The category-theoretic solution of recursive program schemes

• Published in: Theoretical computer science 2006-11, Vol.366 (1), p.3-59
• Main Authors: Milius, Stefan, Moss, Lawrence S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algebra; Algebraic trees; Applied sciences; Category theory, homological algebra; Coalgebra; Combinatorics; Combinatorics. Ordered structures; Completely iterative monad; Computer science; control theory; systems; Elgot algebra; Exact sciences and technology; Graph theory; Mathematics; Programming theory; Recursive program scheme; Sciences and techniques of general use; Second-order substitution; Software; Software engineering; Theoretical computing
• ISSN: 0304-3975; 1879-2294
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tcs.2006.07.002

This paper provides a general account of the notion of recursive program schemes, studying both uninterpreted and interpreted solutions. It can be regarded as the category-theoretic version of the classical area of algebraic semantics. The overall assumptions needed are small indeed: working only in categories with “enough final coalgebras” we show how to formulate, solve, and study recursive program schemes. Our general theory is algebraic and so avoids using ordered or metric structures. Our work generalizes the previous approaches which do use this extra structure by isolating the key concepts needed to study substitution in infinite trees, including second-order substitution. As special cases of our interpreted solutions we obtain the usual denotational semantics using complete partial orders, and the one using complete metric spaces. Our theory also encompasses implicitly defined objects which are not usually taken to be related to recursive program schemes. For example, the classical Cantor two-thirds set falls out as an interpreted solution (in our sense) of a recursive program scheme.