Decomposing the Univalence Axiom

Abstract

This paper investigates Voevodsky's univalence axiom in intensional Martin-Löf type theory. In particular, it looks at how univalence can be derived from simpler axioms. We first present some existing work, collected together from various published and unpublished sources; we then present a new decomposition of the univalence axiom into simpler axioms. We argue that these axioms are easier to verify in certain potential models of univalent type theory, particularly those models based on cubical sets. Finally we show how this decomposition is relevant to an open problem in type theory.