Correctness of a region-based binding-time analysis

A binding-time analysis is the rst pass of an ooine partial evaluator. It determines which parts of a program may be executed at specialization time. Region-based binding-time analysis applies to higher-order programming languages with rst-class references. The consideration of eeects in the determination of binding time properties makes it possible to have a partial evaluator perform assignments at specialization time. We present such a region-based binding-time analysis and prove its correctness with respect to a continuation-style semantics for an annotated call-by-value lambda calculus with ML-style references. We provide a relative correctness proof that relies on the correctness of region inference and on the correctness of a binding-time analysis for an applied lambda calculus. The main tool in the proof is a translation from terms with explicit region annotations to an extended continuation-passing store-passing style. The analysis is monovariant/monomorphic, however, essentially the same techniques can be used to derive a polyvariant/polymorphic analysis.