zheng/docs/explanation.md

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zheng explanations

conceptual documentation — why zheng works the way it does, how proof systems compose, and what makes Whirlaway the right architecture for cyber.

these pages illuminate the design. for formal definitions, see reference/. for the hash primitive, see hemera. for the VM whose traces we prove, see nox.

reading path

                              ╭──────── vision ────────╮
                              │                        │
                     why-zheng                the-name
                              │
                              │
                    ╭──────── foundations ────────╮
                    │            │               │
                 stark          CCS         landscape
                    │            │               │
                    ╰────────────┼───────────────╯
                                 │
                   ╭──────── protocols ────────╮
                   │             │             │
              sumcheck    poly-commits    fri-to-whir
                   │             │             │
                   ╰─────────────┼─────────────╯
                                 │
                                 │
                        superspartan
                                 │
                                 │
                           whirlaway
                                 │
                                 │
                        trace-to-proof
                                 │
                                 │
                    ╭──────── powers ──────────╮
                    │       │        │         │
              recursion  security  performance  bbg-integration

pages

vision

page topic
why-zheng why a custom proof system — what Whirlaway enables and why existing systems fall short
the-name 証 etymology — proof as evidence, verification as witnessing

foundations

page topic
stark STARKs — arithmetization (AIR, R1CS, CCS), univariate vs multilinear, heritage
CCS Customizable Constraint Systems — why unified constraints matter for zheng and folding
landscape proof system taxonomy — trusted setup vs transparent, pre-quantum vs post-quantum, SNARKs vs STARKs vs multilinear STARKs

core protocols

page topic
sumcheck the heart of the system — reducing exponential verification to logarithmic via the sumcheck protocol
polynomial-commitments the trust anchor — commit to data, prove evaluations, bind the prover to a single polynomial
fri-to-whir the PCS evolution — FRI to STIR to WHIR, each generation's insight and what it unlocks

architecture

page topic
superspartan CCS as universal constraint system — why AIR matters for nox and how SuperSpartan unifies them
whirlaway how the pieces compose — sumcheck protocol, WHIR, and SuperSpartan into one proof system
trace-to-proof from nox execution trace to zheng proof — the concrete pipeline

powers

page topic
recursion recursive composition — IVC, folding, O(1) verification regardless of computation depth
security hash-based assumptions — post-quantum guarantees, concrete security levels, no trusted setup
performance prover costs, verifier costs, proof sizes — comparisons with Plonky3, Binius, Stwo
bbg-integration shared WHIR primitives between proofs and BBG state — EdgeSets, LogUp, batch verification

see also

  • nebu — the Goldilocks field underlying all arithmetic
  • hemera — the hash primitive used in every Merkle tree and commitment
  • nox — the VM whose execution traces zheng proves
  • BBG — the state database whose integrity proofs zheng generates

Dimensions

explanation
nox/docs/explanation
nox explanations conceptual documentation — why nox works the way it does, the design choices behind it, and the consequences that emerge. these pages illuminate the architecture. for formal definitions, see reference/. for task-oriented instructions, see docs/guides/ (when available). pages | page…
bbg/docs/explanation
explanation
trident/docs/explanation
💡 Trident Explanation [← Documentation Index](/trident-docs-readme) Understanding-oriented. Deep dives into why Trident works the way it does, for readers who want the full picture. 🏗️ Core Architecture | Document | Description | |----------|-------------| |…
nebu/docs/explanation
finite field arithmetic an encyclopedia of the mathematics behind the Goldilocks field — from first principles to applications. every concept is grounded in the field we implement: p = 2⁶⁴ − 2³² + 1. foundations finite-fields — field axioms, existence and uniqueness, GF(p), characteristic, the…
rs/docs/explanation
explanation
hemera/docs/explanation
why Hemera works the way it does design decisions behind the Hemera hash primitive. philosophy why-hemera — eight design principles: permanence, the tree, endofunction, self-reference, identity, unity, beauty, the name the-name — etymology: Hemera in the Protogenoi, genealogy of hash names…

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