arXiv subjects

Nicolai Kraus

Publications and source records attributed to Nicolai Kraus.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Extension Types for Free

Extension types are a concept in dependent type theory that has appeared in various contexts. The idea is to have types whose terms are partially determined, e.g. via a strict boundary condition. Standard examples are path types of cubical type theories (paths with fixed endpoints), Riehl and Shulman's name-giving extension types (terms fixed on subshapes), as well as the controlled-unfolding mechanism of cooltt and Agda (terms that are fixed if a condition is met). In each case, the type theory is equipped with a (meta-theoretic) face calculus, or shape layer, that governs their rules, and comes with intended semantics. We unify all these occurrences in a single framework where no new axioms or model constructions are needed, namely two-level type theory. This step, too, is free (semantically): the standard models of HoTT are automatically models of 2LTT, and the theory is conservative over HoTT. Extension types are definable, and the definition validates Riehl and Shulman's entire extension-type calculus: the rules hold strictly, and the postulated axioms, such as relative function extensionality, become theorems. In this way, every model of the base theory (HoTT) gives rise to a model of the same theory with extension types; the only genuine assumptions are which maps count as cofibrations. Conservativity makes the framework a tool for comparing type theories. We prove that cubical gluing, in a suitable formulation, is equivalent to univalence. On this basis, we suggest an approach toward the conjecture that cubical type theories are conservative over book HoTT, one of the central open problems of homotopy type theory. All results of the main body of the paper are auto-formalized in Agda --two-level, in a development that combines HoTT-internal arguments with reasoning that is external to HoTT.

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arXiv2026

Generalized Decidability via Brouwer Trees

In the setting of constructive mathematics, we suggest and study a framework for decidability of properties, which allows for finer distinctions than just "decidable, semidecidable, or undecidable". We work in homotopy type theory and use Brouwer ordinals to specify the level of decidability of a property. In this framework, we express the property that a proposition is $α$-decidable, for a Brouwer ordinal $α$, and show that it generalizes decidability and semidecidability. Further generalizing known results, we show that $α$-decidable propositions are closed under binary conjunction, and discuss for which $α$ they are closed under binary disjunction. We prove that if each $P(i)$ is semidecidable, then the countable meet $\forall i\in \mathbb N. P(i)$ is $ω^2$-decidable, and similar results for countable joins and iterated quantifiers. We also discuss the relationship with countable choice. All our results are formalized in Cubical Agda.

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arXiv2026

A study of Kock's fat Delta

Motivated by the study of weak identity structures in higher category theory we explore the fat Delta category, a modification of the simplex category introduced by J. Kock and provide a comprehensive study via the theory of monads with arities. Specifically, by proving that the free relative semicategory monad is strongly cartesian and identifying a dense generator, the theory of monads with arities immediately gives rise to the nerve theorem. We characterise the essential image of the nerve via the Segal condition, and show that fat Delta possesses an active-inert factorisation system. Building on these results, we also establish an isomorphism between two presentations of fat Delta.

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arXiv2026

The Leibniz adjunction in homotopy type theory, with an application to simplicial type theory

Simplicial type theory extends homotopy type theory and equips types with a notion of directed morphisms. A Segal type is defined to be a type in which these directed morphisms can be composed. We show that all higher coherences can be stated and derived if simplicial type theory is taken to be homotopy type theory with a postulated interval type. In technical terms, this means that if a type has unique fillers for $(2,1)$-horns, it has unique fillers for all inner $(n,k)$-horns. This generalizes a result of Riehl and Shulman for the case $n = 3, k \in \{1, 2\}$. Our main technical tool is the Leibniz adjunction: the pushout-product is left adjoint to the pullback-hom in the wild category of types. While this adjunction is well known for ordinary categories, it is much more involved for higher categories, and the fact that it can be proved for the wild category of types (a higher category without stated higher coherences) is non-trivial. We make profitable use of the equivalence between the wild category of maps and that of families. We have formalized the results in Cubical Agda.

