Glossary of Terms

A

Account-Chain An individual blockchain maintained by each user in Zenon’s architecture. Each account controls its own chain that can be updated asynchronously without global coordination. This eliminates the bottleneck of sequential transaction processing found in traditional blockchains.

Anti-Spam Mechanisms designed to prevent network flooding without charging transaction fees. Zenon implements this through Dynamic Plasma, which requires either proof-of-work computation or temporarily fused tokens.

B

Block-Lattice A distributed ledger structure where each account has its own blockchain (account-chain). Transactions are processed in parallel across these individual chains rather than sequentially in a single global chain.

Bounded Verification The ability to verify specific facts without downloading or executing an entire blockchain. Participants verify only what’s relevant to them using cryptographic proofs (Merkle proofs, block headers) rather than full chain state.

Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) A property of distributed systems that can reach consensus even when some nodes fail or act maliciously. Named after the Byzantine Generals Problem, it ensures the network operates correctly as long as less than one-third of nodes are faulty.

C

Cryptographic Hourglass An architectural pattern where a minimal set of universal primitives (the “narrow waist”) sits between diverse lower-layer technologies and diverse upper-layer applications. In networking, IP serves this role. In verification systems, cryptographic primitives (hash functions, signatures, Merkle proofs) serve this role.

Cryptographic Endpoint A blockchain or system that produces verifiable cryptographic outputs about its internal state. Bitcoin is a cryptographic endpoint that generates block headers and Merkle proofs. These outputs can be verified independently without trusting the source.

D

DO-178C The international standard governing safety-critical software in commercial aviation. Contains 71 compliance objectives, 43 of which are verification objectives. At the highest Design Assurance Level (Level A), all objectives apply and many require independence: the person verifying an artifact cannot be the person who created it. Embodies the principle that verification must be structurally separated from execution.

DAG (Directed Acyclic Graph) A data structure consisting of nodes connected by directed edges with no cycles. In distributed ledgers, DAGs enable parallel transaction processing. Zenon’s meta-DAG layer uses this structure for consensus coordination.

Dynamic Plasma Zenon’s anti-spam mechanism. Users generate Plasma credentials through proof-of-work computation or by fusing QSR tokens. The system adjusts resource requirements dynamically based on network load, preventing spam without permanent transaction fees.

Dual-Ledger Architecture Zenon’s design separating concerns across two layers: the account-chain layer (individual user chains with parallel execution) and the Momentum layer (cryptographic ordering and consensus). This mirrors the TCP/IP split in Internet architecture.

E

End-to-End Principle A design principle from Internet architecture stating that application-specific functions should reside at endpoints rather than in the network core. Verification-first systems apply this principle: correctness belongs at endpoints verified through cryptographic proofs, not delegated to network intermediaries.

F

Fate-Sharing An architectural principle where state information is kept at endpoints rather than replicated across the network. The fate of the state is shared with the fate of the endpoint. If the endpoint fails, losing its state is acceptable. This eliminates the need for complex state replication protocols in the network core.

Formal Verification The use of mathematical proof techniques to demonstrate that a system’s implementation conforms exactly to its specification. Unlike testing (which checks specific cases), formal verification covers all possible execution paths. The seL4 microkernel is a landmark example: 8,700 lines of C verified by 200,000 lines of machine-checked proof in Isabelle/HOL, requiring a 9:1 ratio of verification effort to development effort.

G

GALV (Generic Application-Level Verification) Zenon’s framework for integrating external verification sources. Provides composable primitives for verifying data from oracles, computation proofs, or cross-chain state. Any cryptographically verifiable source can integrate.

Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems Two fundamental results in mathematical logic proved by Kurt Gödel in 1931. The first theorem shows that any consistent formal system powerful enough to express basic arithmetic contains true statements that cannot be proved within the system. The second shows such a system cannot prove its own consistency. In infrastructure design, these theorems establish that sufficiently powerful systems cannot fully verify themselves from within their own rules — a mathematical limit on self-verification that constrains protocol architecture.

H

Hourglass Model See Cryptographic Hourglass. The architectural pattern where many diverse technologies at the bottom connect through a minimal universal layer (the narrow waist) to many diverse applications at the top. Creates composability through minimalism.

I

Interoperability The ability of different blockchain systems to exchange information and verify each other’s state without trusted intermediaries. Zenon achieves this through source-agnostic verification primitives rather than bridges or oracles.

L

Light Client A node that can verify blockchain state without downloading or executing the full chain. Light clients use block headers and Merkle proofs to achieve cryptographic certainty with minimal resources. Critical for enabling verification on resource-constrained devices.

M

Merkle Proof A cryptographic proof that a specific piece of data exists in a Merkle tree. Allows verification that a transaction is included in a block using only the block header and a small proof (logarithmic in the number of transactions). Enables efficient light client verification.

Merkle Tree A tree data structure where each leaf node contains a hash of data and each non-leaf node contains a hash of its children. The root hash cryptographically commits to all data in the tree. Allows efficient verification of data inclusion.

Meta-DAG Zenon’s consensus layer structure created by participating consensus nodes. Contains transactions required by the virtual voting algorithm. Works in conjunction with the block-lattice transaction layer.

