Isomorphisms of types in the presence of higher-order references

We investigate the problem of type isomorphisms in a programming language with higher-order references. We first recall the game-theoretic model of higher-order references by Abramsky, Honda and McCusker. Solving an open problem by Laurent, we show that two finitely branching arenas are isomorphic if and only if they are geometrically the same, up to renaming of moves (Laurent's forest isomorphism). We deduce from this an equational theory characterizing isomorphisms of types in a finitary language with higher order references. We show however that Laurent's conjecture does not hold on infinitely branching arenas, yielding a non-trivial type isomorphism in the extension of this language with natural numbers.Comment: Twenty-Sixth Annual IEEE Symposium on Logic In Computer Science (LICS 2011), Toronto : Canada (2011

Undecidability of Equality in the Free Locally Cartesian Closed Category (Extended version)

We show that a version of Martin-L\"of type theory with an extensional identity type former I, a unit type N1 , Sigma-types, Pi-types, and a base type is a free category with families (supporting these type formers) both in a 1- and a 2-categorical sense. It follows that the underlying category of contexts is a free locally cartesian closed category in a 2-categorical sense because of a previously proved biequivalence. We show that equality in this category is undecidable by reducing it to the undecidability of convertibility in combinatory logic. Essentially the same construction also shows a slightly strengthened form of the result that equality in extensional Martin-L\"of type theory with one universe is undecidable

Thin Games with Symmetry and Concurrent Hyland-Ong Games

We build a cartesian closed category, called Cho, based on event structures. It allows an interpretation of higher-order stateful concurrent programs that is refined and precise: on the one hand it is conservative with respect to standard Hyland-Ong games when interpreting purely functional programs as innocent strategies, while on the other hand it is much more expressive. The interpretation of programs constructs compositionally a representation of their execution that exhibits causal dependencies and remembers the points of non-deterministic branching.The construction is in two stages. First, we build a compact closed category Tcg. It is a variant of Rideau and Winskel's category CG, with the difference that games and strategies in Tcg are equipped with symmetry to express that certain events are essentially the same. This is analogous to the underlying category of AJM games enriching simple games with an equivalence relations on plays. Building on this category, we construct the cartesian closed category Cho as having as objects the standard arenas of Hyland-Ong games, with strategies, represented by certain events structures, playing on games with symmetry obtained as expanded forms of these arenas.To illustrate and give an operational light on these constructions, we interpret (a close variant of) Idealized Parallel Algol in Cho

An Analysis of Symmetry in Quantitative Semantics

In this paper, we build on a recent bicategorical model called thin spans of groupoids, introduced by Clairambault and Forest. Notably, thin spans feature a decomposition of symmetry into two sub-groupoids of polarized -- positive and negative -- symmetries. We first construct a variation of the original exponential of thin spans, based on sequences rather than families. Then we give a syntactic characterisation of the interpretation of simply-typed lambda-terms in thin spans, in terms of rigid intersection types and rigid resource terms. Finally, we formally relate thin spans with the weighted relational model and generalized species of structure. This allows us to show how some quantities in those models reflect polarized symmetries: in particular we show that the weighted relational model counts witnesses from generalized species of structure, divided by the cardinal of a group of positive symmetries

Observably Deterministic Concurrent Strategies and Intensional Full Abstraction for Parallel-or

International audienceAlthough Plotkin's parallel-or is inherently deterministic, it has a non-deterministic interpretation in games based on (prime) event structures-in which an event has a unique causal history-because they do not directly support disjunctive causality. General event structures can express disjunctive causality and have a more permissive notion of determinism, but do not support hiding. We show that (structures equivalent to) deterministic general event structures do support hiding, and construct a new category of games based on them with a deterministic interpretation of aPCFpor, an affine variant of PCF extended with parallel-or. We then exploit this deterministic interpretation to give a relaxed notion of determinism (observable determinism) on the plain event structures model. Putting this together with our previously introduced concurrent notions of well-bracketing and innocence, we obtain an intensionally fully abstract model of aPCFpor