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arXiv2026

Two-Level Type Theory and Applications

We define and develop two-level type theory (2LTT), a version of Martin-Löf type theory which combines two different type theories. We refer to them as the inner and the outer type theory. In our case of interest, the inner theory is homotopy type theory (HoTT) which may include univalent universes and higher inductive types. The outer theory is a traditional form of type theory validating uniqueness of identity proofs (UIP). One point of view on it is as internalised meta-theory of the inner type theory. There are two motivations for 2LTT. Firstly, there are certain results about HoTT which are of meta-theoretic nature, such as the statement that semisimplicial types up to level $n$ can be constructed in HoTT for any externally fixed natural number $n$. Such results cannot be expressed in HoTT itself, but they can be formalised and proved in 2LTT, where $n$ will be a variable in the outer theory. This point of view is inspired by observations about conservativity of presheaf models. Secondly, 2LTT is a framework which is suitable for formulating additional axioms that one might want to add to HoTT. This idea is heavily inspired by Voevodsky's Homotopy Type System (HTS), which constitutes one specific instance of a 2LTT. HTS has an axiom ensuring that the type of natural numbers behaves like the external natural numbers, which allows the construction of a universe of semisimplicial types. In 2LTT, this axiom can be stated simply be asking the inner and outer natural numbers to be isomorphic. After defining 2LTT, we set up a collection of tools with the goal of making 2LTT a convenient language for future developments. As a first such application, we develop the theory of Reedy fibrant diagrams in the style of Shulman. Continuing this line of thought, we suggest a definition of (infinity,1)-category and give some examples.

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arXiv2025

Constructive Ordinal Exponentiation

Cantor's ordinal numbers, a powerful extension of the natural numbers, are a cornerstone of set theory. They can be used to reason about the termination of processes, prove the consistency of logical systems, and justify some of the core principles of modern programming language theory such as recursion. In classical mathematics, ordinal arithmetic is well-studied; constructively, where ordinals are taken to be transitive, extensional, and wellfounded orders on sets, addition and multiplication are well-known. We present a negative result showing that general constructive ordinal exponentiation is impossible, but we suggest two definitions that come close. The first definition is abstract and solely motivated by the expected equations; this works as long as the base of the exponential is positive. The second definition is based on decreasing lists and can be seen as a constructive version of Sierpiński's definition via functions with finite support; this requires the base to have a trichotomous least element. Whenever it makes sense to ask the question, the two constructions are equivalent, allowing us to prove algebraic laws, cancellation properties, and preservation of decidability of the exponential. The core ideas do not depend on any specific constructive set theory or type theory, but a concrete computer-checked mechanization using the Agda proof assistant is given in homotopy type theory.

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arXiv2024

On symmetries of spheres in univalent foundations

Working in univalent foundations, we investigate the symmetries of spheres, i.e., the types of the form $\mathbb{S}^n = \mathbb{S}^n$. The case of the circle has a slick answer: the symmetries of the circle form two copies of the circle. For higher-dimensional spheres, the type of symmetries has again two connected components, namely the components of the maps of degree plus or minus one. Each of the two components has $\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}$ as fundamental group. For the latter result, we develop an EHP long exact sequence.

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arXiv2023

Set-Theoretic and Type-Theoretic Ordinals Coincide

In constructive set theory, an ordinal is a hereditarily transitive set. In homotopy type theory (HoTT), an ordinal is a type with a transitive, wellfounded, and extensional binary relation. We show that the two definitions are equivalent if we use (the HoTT refinement of) Aczel's interpretation of constructive set theory into type theory. Following this, we generalize the notion of a type-theoretic ordinal to capture all sets in Aczel's interpretation rather than only the ordinals. This leads to a natural class of ordered structures which contains the type-theoretic ordinals and realizes the higher inductive interpretation of set theory. All our results are formalized in Agda.

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arXiv2023

Type-Theoretic Approaches to Ordinals

In a constructive setting, no concrete formulation of ordinal numbers can simultaneously have all the properties one might be interested in; for example, being able to calculate limits of sequences is constructively incompatible with deciding extensional equality. Using homotopy type theory as the foundational setting, we develop an abstract framework for ordinal theory and establish a collection of desirable properties and constructions. We then study and compare three concrete implementations of ordinals in homotopy type theory: first, a notation system based on Cantor normal forms (binary trees); second, a refined version of Brouwer trees (infinitely-branching trees); and third, extensional well-founded orders. Each of our three formulations has the central properties expected of ordinals, such as being equipped with an extensional and well-founded ordering as well as allowing basic arithmetic operations, but they differ with respect to what they make possible in addition. For example, for finite collections of ordinals, Cantor normal forms have decidable properties, but suprema of infinite collections cannot be computed. In contrast, extensional well-founded orders work well with infinite collections, but almost all properties are undecidable. Brouwer trees take the sweet spot in the middle by combining a restricted form of decidability with the ability to work with infinite increasing sequences. Our three approaches are connected by canonical order-preserving functions from the "more decidable" to the "less decidable" notions. We have formalised the results on Cantor normal forms and Brouwer trees in cubical Agda, while extensional well-founded orders have been studied and formalised thoroughly by Escardo and his collaborators. Finally, we compare the computational efficiency of our implementations with the results reported by Berger.

