Andrej Bauer

Programming with algebraic effects and handlers

Abstract Eff is a programming language based on the algebraic approach to computational effects, in which effects are viewed as algebraic operations and effect handlers as homomorphisms from free algebras. Eff supports first-class effects and handlers through which we may easily define new computational effects, seamlessly combine existing ones, and handle them in novel ways. We give a denotational semantics of Eff and discuss a prototype implementation based on it. Through examples we demonstrate how the standard effects are treated in Eff , and how Eff supports programming techniques that use various forms of delimited continuations, such as backtracking, breadth-first search, selection functionals, cooperative multi-threading, and others.

Propositions as [Types]

Image factorizations in regular categories are stable under pullbacks, so they model a natural modal operator in dependent type theory. This unary type constructor [A] has turned up previously in a syntactic form as a way of erasing computational content, and formalizing a notion of proof irrelevance. Indeed, semantically, the notion of a support is sometimes used as surrogate proposition asserting inhabitation of an indexed family. We give rules for bracket types in dependent type theory and provide complete semantics using regular categories. We show that dependent type theory with the unit type, strong extensional equality types, strong dependent sums, and bracket types is the internal type theory of regular categories, in the same way that the usual dependent type theory with dependent sums and products is the internal type theory of locallyCartesian closed categories. We also show how to interpret first-order logic in type theory with brackets, and we make use of the translation to compare type theory with logic. Specifically, we show that the propositions-as-types interpretation is complete with respect to a certain fragment of intuitionistic first-order logic, in the sense that a formula from the fragment is derivable in intuitionistic first-order logic if, and only if, its interpretation in dependent type theory is inhabited. As a consequence, a modified double-negation translation into type theory (without bracket types) is complete, in the same sense, for all of classical first-order logic.

Comparing Functional Paradigms for Exact Real-Number Computation

We compare the definability of total functionals over the reals in two functional-programming approaches to exact real-number computation: the extensional approach, in which one has an abstract datatype of real numbers; and the intensional approach, in which one encodes real numbers using ordinary datatypes. We show that the type hierarchies coincide up to second-order types, and we relate this fact to an analogous comparison of type hierarchies over the external and internal real numbers in Dana Scotts category of equilogical spaces. We do not know whether similar coincidences hold at third-order types. However, we relate this question to a purely topological conjecture about the Kleene-Kreisel continuous functionals over the natural numbers. Finally, although it is known that, in the extensional approach, parallel primitives are necessary for programming total first-order functions, we demonstrate that, in the intensional approach, such primitives are not needed for second-order types and below.

A Relationship between Equilogical Spaces and Type Two Effectivity

In this paper I compare two well studied approaches to topological semantics — the domain-theoretic approach, exemplified by the category of countably based equilogical spaces, Equ, and Type Two Effectivity, exemplified by the category of Baire space representations, Rep( B ). These two categories are both locally cartesian closed extensions of countably based T0-spaces. A natural question to ask is how they are related. First, we show that Rep( B ) is equivalent to a full coreflective subcategory of Equ, consisting of the so-called 0-equilogical spaces. This establishes a pair of adjoint functors between Rep( B ) and Equ. The inclusion Rep( B ) → Equ and its coreflection have many desirable properties, but they do not preserve exponentials in general. This means that the cartesian closed structures of Rep( B ) and Equ are essentially different. However, in a second comparison we show that Rep( B ) and Equ do share a common cartesian closed subcategory that contains all countably based T0-spaces. Therefore, the domain-theoretic approach and TTE yield equivalent topological semantics of computation for all higher-order types over countably based T0-spaces. We consider several examples involving the natural numbers and the real numbers to demonstrate how these comparisons make it possible to transfer results from one setting to another.

An Effect System for Algebraic Effects and Handlers

We present an effect system for algebraic effects and handlers. Because handlers may transform an effectful computation into a pure one, the effect system is non-monotone in the sense that effects do not just accumulate, but may also be deleted from types or generally transformed. We also provide denotational semantics for the effect system, based on a domain-theoretic model with partial equivalence relations. The semantics validates equational reasoning about effectful computations.