Momentum A package of confirmed account blocks produced at regular intervals in Zenon. Similar to blocks in traditional blockchains but containing commitments to the state of many parallel account-chains rather than raw transactions. Momentums are tamper-proof and irreversible once published.

N

Narrow Waist The minimal universal layer in an hourglass architecture. In the Internet, IP is the narrow waist connecting heterogeneous physical networks to diverse applications. In verification systems, cryptographic primitives (hash functions, signatures, Merkle proofs) form the narrow waist connecting heterogeneous blockchains to diverse applications.

Network of Momentum Zenon’s dual-ledger architecture combining the block-lattice transaction layer with the meta-DAG consensus layer. Designed for linear scalability through architectural separation of concerns.

P

Pillar Node Foundation layer nodes in Zenon that produce Momentums and maintain network consensus through Byzantine Fault Tolerant protocols. Use virtual voting rather than explicit message exchange to reduce coordination overhead.

Plasma See Dynamic Plasma.

Proof-of-Work (PoW) A consensus mechanism requiring computational work to produce valid blocks. Bitcoin uses PoW for Sybil resistance and leader election. Zenon uses PoW as one option for generating anti-spam credentials (Plasma).

Q

QSR (Quasar) One of Zenon’s native tokens. Can be temporarily fused to generate Plasma (anti-spam credentials) as an alternative to proof-of-work computation. Fusing is temporary; tokens are returned after the fusion period ends.

R

Rice’s Theorem A result in computability theory proved by Henry Gordon Rice in 1953. States that no general algorithm can decide any non-trivial semantic property of programs. In practical terms, you cannot build a universal tool that examines arbitrary code and determines whether it has a given property (halts, produces correct output, is free of bugs). This establishes a fundamental limit on automated verification of unconstrained execution — verification-first architectures respect this limit by constraining execution to forms where relevant properties can be checked.

S

Sentinel Node Middle-layer nodes in Zenon that facilitate cross-chain verification and participate in verification processes. Maintain collateral subject to confiscation for malicious behavior, creating economic disincentives for attacks.

Sentry Node Lightweight participation nodes allowing resource-constrained devices to interact with the network without maintaining full state. Enable IoT devices and low-resource environments to participate in verification.

Source-Agnostic The property of accepting verification data from any source that provides cryptographically verifiable outputs. Zenon’s architecture treats Bitcoin, Ethereum, satellite feeds, or IoT sensors equivalently. If the data is cryptographically verifiable, it’s composable.

State Explosion Problem A fundamental barrier in formal verification established by Clarke and Emerson in 1981. The number of states a system can occupy grows exponentially with the number of its components. A system with n binary variables has 2^n possible states. This exponential growth makes exhaustive verification of complex systems computationally infeasible. In protocol design, this motivates constraining execution to reduce the state space that must be verified, rather than expanding verification capacity to cover unconstrained execution.

SPV (Simplified Payment Verification) A method for verifying transactions without downloading the full blockchain. Introduced in the Bitcoin whitepaper, SPV uses block headers and Merkle proofs to verify transaction inclusion. Zenon implements protocol-level SPV for trustless Bitcoin integration.

T

TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The foundational protocol suite of the Internet. TCP handles reliable end-to-end communication; IP handles packet routing. Their separation (the TCP/IP split) exemplifies the architectural principle of separating concerns across protocol layers.

Trustless Requiring no trust in intermediaries. Verification is cryptographic rather than social. You don’t trust a party; you verify mathematical proofs. Bitcoin introduced trustless consensus. Zenon extends to trustless cross-chain verification.

V

Virtual Voting Zenon’s consensus mechanism where nodes compute consensus locally based on network messages rather than exchanging explicit vote messages. Reduces coordination overhead while maintaining Byzantine Fault Tolerance. Nodes arrive at the same decision deterministically based on received information.

Verification Budget The total resources allocated to confirming that a system’s outputs match its intended behavior. Paid in design complexity, computational overhead, independent testing, redundant components, or human review. In safety-critical engineering, the verification budget is treated as a primary design constraint: execution is shaped to fit within what can be verified, not the reverse. When the verification budget is not allocated upfront, architectures calcify around unverifiable assumptions and trust re-enters through the cheapest available path.

Verification Envelope The boundary defining what a system can verify at a given cost. Execution constrained within the verification envelope can be checked; execution outside it cannot. Safety-critical systems (aviation, nuclear, medical devices) define their verification envelope first and constrain execution to fit within it. Verification-first protocol architectures apply the same principle: the protocol layer verifies ordering, state commitments, and consensus, while complex execution is pushed to the edge where domain-specific verification applies.

Verification-First An architectural philosophy prioritizing cryptographic verification over trust delegation. Heavy execution happens off-chain; verification happens on-chain through cryptographic proofs. Verification primitives are source-agnostic and composable.

Z

ZNN (Zenon) Zenon’s primary native token used for network operations and staking.

zApp Zenon application. Programs running on Zenon’s execution environment, designed for practical deployment particularly in IoT scenarios. Emphasizes efficiency and portability over maximal expressiveness. Complexity belongs at application layers, not protocol cores.

For deeper technical exploration of these concepts, see the full documentation, Verifiability and Fate-Sharing in a Cryptographic Hourglass, and Do Not Kill Humans: Infrastructure Design Tips.