Implementing a compiler/interpreter for Pi-Calculus

Abstract

We consider Pi-Calculus as the foundation of our study, by analyzing the syntax and semantics that this notation offers. We then describe a simple typing convention that will be used to type-check Pi-Calculus programs. This is followed by the description of an intermediate representation of the Pi-Calculus, and we suggest how serval machine implementations can use this representation to simulate Pi-Calculus programs. A parser and compiler are constructed. These will translate Pi-Calculus program into this intermediate representation. Subsequently, we concentrate on David N. Turner's Abstract Machine, to develop a Stand-Alone Virtual Machine capable of interpreting Pi-Calculus, and simulating a correct execution on the semantic meaning of the given program. We tackle a number of optimizations that are incorporated with the architecture of the Stand-Alone machine, to produce a more efficient simulation. We present the architecture for an Interactive Virtual Machine to allow a user to communicate with the program during execution, and we give an illustration on the differences between a Stand-Alone virtual machine and an Interactive virtual machine. We then verify the correctness of the virtual machines' implementations, by presenting a number of examples. We conclude by examining the capability of the Interactive virtual machine, in creating an abstract layer between the implementation details of Pi-Calculus programs and the user. We illustrate how a typical user is unable to distinguish between two Pi-Calculus programs, that offer the same functionalities, but have a different internal implementation.