Macros for interaction nets: A conservative extension of interaction nets

We propose a conservative extension of interaction nets which offers enriched pattern-matching facilities. The extension is conservative in the sense that it can be implemented inside standard interaction nets, and thus can be seen as a system of macros. Consequently, we are guaranteed to keep all the good properties of interaction nets, in particular strong confluence. We see this extension as a crucial step towards using interaction nets as a programming language, which remains a relatively unexplored area. One significant feature of the extension presented here is that, in contrast to other extensions presented previously, we essentially follow the syntax and spirit of interaction nets, and moreover the extension lives at the same level.