soft3/zheng.md

the proof system for cyber. implements the Whirlaway architecture: SuperSpartan IOP + Brakedown PCS + sumcheck protocol. zero trusted setup. post-quantum. sub-millisecond verification.

zheng (証 — proof/evidence in Japanese) provides the cryptographic machinery that turns nox execution traces into compact, verifiable proofs. one commitment, one opening, one proof.

COMPONENT         │ ROLE                           │ INSTANCE
──────────────────┼────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────
hash              │ Fiat-Shamir, Merkle trees      │ hemera 
field             │ arithmetic substrate           │ nebu
VM                │ execution trace generation     │ nox
IOP               │ constraint verification        │ superspartan
core protocol     │ exponential sum → log rounds   │ sumcheck
PCS               │ polynomial commitment          │ Brakedown

dependency graph

nebu (field)
  ↓
hemera (hash)
  ↓
zheng (proofs) ← this repo
  ↓
bbg (state)

layout

rs/    the library crate (package `zheng`)
cli/   the `zheng` binary — command-line face (see specs/cli.md)

build the workspace with cargo build; run the CLI with cargo run -p zheng-cli -- <command>.

zheng demo hash    prove + verify a Poseidon2 hash program
zheng eval         commit / open / verify a polynomial (Brakedown PCS)
zheng run -e '…'   prove + verify a nox formula
zheng pack / prove program capsule → proof

the CLI emits a tape chunk stream on stdout (with a human summary on stderr).

see stark for the general theory, cyber/proofs for the full proof taxonomy

Folder

Graph