The dedekind reals in abstract stone duality

Abstract Stone Duality (ASD) is a direct axiomatisation of general topology, in contrast to the traditional and all other contemporary approaches, which rely on a prior notion of discrete set, type or object of a topos. ASD reconciles mathematical and computational viewpoints, providing an inherently computable calculus that does not sacrifice key properties of real analysis such as compactness of the closed interval. Previous theories of recursive analysis failed to do this because they were based on points; ASD succeeds because, like locale theory and formal topology, it is founded on the algebra of open subspaces. ASD is presented as a lambda calculus, of which we provide a self-contained summary, as the foundational background has been investigated in earlier work. The core of the paper constructs the real line using two-sided Dedekind cuts. We show that the closed interval is compact and overt, where these concepts are defined using quantifiers. Further topics, such as the Intermediate Value Theorem, are presented in a separate paper that builds on this one. The interval domain plays an important foundational role. However, we see intervals as generalised Dedekind cuts, which underly the construction of the real line, not as sets or pairs of real numbers. We make a thorough study of arithmetic, in which our operations are more complicated than Moores, because we work constructively, and we also consider back-to-front (Kaucher) intervals. Finally, we compare ASD with other systems of constructive and computable topology and analysis.

Implementing Real Numbers With RZ

RZ is a tool which translates axiomatizations of mathematical structures to program specifications using the realizability interpretation of logic. This helps programmers correctly implement data structures for computable mathematics. RZ does not prescribe a particular method of implementation, but allows programmers to write efficient code by hand, or to extract trusted code from formal proofs, if they so desire. We used this methodology to axiomatize real numbers and implemented the specification computed by RZ. The axiomatization is the standard domain-theoretic construction of reals as the maximal elements of the interval domain, while the implementation closely follows current state-of-the-art implementations of exact real arithmetic. Our results shows not only that the theory and practice of computable mathematics can coexist, but also that they work together harmoniously.

The HoTT library: a formalization of homotopy type theory in Coq

We report on the development of the HoTT library, a formalization of homotopy type theory in the Coq proof assistant. It formalizes most of basic homotopy type theory, including univalence, higher inductive types, and significant amounts of synthetic homotopy theory, as well as category theory and modalities. The library has been used as a basis for several independent developments. We discuss the decisions that led to the design of the library, and we comment on the interaction of homotopy type theory with recently introduced features of Coq, such as universe polymorphism and private inductive types.

Metric spaces in synthetic topology

Abstract We investigate the relationship between the synthetic approach to topology, in which every set is equipped with an intrinsic topology, and constructive theory of metric spaces. We relate the synthetic notion of compactness of Cantor space to Brouwer’s Fan Principle. We show that the intrinsic and metric topologies of complete separable metric spaces coincide if they do so for Baire space. In Russian Constructivism the match between synthetic and metric topology breaks down, as even a very simple complete totally bounded space fails to be compact, and its topology is strictly finer than the metric topology. In contrast, in Brouwer’s intuitionism synthetic and metric notions of topology and compactness agree.

Two constructive embedding‐extension theorems with applications to continuity principles and to Banach‐Mazur computability

We prove two embedding and extension theorems in the context of the constructive theory of metric spaces. The first states that Cantor space embeds in any inhabited complete separable metric space (CSM) without isolated points, X, in such a way that every sequentially continuous function from Cantor space to ℤ extends to a sequentially continuous function from X to ℝ. The second asserts an analogous property for Baire space relative to any inhabited locally non-compact CSM. Both results rely on having careful constructive formulations of the concepts involved. As a first application, we derive new relationships between “continuity principles” asserting that all functions between specified metric spaces are pointwise continuous. In particular, we give conditions that imply the failure of the continuity principle “all functions from X to ℝ are continuous”, when X is an inhabited CSM without isolated points, and when X is an inhabited locally non-compact CSM. One situation in which the latter case applies is in models based on “domain realizability”, in which the failure of the continuity principle for any inhabited locally non-compact CSM, X, generalizes a result previously obtained by Escardo and Streicher in the special case X = C[0, 1]. As a second application, we show that, when the notion of inhabited complete separable metric space without isolated points is interpreted in a recursion-theoretic setting, then, for any such space X, there exists a Banach-Mazur computable function from X to the computable real numbers that is not Markov computable. This generalizes a result obtained by Hertling in the special case that X is the space of computable real numbers. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)