual intuitionistic/linear type theory as a metalanguage for parametric polymorphism and recursion. In recent work the first two authors and R.L. Petersen have defined a notion of parametric LAPL-structure, which are models of the theory suggested by Plotkin, and in which one can reason using parametricity, solving, for instance, a large class of domain equations. In this paper, we show how an interpretation of a strict version of Bierman, Pitts and Russo\u2019s language Lily into synthetic domain theory presented by Simpson and Rosolini gives rise to a parametric LAPL-structure. This adds to the evidence that the notion of LAPL-structure is a general notion, suitable for treating many different parametric models, and it provides formal proofs of consequences of parametricity expected to hold for the interpretation. Finally, we show how these results, in combination with Rosolini and Simpson\u2019s computational adequacy result, can be used to prove consequences of parametricity for Lily. In particular, we show that one can solve domain equations in Lily up to ground contextual equivalence