Typability and type checking in the second-order Λ-calculus are equivalent and undecidable (Preliminary Draft)

We consider the problems of typability[1] and type checking[2] in the Girard/Reynolds second-order polymorphic typed λ-calculus, for which we use the short name "System F" and which we use in the "Curry style" where types are assigned to pure λ -terms. These problems have been considered and proven to be decidable or undecidable for various restrictions and extensions of System F and other related systems, and lower-bound complexity results for System F have been achieved, but they have remained "embarrassing open problems"[3] for System F itself. We first prove that type checking in System F is undecidable by a reduction from semi-unification. We then prove typability in System F is undecidable by a reduction from type checking. Since the reverse reduction is already known, this implies the two problems are equivalent. The second reduction uses a novel method of constructing λ-terms such that in all type derivations, specific bound variables must always be assigned a specific type. Using this technique, we can require that specific subterms must be typable using a specific, fixed type assignment in order for the entire term to be typable at all. Any desired type assignment may be simulated. We develop this method, which we call "constants for free", for both the λK and λI calculi.NSF (CCR-9113196

The Algebraic Intersection Type Unification Problem

The algebraic intersection type unification problem is an important component in proof search related to several natural decision problems in intersection type systems. It is unknown and remains open whether the algebraic intersection type unification problem is decidable. We give the first nontrivial lower bound for the problem by showing (our main result) that it is exponential time hard. Furthermore, we show that this holds even under rank 1 solutions (substitutions whose codomains are restricted to contain rank 1 types). In addition, we provide a fixed-parameter intractability result for intersection type matching (one-sided unification), which is known to be NP-complete. We place the algebraic intersection type unification problem in the context of unification theory. The equational theory of intersection types can be presented as an algebraic theory with an ACI (associative, commutative, and idempotent) operator (intersection type) combined with distributivity properties with respect to a second operator (function type). Although the problem is algebraically natural and interesting, it appears to occupy a hitherto unstudied place in the theory of unification, and our investigation of the problem suggests that new methods are required to understand the problem. Thus, for the lower bound proof, we were not able to reduce from known results in ACI-unification theory and use game-theoretic methods for two-player tiling games

Decidable structures between Church-style and Curry-style

It is well-known that the type-checking and type-inference problems are undecidable for second order lambda-calculus in Curry-style, although those for Church-style are decidable. What causes the differences in decidability and undecidability on the problems? We examine crucial conditions on terms for the (un)decidability property from the viewpoint of partially typed terms, and what kinds of type annotations are essential for (un)decidability of type-related problems. It is revealed that there exists an intermediate structure of second order lambda-terms, called a style of hole-application, between Church-style and Curry-style, such that the type-related problems are decidable under the structure. We also extend this idea to the omega-order polymorphic calculus F-omega, and show that the type-checking and type-inference problems then become undecidable

Typability and type inference in atomic polymorphism

It is well-known that typability, type inhabitation and type inference are undecidable in the Girard-Reynolds polymorphic system F. It has recently been proven that type inhabitation remains undecidable even in the predicative fragment of system F in which all universal instantiations have an atomic witness (system Fat). In this paper we analyze typability and type inference in Curry style variants of system Fat and show that typability is decidable and that there is an algorithm for type inference which is capable of dealing with non-redundancy constraints.The second author acknowledges the support of FCT — Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the projects UIDB/04561/2020, UIDB/00408/2020 and UIDP/00408/2020, and she is also grateful to CMAFcIO — Centro de Matemática, Aplicações Fundamentais e Investigação Operacional and to LASIGE — Computer Science and Engineering Research Centre (Universidade de Lisboa).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Type Inference for Bimorphic Recursion

This paper proposes bimorphic recursion, which is restricted polymorphic recursion such that every recursive call in the body of a function definition has the same type. Bimorphic recursion allows us to assign two different types to a recursively defined function: one is for its recursive calls and the other is for its calls outside its definition. Bimorphic recursion in this paper can be nested. This paper shows bimorphic recursion has principal types and decidable type inference. Hence bimorphic recursion gives us flexible typing for recursion with decidable type inference. This paper also shows that its typability becomes undecidable because of nesting of recursions when one removes the instantiation property from the bimorphic recursion.Comment: In Proceedings GandALF 2011, arXiv:1106.081

A Direct Algorithm for the Type Interference in the Rank 2 Fragment of the Second--Order λ-Calculus

We study the problem of type inference for a family of polymorphic type disciplines containing the power of Core-ML. This family comprises all levels of the stratification of the second-order lambda-calculus by "rank" of types. We show that typability is an undecidable problem at every rank k ≥ 3 of this stratification. While it was already known that typability is decidable at rank ≤ 2, no direct and easy-to-implement algorithm was available. To design such an algorithm, we develop a new notion of reduction and show how to use it to reduce the problem of typability at rank 2 to the problem of acyclic semi-unification. A by-product of our analysis is the publication of a simple solution procedure for acyclic semi-unification

Constructive Many-One Reduction from the Halting Problem to Semi-Unification

Semi-unification is the combination of first-order unification and first-order matching. The undecidability of semi-unification has been proven by Kfoury, Tiuryn, and Urzyczyn in the 1990s by Turing reduction from Turing machine immortality (existence of a diverging configuration). The particular Turing reduction is intricate, uses non-computational principles, and involves various intermediate models of computation. The present work gives a constructive many-one reduction from the Turing machine halting problem to semi-unification. This establishes RE-completeness of semi-unification under many-one reductions. Computability of the reduction function, constructivity of the argument, and correctness of the argument is witnessed by an axiom-free mechanization in the Coq proof assistant. Arguably, this serves as comprehensive, precise, and surveyable evidence for the result at hand. The mechanization is incorporated into the existing, well-maintained Coq library of undecidability proofs. Notably, a variant of Hooper's argument for the undecidability of Turing machine immortality is part of the mechanization.Comment: CSL 2022 - LMCS special issu

Typability and type inference in atomic polymorphism

It is well-known that typability, type inhabitation and type inference are undecidable in the Girard-Reynolds polymorphic system F. It has recently been proven that type inhabitation remains undecidable even in the predicative fragment of system F in which all universal instantiations have an atomic witness (system Fat). In this paper we analyze typability and type inference in Curry style variants of system Fat and show that typability is decidable and that there is an algorithm for type inference which is capable of dealing with non-redundancy constraints.The second author acknowledges the support of FCT — Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia under the projects UIDB/04561/2020, UIDB/00408/2020 and UIDP/00408/2020, and she is also grateful to CMAFcIO — Centro de Matemática, Aplicações Fundamentais e Investigação Operacional and to LASIGE — Computer Science and Engineering Research Centre (Universidade de Lisboa).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The undecidability of Mitchell's subtyping relationship

Mitchell defined and axiomatized a subtyping relationship (also known as containment, coercibility, or subsumption) over the types of System F (with "→" and "∀"). This subtyping relationship is quite simple and does not involve bounded quantification. Tiuryn and Urzyczyn quite recently proved this subtyping relationship to be undecidable. This paper supplies a new undecidability proof for this subtyping relationship. First, a new syntax-directed axiomatization of the subtyping relationship is defined. Then, this axiomatization is used to prove a reduction from the undecidable problem of semi-unification to subtyping. The undecidability of subtyping implies the undecidability of type checking for System F extended with Mitchell's subtyping, also known as "F plus eta".National Science Foundation (CCR-9113196, CCR-9417382