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arXiv2022

A Rewriting Coherence Theorem with Applications in Homotopy Type Theory

Higher-dimensional rewriting systems are tools to analyse the structure of formally reducing terms to normal forms, as well as comparing the different reduction paths that lead to those normal forms. This higher structure can be captured by finding a homotopy basis for the rewriting system. We show that the basic notions of confluence and wellfoundedness are sufficient to recursively build such a homotopy basis, with a construction reminiscent of an argument by Craig C. Squier. We then go on to translate this construction to the setting of homotopy type theory, where managing equalities between paths is important in order to construct functions which are coherent with respect to higher dimensions. Eventually, we apply the result to approximate a series of open questions in homotopy type theory, such as the characterisation of the homotopy groups of the free group on a set and the pushout of 1-types. This paper expands on our previous conference contribution "Coherence via Wellfoundedness" (arXiv:2001.07655) by laying out the construction in the language of higher-dimensional rewriting.

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arXiv2021

Connecting Constructive Notions of Ordinals in Homotopy Type Theory

In classical set theory, there are many equivalent ways to introduce ordinals. In a constructive setting, however, the different notions split apart, with different advantages and disadvantages for each. We consider three different notions of ordinals in homotopy type theory, and show how they relate to each other: A notation system based on Cantor normal forms, a refined notion of Brouwer trees (inductively generated by zero, successor and countable limits), and wellfounded extensional orders. For Cantor normal forms, most properties are decidable, whereas for wellfounded extensional transitive orders, most are undecidable. Formulations for Brouwer trees are usually partially decidable. We demonstrate that all three notions have properties expected of ordinals: their order relations, although defined differently in each case, are all extensional and wellfounded, and the usual arithmetic operations can be defined in each case. We connect these notions by constructing structure preserving embeddings of Cantor normal forms into Brouwer trees, and of these in turn into wellfounded extensional orders. We have formalised most of our results in cubical Agda.

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arXiv2021

Internal $\infty$-Categorical Models of Dependent Type Theory: Towards 2LTT Eating HoTT

Using dependent type theory to formalise the syntax of dependent type theory is a very active topic of study and goes under the name of "type theory eating itself" or "type theory in type theory." Most approaches are at least loosely based on Dybjer's categories with families (CwF's) and come with a type CON of contexts, a type family TY indexed over it modelling types, and so on. This works well in versions of type theory where the principle of unique identity proofs (UIP) holds. In homotopy type theory (HoTT) however, it is a long-standing and frequently discussed open problem whether the type theory "eats itself" and can serve as its own interpreter. The fundamental underlying difficulty seems to be that categories are not suitable to capture a type theory in the absence of UIP. In this paper, we develop a notion of $\infty$-categories with families ($\infty$-CwF's). The approach to higher categories used relies on the previously suggested semi-Segal types, with a new construction of identity substitutions that allow for both univalent and non-univalent variations. The type-theoretic universe as well as the internalised syntax are models, although it remains a conjecture that the latter is initial. To circumvent the known unsolved problem of constructing semisimplicial types, the definition is presented in two-level type theory (2LTT). Apart from introducing $\infty$-CwF's, the paper explains the shortcomings of 1-categories in type theory without UIP as well as the difficulties of and approaches to internal higher-dimensional categories.

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arXiv2020

From Cubes to Twisted Cubes via Graph Morphisms in Type Theory

Cube categories are used to encode higher-dimensional categorical structures. They have recently gained significant attention in the community of homotopy type theory and univalent foundations, where types carry the structure of such higher groupoids. Bezem, Coquand, and Huber have presented a constructive model of univalence using a specific cube category, which we call the BCH category. The higher categories encoded with the BCH category have the property that all morphisms are invertible, mirroring the fact that equality is symmetric. This might not always be desirable: the field of directed type theory considers a notion of equality that is not necessarily invertible. This motivates us to suggest a category of twisted cubes which avoids built-in invertibility. Our strategy is to first develop several alternative (but equivalent) presentations of the BCH category using morphisms between suitably defined graphs. Starting from there, a minor modification allows us to define our category of twisted cubes. We prove several first results about this category, and our work suggests that twisted cubes combine properties of cubes with properties of globes and simplices (tetrahedra).

