Priorities Without Priorities: Representing Preemption in Psi-Calculi

Psi-calculi is a parametric framework for extensions of the pi-calculus with data terms and arbitrary logics. In this framework there is no direct way to represent action priorities, where an action can execute only if all other enabled actions have lower priority. We here demonstrate that the psi-calculi parameters can be chosen such that the effect of action priorities can be encoded. To accomplish this we define an extension of psi-calculi with action priorities, and show that for every calculus in the extended framework there is a corresponding ordinary psi-calculus, without priorities, and a translation between them that satisfies strong operational correspondence. This is a significantly stronger result than for most encodings between process calculi in the literature. We also formally prove in Nominal Isabelle that the standard congruence and structural laws about strong bisimulation hold in psi-calculi extended with priorities.Comment: In Proceedings EXPRESS/SOS 2014, arXiv:1408.127

Mechanisation of Model-theoretic Conservative Extension for HOL with Ad-hoc Overloading

Definitions of new symbols merely abbreviate expressions in logical frameworks, and no new facts (regarding previously defined symbols) should hold because of a new definition. In Isabelle/HOL, definable symbols are types and constants. The latter may be ad-hoc overloaded, i.e. have different definitions for non-overlapping types. We prove that symbols that are independent of a new definition may keep their interpretation in a model extension. This work revises our earlier notion of model-theoretic conservative extension and generalises an earlier model construction. We obtain consistency of theories of definitions in higher-order logic (HOL) with ad-hoc overloading as a corollary. Our results are mechanised in the HOL4 theorem prover.Comment: In Proceedings LFMTP 2020, arXiv:2101.0283

PureCake: A verified compiler for a lazy functional language

We present PureCake, a mechanically-verified compiler for PureLang, a lazy, purely functional programming language with monadic effects. PureLang syntax is Haskell-like and indentation-sensitive, and its constraint-based Hindley-Milner type system guarantees safe execution. We derive sound equational reasoning principles over its operational semantics, dramatically simplifying some proofs. We prove end-to-end correctness for the compilation of PureLang down to machine code---the first such result for any lazy language---by targeting CakeML and composing with its verified compiler. Multiple optimisation passes are necessary to handle realistic lazy idioms effectively. We develop PureCake entirely within the HOL4 interactive theorem prover

Verifying Psi-calculi

Psi-calculi are mobile process calculi, parametrised with arbitrary nominal datatypes representing data, communication channels, assertions and conditions, as well as morphisms over those datatypes. The framework for psi-calculi has been formalised in the interactive theorem prover Isabelle, along with both strong and weak bisimulation. This master's thesis project presents a tool for formally verifying that psi-calculus candidates are well-defined within the Isabelle/HOL-Nominal framework. It employs custom-made, heuristic proof tactics that discharge as many proof obligations as possible automatically, and passes any remaining proof obligations back to the user, who must supply manual proofs. The implementation of the tool as well as the proof strategies employed are described. The tool is applied to verify encodings of both the monadic and polyadic variants of the pi-calculus, as well as the pi-F calculus

Bells and Whistles : Advanced language features in psi-calculi

Psi-calculi is a parametric framework for process calculi similar to popular pi-calculus extensions such as the explicit fusion calculus, the applied pi-calculus and the spi calculus. Remarkably, machine-checked proofs of standard algebraic and congruence properties of bisimilarity apply to every instance of the framework. The contribution of this licentiate thesis is to significantly extend the applicability and expressiveness of psi-calculi by incorporating several advanced language features into the framework: broadcasts, higher-order communication, generalised pattern matching, sorts and priorities. The extensions present several interesting technical challenges, such as negative premises. The machine-checked proofs for standard results about bisimilarity are generalised to each of these new settings, and the proof scripts are freely available online.UPMAR

Bells and Whistles : Advanced language features in psi-calculi

Psi-calculi is a parametric framework for process calculi similar to popular pi-calculus extensions such as the explicit fusion calculus, the applied pi-calculus and the spi calculus. Remarkably, machine-checked proofs of standard algebraic and congruence properties of bisimilarity apply to every instance of the framework. The contribution of this licentiate thesis is to significantly extend the applicability and expressiveness of psi-calculi by incorporating several advanced language features into the framework: broadcasts, higher-order communication, generalised pattern matching, sorts and priorities. The extensions present several interesting technical challenges, such as negative premises. The machine-checked proofs for standard results about bisimilarity are generalised to each of these new settings, and the proof scripts are freely available online.UPMAR

