Related papers: Strong Nominal Semantics for Fixed-Point Constrain…
Many formal languages include binders as well as operators that satisfy equational axioms, such as commutativity. Here we consider the nominal language, a general formal framework which provides support for the representation of binders,…
We propose a new axiomatisation of the alpha-equivalence relation for nominal terms, based on a primitive notion of fixed-point constraint. We show that the standard freshness relation between atoms and terms can be derived from the more…
Nominal terms extend first-order terms with binding. They lack some properties of first- and higher-order terms: Terms must be reasoned about in a context of 'freshness assumptions'; it is not always possible to 'choose a fresh variable…
Narrowing extends term rewriting with the ability to search for solutions to equational problems. While first-order rewriting and narrowing are well studied, significant challenges arise in the presence of binders, freshness conditions and…
Nominal sets provide a foundation for reasoning about names. They are used primarily in syntax with binders, but also, e.g., to model automata over infinite alphabets. In this paper, nominal sets are related to nominal renaming sets, which…
Nominal unification is an extension of first-order unification that takes into account the \alpha-equivalence relation generated by binding operators, following the nominal approach. We propose a sound and complete procedure for nominal…
Nominal unification calculates substitutions that make terms involving binders equal modulo alpha-equivalence. Although nominal unification can be seen as equivalent to Miller's higher-order pattern unification, it has properties, such as…
Nominal sets provide a framework to study key notions of syntax and semantics such as fresh names, variable binding and $\alpha$-equivalence on a conveniently abstract categorical level. Coalgebras for endofunctors on nominal sets model,…
Nominal abstract syntax is a popular first-order technique for encoding, and reasoning about, abstract syntax involving binders. Many of its applications involve constraint solving. The most commonly used constraint solving algorithm over…
We define a model of predicate logic in which every term and predicate, open or closed, has an absolute denotation independently of a valuation of the variables. For each variable a, the domain of the model contains an element [[a]] which…
In many instances in first order logic or computable algebra, classical theorems show that many problems are undecidable for general structures, but become decidable if some rigidity is imposed on the structure. For example, the set of…
We consider grammar-restricted exact learning of formulas and terms in finite variable logics. We propose a novel and versatile automata-theoretic technique for solving such problems. We first show results for learning formulas that…
We study nominal anti-unification, which is concerned with computing least general generalizations for given terms-in-context. In general, the problem does not have a least general solution, but if the set of atoms permitted in…
Nominal automata models serve as a formalism for data languages, and in fact often relate closely to classical register models. The paradigm of name allocation in nominal automata helps alleviate the pervasive computational hardness of…
Many applications of denotational semantics, such as higher-order model checking or the complexity of normalization, rely on finite semantics for monomorphic type systems. We exhibit such a finite semantics for a polymorphic purely linear…
Ten years ago, it was shown that nominal techniques can be used to design coalgebraic data types with variable binding, so that alpha-equivalence classes of infinitary terms are directly endowed with a corecursion principle. We introduce…
Nominal Logic is a version of first-order logic with equality, name-binding, renaming via name-swapping and freshness of names. Contrarily to higher-order logic, bindable names, called atoms, and instantiable variables are considered as…
We introduce formal languages over infinite alphabets where words may contain binders. We define the notions of nominal language, nominal monoid, and nominal regular expressions. Moreover, we extend history-dependent automata (HD-automata)…
Nominal logic is a variant of first-order logic that provides support for reasoning about bound names in abstract syntax. A key feature of nominal logic is the new-quantifier, which quantifies over fresh names (names not appearing in any…
A sound and complete algorithm for nominal unification of higher-order expressions with a recursive let is described, and shown to run in nondeterministic polynomial time. We also explore specializations like nominal letrec-matching for…