Verification of higher-order computation: a game-semantic approach

  • Authors:
  • C.-H.L. Ong

  • Affiliations:
  • Oxford University, Computing Laboratory

  • Venue:
  • ESOP'08/ETAPS'08 Proceedings of the Theory and practice of software, 17th European conference on Programming languages and systems
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

We survey recent developments in an approach to the verification of higher-order computation based on game semantics. Higherorder recursion schemes are in essence (programs of) the simply-typed lambda calculus with recursion, generated from uninterpreted first-order symbols. They are a highly expressive definitional device for infinite structures such as word languages and infinite ranked trees. As applications of a representation theory of innocent strategies based on traversals, we present a recent advance in the model checking of trees generated by recursion schemes, and the first machine characterization of recursion schemes (by a new variant class of higher-order pushdown automata called collapsible pushdown automata). We conclude with some speculative remarks about reachability checking of functional programs. A theme of the work is the fruitful interplay of ideas between the neighbouring fields of semantics and verification.