Interoperability & External Verification

Cross-chain verification concepts and external data integration.

Overview

Zenon can consume external chain data as a unilateral fact oracle, verifying external consensus outputs (finality, ordering, cost) without executing external protocols or coordinating bidirectionally. This enables trustless cross-chain verification using standard cryptographic primitives.

The dual-ledger architecture is structurally compatible with:

• Bitcoin SPV header verification
• Merkle inclusion proofs for external transactions
• Bounded verification patterns like HTLCs and PTLCs

Key Concepts

Unilateral Verification - Zenon verifies external facts without participating in external consensus. External data becomes a committed fact once verified, requiring no ongoing coordination.

Bitcoin SPV Compatibility - Bitcoin transaction verification is cryptographically possible using only header PoW verification, cumulative chainwork, Merkle proofs, and confirmation depth.

Bounded Verification Primitives - HTLCs and PTLCs are special cases of bounded inclusion accepting state transitions when small, verifiable conditions are satisfied without re-executing global state.

Documents in This Section

• Interoperability - Cross-chain verification concepts and external data integration overview.

• Taxonomy Deterministic Fact Acceptance - Clarifies the architectural category and distinguishes DFA from adjacent blockchain models.

• Threat Model - Defines adversaries, assumptions, and safety/liveness boundaries for light-client and proof-bundle designs.

• GALV Composition with Bounded Verification - How Genesis-Anchored Lineage Verification composes with existing Zenon verification primitives.

• GALV Spec Draft - Minimal verification specification for offline-resilient light clients.