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arXiv2020

Coherence via Well-Foundedness: Taming Set-Quotients in Homotopy Type Theory

Suppose we are given a graph and want to show a property for all its cycles (closed chains). Induction on the length of cycles does not work since sub-chains of a cycle are not necessarily closed. This paper derives a principle reminiscent of induction for cycles for the case that the graph is given as the symmetric closure of a locally confluent and (co-)well-founded relation. We show that, assuming the property in question is sufficiently nice, it is enough to prove it for the empty cycle and for cycles given by local confluence. Our motivation and application is in the field of homotopy type theory, which allows us to work with the higher-dimensional structures that appear in homotopy theory and in higher category theory, making coherence a central issue. This is in particular true for quotienting - a natural operation which gives a new type for any binary relation on a type and, in order to be well-behaved, cuts off higher structure (set-truncates). The latter makes it hard to characterise the type of maps from a quotient into a higher type, and several open problems stem from this difficulty. We prove our theorem on cycles in a type-theoretic setting and use it to show coherence conditions necessary to eliminate from set-quotients into 1-types, deriving approximations to open problems on free groups and pushouts. We have formalised the main result in the proof assistant Lean.

math.LO↗

arXiv2020

Free Higher Groups in Homotopy Type Theory

Given a type A in homotopy type theory (HoTT), we can define the free infinity-group on A as the loop space of the suspension of A+1. Equivalently, this free higher group can be defined as a higher inductive type F(A) with constructors unit : F(A), cons : A -> F(A) -> F(A), and conditions saying that every cons(a) is an auto-equivalence on F(A). Assuming that A is a set (i.e. satisfies the principle of unique identity proofs), we are interested in the question whether F(A) is a set as well, which is very much related to an open problem in the HoTT book. We show an approximation to the question, namely that the fundamental groups of F(A) are trivial, i.e. that the 1-truncation of F(A) is a set.

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arXiv2019

Shallow Embedding of Type Theory is Morally Correct

There are multiple ways to formalise the metatheory of type theory. For some purposes, it is enough to consider specific models of a type theory, but sometimes it is necessary to refer to the syntax, for example in proofs of canonicity and normalisation. One option is to embed the syntax deeply, by using inductive definitions in a proof assistant. However, in this case the handling of definitional equalities becomes technically challenging. Alternatively, we can reuse conversion checking in the metatheory by shallowly embedding the object theory. In this paper, we consider the standard model of a type theoretic object theory in Agda. This model has the property that all of its equalities hold definitionally, and we can use it as a shallow embedding by building expressions from the components of this model. However, if we are to reason soundly about the syntax with this setup, we must ensure that distinguishable syntactic constructs do not become provably equal when shallowly embedded. First, we prove that shallow embedding is injective up to definitional equality, by modelling the embedding as a syntactic translation targeting the metatheory. Second, we use an implementation hiding trick to disallow illegal propositional equality proofs and constructions which do not come from the syntax. We showcase our technique with very short formalisations of canonicity and parametricity for Martin-Löf type theory. Our technique only requires features which are available in all major proof assistants based on dependent type theory.

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arXiv2019

Path Spaces of Higher Inductive Types in Homotopy Type Theory

The study of equality types is central to homotopy type theory. Characterizing these types is often tricky, and various strategies, such as the encode-decode method, have been developed. We prove a theorem about equality types of coequalizers and pushouts, reminiscent of an induction principle and without any restrictions on the truncation levels. This result makes it possible to reason directly about certain equality types and to streamline existing proofs by eliminating the necessity of auxiliary constructions. To demonstrate this, we give a very short argument for the calculation of the fundamental group of the circle (Licata and Shulman '13), and for the fact that pushouts preserve embeddings. Further, our development suggests a higher version of the Seifert-van Kampen theorem, and the set-truncation operator maps it to the standard Seifert-van Kampen theorem (due to Favonia and Shulman '16). We provide a formalization of the main technical results in the proof assistant Lean.

math.LO↗

arXiv2017

Quotient inductive-inductive types

Higher inductive types (HITs) in Homotopy Type Theory (HoTT) allow the definition of datatypes which have constructors for equalities over the defined type. HITs generalise quotient types and allow to define types which are not sets in the sense of HoTT (i.e. do not satisfy uniqueness of equality proofs) such as spheres, suspensions and the torus. However, there are also interesting uses of HITs to define sets, such as the Cauchy reals, the partiality monad, and the internal, total syntax of type theory. In each of these examples we define several types that depend on each other mutually, i.e. they are inductive-inductive definitions. We call those HITs quotient inductive-inductive types (QIITs). Although there has been recent progress on the general theory of HITs, there isn't yet a theoretical foundation of the combination of equality constructors and induction-induction, despite having many interesting applications. In the present paper we present a first step towards a semantic definition of QIITs. In particular, we give an initial-algebra semantics and show that this is equivalent to the section induction principle, which justifies the intuitively expected elimination rules.

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