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Cynthia Kop

Publications and source records attributed to Cynthia Kop.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Templates in Rewriting Induction

Rewriting Induction (RI) is a formal system in term rewriting to establish program equivalence. The recently defined Bounded RI for higher-order Logically Constrained Term Rewriting Systems (LCSTRSs) yields a convenient proof system for analyzing real programming code. A practical challenge in RI is the automatic generation of induction hypotheses, called lemmas. While various lemma generation techniques exist for plain term rewriting, there are much fewer that consider the intricacies brought on by calculations or constraints. Taking advantage of recent developments in higher-order RI, we here present a new approach based on templates, which operates by recognising typical programming constructs as instances of higher-order functions. While templates have been used as a stand-alone method to justify the correctness of program transformations, we here consider their integration in Bounded RI to obtain a complementary lemma generation heuristic. This allows us to prove equivalences that were previously out of reach.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2026

Bounded Rewriting Induction for LCSTRSs

Rewriting Induction (RI) is a method to prove inductive theorems, originating from equational reasoning. By using Logically Constrained Simply-typed Term Rewriting Systems (LCSTRSs) as an intermediate language, rewriting induction becomes a tool for program verification, with inductive theorems taking the role of equivalence predicates. Soundness of RI depends on well-founded induction, and one of the core obstacles for obtaining a practically useful proof system is to find suitable well-founded orderings automatically. Using naive approaches, all induction hypotheses must be oriented within the well-founded ordering, which leads to very strong termination requirements. This, in turn, severely limits the proof capacity of RI. Here, we introduce Bounded RI: an adaption of RI for LCSTRSs where such termination requirements are minimized.

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arXiv2025

A Characterization of Basic Feasible Functionals Through Higher-Order Rewriting and Tuple Interpretations

The class of type-two basic feasible functionals ($\mathtt{BFF}_2$) is the analogue of $\mathtt{FP}$ (polynomial time functions) for type-2 functionals, that is, functionals that can take (first-order) functions as arguments. $\mathtt{BFF}_2$ can be defined through Oracle Turing machines with running time bounded by second-order polynomials. On the other hand, higher-order term rewriting provides an elegant formalism for expressing higher-order computation. We address the problem of characterizing $\mathtt{BFF}_2$ by higher-order term rewriting. Various kinds of interpretations for first-order term rewriting have been introduced in the literature for proving termination and characterizing first-order complexity classes. In this paper, we consider a recently introduced notion of cost-size interpretations for higher-order term rewriting and see second order rewriting as ways of computing type-2 functionals. We then prove that the class of functionals represented by higher-order terms admitting polynomially bounded cost-size interpretations exactly corresponds to $\mathtt{BFF}_2$.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2025

Verifying Procedural Programs via Constrained Rewriting Induction

This paper aims to develop a verification method for procedural programs via a transformation into Logically Constrained Term Rewriting Systems (LCTRSs). To this end, we extend transformation methods based on integer TRSs to handle arbitrary data types, global variables, function calls and arrays, as well as encode safety checks. Then we adapt existing rewriting induction methods to LCTRSs and propose a simple yet effective method to generalize equations. We show that we can automatically verify memory safety and prove correctness of realistic functions. Our approach proves equivalence between two implementations, so in contrast to other works, we do not require an explicit specification in a separate specification language.

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arXiv2025

Proceedings of the 19th International Workshop on Logical and Semantic Frameworks, with Applications

This volume contains the post-proceedings of the 19th LSFA, which was held in Goiânia, the capital of Goiás state in Brazil, from September 18 to September 20, 2024. Logical and semantic frameworks are formal languages used to represent logics, languages and systems. These frameworks provide foundations for the formal specification of systems and programming languages, supporting tool development and reasoning. The aim of this series is bringing together theoreticians and practitioners to promote new techniques and results, from the theoretical side, and feedback on the implementation and use of such techniques and results, from the practical side. LSFA includes areas such as proof and type theory, equational deduction and rewriting systems, automated reasoning and concurrency theory.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2024

Higher-Order Constrained Dependency Pairs for (Universal) Computability

Dependency pairs constitute a series of very effective techniques for the termination analysis of term rewriting systems. In this paper, we adapt the static dependency pair framework to logically constrained simply-typed term rewriting systems (LCSTRSs), a higher-order formalism with logical constraints built in. We also propose the concept of universal computability, which enables a form of open-world termination analysis through the use of static dependency pairs.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2024

A weakly monotonic, logically constrained, HORPO-variant

In this short paper, we present a simple variant of the recursive path ordering, specified for Logically Constrained Simply Typed Rewriting Systems (LCSTRSs). This is a method for curried systems, without lambda but with partially applied function symbols, which can deal with logical constraints. As it is designed for use in the dependency pair framework, it is defined as reduction pair, allowing weak monotonicity.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2023

Certifying Higher-Order Polynomial Interpretations

Higher-order rewriting is a framework in which one can write higher-order programs and study their properties. One such property is termination: the situation that for all inputs, the program eventually halts its execution and produces an output. Several tools have been developed to check whether higher-order rewriting systems are terminating. However, developing such tools is difficult and can be error-prone. In this paper, we present a way of certifying termination proofs of higher-order term rewriting systems. We formalize a specific method, namely the polynomial interpretation method, that is used to prove termination. In addition, we give a program that turns the output of Wanda, a termination analysis tool for higher-order rewriting systems, into a Coq script, so that we can check whether the output is a valid proof of termination.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2023

