Relational semantics

From LLWiki
Revision as of 14:06, 16 March 2009 by Thomas Ehrhard (Talk | contribs)

Jump to: navigation, search

Relational semantics

This is the simplest denotational semantics of linear logic. It consists in interpreting a formula A as a set A * and a proof π of A as a subset π * of A * .

The category of sets and relations

It is the category \mathbf{Rel} whose objects are sets, and such that \mathbf{Rel}(X,Y)=\mathcal P(X\times Y). Composition is the ordinary composition of relations: given s\in\mathbf{Rel}(X,Y) and t\in\mathbf{Rel}(Y,Z), one sets

t\circ s=\set{(a,c)\in X\times Z}{\exists b\in Y\ (a,b)\in s\ \text{and}\ (b,c)\in t}

and the identity morphism is the diagonal relation \mathsf{Id}_X=\set{(a,a)}{a\in X}.

An isomorphism in the category \mathbf{Rel} is a relation which is a bijection, as easily checked.

Monoidal structure

The tensor product is the usual cartesian product of sets X\tens Y=X\times Y (which is not a cartesian product in the category \mathbf{Rel} in the categorical sense). It is a bifunctor: given s_i\in\mathbf{Rel}(X_i,Y_i) (for i = 1,2), one sets s_1\tens s_2=\set{((a_1,a_2),(b_1,b_2))}{(a_i,b_i)\in s_i\ \text{for}\ i=1,2}. The unit of this monoidal functor is \one=\{*\} where * is an arbitrary element.

For defining a monoidal category, it is not sufficient to provide the definition of the tensor product functor \tens and its unit \one, one has also to provide natural isomorphisms \lambda_X\in\mathbf{Rel}(\one\tens X,X), \rho_X\in\mathbf{Rel}(X\tens\one,X) (left and right neutrality of \one for \tens) and \alpha_{X,Y,Z}\in\mathbf{Rel}((X\tens Y)\tens Z,X\tens(Y\tens Z)) (associativity of \tens). All these isomorphisms have to satisfy a number of commutations. In the present case, they are defined in the obvious way.

This monoidal category (\mathbf{Rel},\tens,\one,\lambda,\rho) is symmetric, meaning that it is endowed with an additional natural isomorphism \sigma_{X,Y}\in\mathbf{Rel}(X\tens Y,Y\tens X), also subject to some commutations. Here, again, this isomorphism is defined in the obvious way (symmetry of the cartesian product). So, to be precise, the SMCC (symmetric monoidal closed category) \mathbf{Rel} is the tuple (\mathbf{Rel},\tens,\one,\lambda,\rho,\sigma), but we shall simply denote it as \mathbf{Rel} for simplicity.

The SMCC \mathbf{Rel} is closed. This means that, given any object X of \mathbf{Rel} (a set), the functor Z\mapsto Z\tens X (from \mathbf{Rel} to \mathbf{Rel}) admits a right adjoint Y\mapsto (X\limp Y) (from \mathbf{Rel} to \mathbf{Rel}).

Personal tools