Culling Concurrency Theory : Reusable and trustworthy meta-theory, proof techniques and separation results

As concurrent systems become ever more complex and ever more ubiquitous, the need to understand and verify them grows ever larger. For this we need formal modelling languages that are well understood, with rigorously verified foundations and proof techniques, applicable to a wide variety of concurrent systems. Defining modelling languages is easy; there is a stupefying variety of them in the literature. Verifying their foundations and proof techniques, and developing an understanding of their interrelationship with other modelling languages, is difficult, tedious and error-prone. The contributions of this thesis support these tasks in reusable and trustworthy ways, by results that apply to a wide variety of modelling languages, verified to the highest standards of mathematical rigour in an interactive theorem prover. To this end, we extend psi-calculi - a family of process calculi with reusable foundations for formal verification - with several new language features. We prove that the bisimulation meta-theory of psi-calculi carries over to these extended settings. This widens the scope of psi-calculi to important application areas, such as cryptography and wireless communication. We develop bisimulation up-to techniques - powerful proof techniques for showing that two processes exhibit the same observable behaviour - that apply to all psi-calculi. By showing how psi-calculi can encode dynamic priorities under very strong quality criteria, we demonstrate that the expressive power is greater than previously thought. Finally, we develop a simple and widely applicable technique for showing that a process calculus adds expressiveness over another, based on little more than whether parallel components may act independently or not. Many separation results, both novel ones and strengthenings of known results from the literature, emerge as special cases of this technique.UPMAR

Bells and Whistles : Advanced language features in psi-calculi

Psi-calculi is a parametric framework for process calculi similar to popular pi-calculus extensions such as the explicit fusion calculus, the applied pi-calculus and the spi calculus. Remarkably, machine-checked proofs of standard algebraic and congruence properties of bisimilarity apply to every instance of the framework. The contribution of this licentiate thesis is to significantly extend the applicability and expressiveness of psi-calculi by incorporating several advanced language features into the framework: broadcasts, higher-order communication, generalised pattern matching, sorts and priorities. The extensions present several interesting technical challenges, such as negative premises. The machine-checked proofs for standard results about bisimilarity are generalised to each of these new settings, and the proof scripts are freely available online.UPMAR

Culling Concurrency Theory : Reusable and trustworthy meta-theory, proof techniques and separation results

As concurrent systems become ever more complex and ever more ubiquitous, the need to understand and verify them grows ever larger. For this we need formal modelling languages that are well understood, with rigorously verified foundations and proof techniques, applicable to a wide variety of concurrent systems. Defining modelling languages is easy; there is a stupefying variety of them in the literature. Verifying their foundations and proof techniques, and developing an understanding of their interrelationship with other modelling languages, is difficult, tedious and error-prone. The contributions of this thesis support these tasks in reusable and trustworthy ways, by results that apply to a wide variety of modelling languages, verified to the highest standards of mathematical rigour in an interactive theorem prover. To this end, we extend psi-calculi - a family of process calculi with reusable foundations for formal verification - with several new language features. We prove that the bisimulation meta-theory of psi-calculi carries over to these extended settings. This widens the scope of psi-calculi to important application areas, such as cryptography and wireless communication. We develop bisimulation up-to techniques - powerful proof techniques for showing that two processes exhibit the same observable behaviour - that apply to all psi-calculi. By showing how psi-calculi can encode dynamic priorities under very strong quality criteria, we demonstrate that the expressive power is greater than previously thought. Finally, we develop a simple and widely applicable technique for showing that a process calculus adds expressiveness over another, based on little more than whether parallel components may act independently or not. Many separation results, both novel ones and strengthenings of known results from the literature, emerge as special cases of this technique.UPMAR

Higher-order psi-calculi

Psi-calculi is a parametric framework for extensions of the pi-calculus; in earlier work we have explored their expressiveness and algebraic theory. In this paper we consider higher-order psi-calculi through a technically surprisingly simple extension of the framework, and show how an arbitrary psi-calculus can be lifted to its higher-order counterpart in a canonical way. We illustrate this with examples and establish an algebraic theory of higher-order psi-calculi. The formal results are obtained by extending our proof repositories in Isabelle/Nominal.UPMARCProFu