Thread-local, step-local proof obligations for refinement of state-based concurrent systems

This paper presents a proof technique for proving refinements for general state-based models of concurrent systems that reduces proving forward simulations to thread-local, step-local proof obligations. Instances of this proof technique should be applicable to systems specified with ASM rules, B events, or Z operations. To exemplify the proof technique, we demonstrate it with a simple case study that verifies linearizability of a lock-free implementation of concurrent hash sets by showing that it refines an abstract concurrent system with atomic operations. Our theorem prover KIV translates programs to a set of transition rules and generates proof obligations according to the technique