A fine-grained computational interpretation of Girard’s intuitionistic proof-nets

This paper introduces a functional term calculus, called pn, that captures the essence of the operational semantics of Intuitionistic Linear Logic Proof-Nets with a faithful degree of granularity, both statically and dynamically. On the static side, we identify an equivalence relation on pn-terms which is sound and complete with respect to the classical notion of structural equivalence for proof-nets. On the dynamic side, we show that every single (exponential) step in the term calculus translates to a different single (exponential) step in the graphical formalism, thus capturing the original Girard’s granularity of proof-nets but on the level of terms. We also show some fundamental properties of the calculus such as confluence, strong normalization, preservation of β-strong normalization and the existence of a strong bisimulation that captures pairs of pn-terms having the same graph reduction.

An application of parallel cut elimination in multiplicative linear logic to the Taylor expansion of proof nets

We examine some combinatorial properties of parallel cut elimination in multiplicative linear logic (MLL) proof nets. We show that, provided we impose a constraint on some paths, we can bound the size of all the nets satisfying this constraint and reducing to a fixed resultant net. This result gives a sufficient condition for an infinite weighted sum of nets to reduce into another sum of nets, while keeping coefficients finite. We moreover show that our constraints are stable under reduction. Our approach is motivated by the quantitative semantics of linear logic: many models have been proposed, whose structure reflect the Taylor expansion of multiplicative exponential linear logic (MELL) proof nets into infinite sums of differential nets. In order to simulate one cut elimination step in MELL, it is necessary to reduce an arbitrary number of cuts in the differential nets of its Taylor expansion. It turns out our results apply to differential nets, because their cut elimination is essentially multiplicative. We moreover show that the set of differential nets that occur in the Taylor expansion of an MELL net automatically satisfies our constraints. Interestingly, our nets are untyped: we only rely on the sequentiality of linear logic nets and the dynamics of cut elimination. The paths on which we impose bounds are the switching paths involved in the Danos--Regnier criterion for sequentiality. In order to accommodate multiplicative units and weakenings, our nets come equipped with jumps: each weakening node is connected to some other node. Our constraint can then be summed up as a bound on both the length of switching paths, and the number of weakenings that jump to a common node.

A Survey of the Proof-Theoretic Foundations of Logic Programming

Several formal systems, such as resolution and minimal model semantics, provide a framework for logic programming. In this article, we will survey the use of structural proof theory as an alternative foundation. Researchers have been using this foundation for the past 35 years to elevate logic programming from its roots in first-order classical logic into higher-order versions of intuitionistic and linear logic. These more expressive logic programming languages allow for capturing stateful computations and rich forms of abstractions, including higher-order programming, modularity, and abstract data types. Term-level bindings are another kind of abstraction, and these are given an elegant and direct treatment within both proof theory and these extended logic programming languages. Logic programming has also inspired new results in proof theory, such as those involving polarity and focused proofs. These recent results provide a high-level means for presenting the differences between forward-chaining and backward-chaining style inferences. Anchoring logic programming in proof theory has also helped identify its connections and differences with functional programming, deductive databases, and model checking.

Dagger linear logic for categorical quantum mechanics

Categorical quantum mechanics exploits the dagger compact closed structure of finite dimensional Hilbert spaces, and uses the graphical calculus of string diagrams to facilitate reasoning about finite dimensional processes. A significant portion of quantum physics, however, involves reasoning about infinite dimensional processes, and it is well-known that the category of all Hilbert spaces is not compact closed. Thus, a limitation of using dagger compact closed categories is that one cannot directly accommodate reasoning about infinite dimensional processes. A natural categorical generalization of compact closed categories, in which infinite dimensional spaces can be modelled, is *-autonomous categories and, more generally, linearly distributive categories. This article starts the development of this direction of generalizing categorical quantum mechanics. An important first step is to establish the behaviour of the dagger in these more general settings. Thus, these notes simultaneously develop the categorical semantics of multiplicative dagger linear logic. The notes end with the definition of a mixed unitary category. It is this structure which is subsequently used to extend the key features of categorical quantum mechanics.

Linear logic in normed cones: probabilistic coherence spaces and beyond

Ehrhard et al. (2018. Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, POPL 2, Article 59.) proposed a model of probabilistic functional programming in a category of normed positive cones and stable measurable cone maps, which can be seen as a coordinate-free generalization of probabilistic coherence spaces (PCSs). However, unlike the case of PCSs, it remained unclear if the model could be refined to a model of classical linear logic. In this work, we consider a somewhat similar category which gives indeed a coordinate-free model of full propositional linear logic with nondegenerate interpretation of additives and sound interpretation of exponentials. Objects are dual pairs of normed cones satisfying certain specific completeness properties, such as existence of norm-bounded monotone weak limits, and morphisms are bounded (adjointable) positive maps. Norms allow us a distinct interpretation of dual additive connectives as product and coproduct. Exponential connectives are modeled using real analytic functions and distributions that have representations as power series with positive coefficients. Unlike the familiar case of PCSs, there is no reference or need for a preferred basis; in this sense the model is invariant. PCSs form a full subcategory, whose objects, seen as posets, are lattices. Thus, we get a model fitting in the tradition of interpreting linear logic in a linear algebraic setting, which arguably is free from the drawbacks of its predecessors.

A focused linear logical framework and its application to metatheory of object logics

Linear logic (LL) has been used as a foundation (and inspiration) for the development of programming languages, logical frameworks, and models for concurrency. LL’s cut-elimination and the completeness of focusing are two of its fundamental properties that have been exploited in such applications. This paper formalizes the proof of cut-elimination for focused LL. For that, we propose a set of five cut-rules that allows us to prove cut-elimination directly on the focused system. We also encode the inference rules of other logics as LL theories and formalize the necessary conditions for those logics to have cut-elimination. We then obtain, for free, cut-elimination for first-order classical, intuitionistic, and variants of LL. We also use the LL metatheory to formalize the relative completeness of natural deduction and sequent calculus in first-order minimal logic. Hence, we propose a framework that can be used to formalize fundamental properties of logical systems specified as LL theories.