A realizability interpretation of Martin-Löf’s type Theory

The notion of computability predicate developed by Tail gives a powerful method for proving normalization for various λ-calculi. There are actually two versions of this method: a typed and an untyped approach. In the former approach we define a computability predicate over well-typed terms. This technique was developed by Tail (1967) in order to prove normalization for Gödel’s system T. His method was extended by Girard (1971) for his System F and by Martin-Löf (1971) for his type theory. The second approach is similar to Kleene’s realizability interpretation (Kleene 1945), but in this approach formulas are realized by (not necessarily well-typed) λ-terms rather than Gödel numbers. This technique was developed by Tail (1975) where he uses this method to obtain a simplified proof of normalization for Girard’s system F. The method was later rediscovered independently by several others, for instance Mitchell (1986). There are two ways of defining typed λ-calculus: we have either equality as conversion (on raw terms) or equality as judgments. It is more difficult to show in the theory with equality as judgments that every well-typed term has a normal form of the same type. We can find different approaches to how to solve this problem in Altenkirch (1993), Coquand (1991), Goguen (1994) and Martin-Löf (1975). There are several papers addressing normalization for calculi with equality as untyped conversion; two relevant papers showing normalization are Altenkirch’s (1994) proof for system F using the untyped method and Werner’s (1994) proof for the calculus of constructions with inductive types using the other method. Another difference is the predicative and impredicative formulations of λ-calculi where it is more intricate to prove normalization for the impredicative ones. The aim of this paper is to give a simple argument of normalization for a theory with “real” dependent types, i.e. a theory in which we can define types by recursion on the natural numbers (like Nn). For this we choose to study the simplest theory that has such types, namely the N, Π, U-fragment of Martin-Löf’s polymorphic type theory (Martin-Löf 1972) which contains the natural numbers, dependent functions and one universe. This theory has equality as conversion and is predicative.