A technique for automatically analyzing programs with loops, based on approximation.

Introductory Example for Abstract Interpretation

Sign Analysis for Expressions and Programs

Sign Analysis as Symbolic Execution

Collecting Semantics

Partial Order

Partial Orders for Approximation

Lattices

Fixpoints

Tarski's Fixpoint Theorem

(Continued in Lecture 06a)

• Tiger book, chapters 10, 17
• past lectures in
  • SAV 08: lecture19, lecture20, lecture21
  • Compiler Construction 2008: lecture 10, lecture 11, lecture 12
• A Tutorial on Abstract Interpretation by Patrick Cousot, also local pdf copy
• Calculus of Computation Textbook Chapter 12, including Section 12.4
• Abstract interpretation: a unified lattice model for static analysis of programs by construction or approximation of fixpoints (original abstract interpretation paper)
• Lecture notes on static analysis by Michael Schwartzbach (sections 4,5,6,7 in particular) (also local pdf)
• Notes on program analysis, by Alex Aiken
• Introduction to Abstract Interpretation, by Samson Abramsky and Chris Hankin
• Patrick Cousot's MIT Class
• PA 2005 at Tel-Aviv University
• Lecture on ASTREE

Conferences:

• Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages (POPL)
• SIGPLAN Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation (PLDI)
• Static Analysis Symposium (SAS)
• Verification, Model Checking and Abstract Interpretation (VMCAI)