Extensional Taylor Expansion

We introduce a calculus of extensional resource terms. These are resource terms \`a la Ehrhard-Regnier, but in infinite $\eta$-long form, while retaining a finite syntax and dynamics: in particular, we prove strong confluence and normalization. Then we define an extensional version of Taylor expansion, mapping ordinary $\lambda$-terms to sets (or infinite linear combinations) of extensional resource terms: just like for ordinary Taylor expansion, the dynamics of our resource calculus allows to simulate the $\beta$-reduction of $\lambda$-terms; the extensional nature of expansion shows in that we are also able to simulate $\eta$-reduction. In a sense, extensional resource terms form a language of (non-necessarily normal) finite approximants of Nakajima trees, much like ordinary resource terms are approximants of B\"ohm-trees. Indeed, we show that the equivalence induced on $\lambda$-terms by the normalization of extensional Taylor-expansion is nothing but $H^*$, the greatest consistent sensible $\lambda$-theory. Taylor expansion has profoundly renewed the approximation theory of the $\lambda$-calculus by providing a quantitative alternative to order-based approximation techniques, such as Scott continuity and B\"ohm trees. Extensional Taylor expansion enjoys similar advantages: e.g., to exhibit models of $H^*$, it is now sufficient to provide a model of the extensional resource calculus. We apply this strategy to give a new, elementary proof of a result by Manzonetto: $H^*$ is the $\lambda$-theory induced by a well-chosen reflexive object in the relational model of the $\lambda$-calculus

Games and Strategies as Event Structures.

In 2011, Rideau and Winskel introduced concurrent games and strategies as event structures, generalizing prior work on causal formulations of games. In this paper we give a detailed, self-contained and slightly-updated account of the results of Rideau and Winskel: a notion of pre-strategy based on event structures; a characterisation of those pre-strategies (deemed strategies) which are preserved by composition with a copycat strategy; and the construction of a bicategory of these strategies. Furthermore, we prove that the corresponding category has a compact closed structure, and hence forms the basis for the semantics of concurrent higher-order computation

The Biequivalence of Locally Cartesian Closed Categories and Martin-L\"of Type Theories

Seely's paper "Locally cartesian closed categories and type theory" contains a well-known result in categorical type theory: that the category of locally cartesian closed categories is equivalent to the category of Martin-L\"of type theories with Pi-types, Sigma-types and extensional identity types. However, Seely's proof relies on the problematic assumption that substitution in types can be interpreted by pullbacks. Here we prove a corrected version of Seely's theorem: that the B\'enabou-Hofmann interpretation of Martin-L\"of type theory in locally cartesian closed categories yields a biequivalence of 2-categories. To facilitate the technical development we employ categories with families as a substitute for syntactic Martin-L\"of type theories. As a second result we prove that if we remove Pi-types the resulting categories with families are biequivalent to left exact categories.Comment: TLCA 2011 - 10th Typed Lambda Calculi and Applications, Novi Sad : Serbia (2011

Strategies as Resource Terms, and their Categorical Semantics

As shown by Tsukada and Ong, simply-typed, normal and eta-long resource terms correspond to plays in Hyland-Ong games, quotiented by Melli\`es' homotopy equivalence. The original proof of this inspiring result is indirect, relying on the injectivity of the relational model w.r.t. both sides of the correspondence -- in particular, the dynamics of the resource calculus is taken into account only via the compatibility of the relational model with the composition of normal terms defined by normalization. In the present paper, we revisit and extend these results. Our first contribution is to restate the correspondence by considering causal structures we call augmentations, which are canonical representatives of Hyland-Ong plays up to homotopy. This allows us to give a direct and explicit account of the connection with normal resource terms. As a second contribution, we extend this account to the reduction of resource terms: building on a notion of strategies as weighted sums of augmentations, we provide a denotational model of the resource calculus, invariant under reduction. A key step -- and our third contribution -- is a categorical model we call a resource category, which is to the resource calculus what differential categories are to the differential lambda-calculus.Comment: extended versio