Complexity Analysis for Call-by-Value Higher-Order Rewriting

In this short paper, we consider a form of higher-order rewriting with a call-by-value evaluation strategy so as to model call-by-value programs. We briefly present a cost-size semantics to call-by-value rewriting: a class of algebraic interpretations that map terms to tuples that bound both the reductions' cost and the size of normal forms.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2023

Higher-Order LCTRSs and Their Termination

Logically constrained term rewriting systems (LCTRSs) are a program analyzing formalism with native support for data types which are not (co)inductively defined. As a first-order formalism, LCTRSs have accommodated only analysis of imperative programs so far. In this paper, we present a higher-order variant of the LCTRS formalism, which can be used to analyze functional programs. Then we study the termination problem and define a higher-order recursive path ordering (HORPO) for this new formalism.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2022

Tuple Interpretations and Applications to Higher-Order Runtime Complexity

Tuple interpretations are a class of algebraic interpretation that subsumes both polynomial and matrix interpretations as it does not impose simple termination and allows non-linear interpretations. It was developed in the context of higher-order rewriting to study derivational complexity of algebraic functional systems. In this short paper, we continue our journey to study the complexity of higher-order TRSs by tailoring tuple interpretations to deal with innermost runtime complexity.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2021

Tuple Interpretations for Higher-Order Rewriting

We develop a class of algebraic interpretations for many-sorted and higher-order term rewriting systems that takes type information into account. Specifically, base-type terms are mapped to \emph{tuples} of natural numbers and higher-order terms to functions between those tuples. Tuples may carry information relevant to the type; for instance, a term of type $\mathsf{nat}$ may be associated to a pair $(\mathsf{cost}, \mathsf{size})$ representing its evaluation cost and size. This class of interpretations results in a more fine-grained notion of complexity than runtime or derivational complexity, which makes it particularly useful to obtain complexity bounds for higher-order rewriting systems. We show that rewriting systems compatible with tuple interpretations admit finite bounds on derivation height. Furthermore, we demonstrate how to mechanically construct tuple interpretations and how to orient $β$ and $η$ reductions within our technique. Finally, we relate our method to runtime complexity and prove that specific interpretation shapes imply certain runtime complexity bounds.

cs.SC↗
arXiv2019

Polymorphic Higher-order Termination

We generalise the termination method of higher-order polynomial interpretations to a setting with impredicative polymorphism. Instead of using weakly monotonic functionals, we interpret terms in a suitable extension of System F-omega. This enables a direct interpretation of rewrite rules which make essential use of impredicative polymorphism. In addition, our generalisation eases the applicability of the method in the non-polymorphic setting by allowing for the encoding of inductive data types. As an illustration of the potential of our method, we prove termination of a substantial fragment of full intuitionistic second-order propositional logic with permutative conversions.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2019

A static higher-order dependency pair framework

We revisit the static dependency pair method for proving termination of higher-order term rewriting and extend it in a number of ways: (1) We introduce a new rewrite formalism designed for general applicability in termination proving of higher-order rewriting, Algebraic Functional Systems with Meta-variables. (2) We provide a syntactically checkable soundness criterion to make the method applicable to a large class of rewrite systems. (3) We propose a modular dependency pair framework for this higher-order setting. (4) We introduce a fine-grained notion of formative and computable chains to render the framework more powerful. (5) We formulate several existing and new termination proving techniques in the form of processors within our framework. The framework has been implemented in the (fully automatic) higher-order termination tool WANDA.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2018

The unified higher-order dependency pair framework

In recent years, two higher-order extensions of the powerful dependency pair approach for termination analysis of first-order term rewriting have been defined: the static and the dynamic approach. Both approaches offer distinct advantages and disadvantages. However, a grand unifying theory is thus far missing, and both approaches lack the modularity present in the dependency pair framework commonly used in first-order rewriting. Moreover, neither approach can be used to prove non-termination. In this paper, we aim to address this gap by defining a higher-order dependency pair framework, integrating both approaches into a shared formal setup. The framework has been implemented in the (fully automatic) higher-order termination tool WANDA.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2017

On First-order Cons-free Term Rewriting and PTIME

In this paper, we prove that (first-order) cons-free term rewriting with a call-by-value reduction strategy exactly characterises the class of PTIME-computable functions. We use this to give an alternative proof of the result by Carvalho and Simonsen which states that cons-free term rewriting with linearity constraints characterises this class.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2017

Higher-order Cons-free Interpreters

Constructor rewriting systems are said to be cons-free if any constructor term occurring in the rhs of a rule must be a subterm of the lhs of the rule. Roughly, such systems cannot build new data structures during their evaluation. In earlier work by several authors, (typed) cons-free systems have been used to characterise complexity classes such as polynomial or exponential time or space by varying the type orders, and the recursion forms allowed. This paper concerns the construction of interpreters for cons-free term rewriting. Due to their connection with proofs by diagonalisation, interpreters may be of use when studying separation results between complexity classes in implicit computational complexity theory. We are interested in interpreters of type order $k > 1$ that can interpret any term of strictly lower type order; while this gives us a well-known separation result E$^k$TIME $\subseteq$ E$^{k+1}$TIME, the hope is that more refined interpreters with syntactically limited constraints can be used to obtain a notion of faux diagonalisation and be used to attack open problems in complexity theory.

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