Filter models: non-idempotent intersection types, orthogonality and polymorphism

Abstract

This paper revisits models of typed lambda calculus based on filters of intersection types: By using non-idempotent intersections, we simplify a methodology that produces modular proofs of strong normalisation based on filter models. Building such a model for some type theory shows that typed terms can be typed with intersections only, and are therefore strongly normalising. Non-idempotent intersections provide a decreasing measure proving a key termination property, simpler than the reducibility techniques used with idempotent intersections. Such filter models are shown to be captured by orthogonality techniques: we formalise an abstract notion of orthogonality model inspired by classical realisability, and express a filter model as one of its instances, along with two term-models (one of which captures a now common technique for strong normalisation). Applying the above range of model constructions to Curry-style System F describes at different levels of detail how the infinite polymorphism of System F can systematically be reduced to the finite polymorphism of intersection types.