  We develop and study the complexity of propositional proof systems of varying
strength extending resolution by allowing it to operate with disjunctions of
linear equations instead of clauses. We demonstrate polynomial-size refutations
for hard tautologies like the pigeonhole principle, Tseitin graph tautologies
and the clique-coloring tautologies in these proof systems. Using the
(monotone) interpolation by a communication game technique we establish an
exponential-size lower bound on refutations in a certain, considerably strong,
fragment of resolution over linear equations, as well as a general polynomial
upper bound on (non-monotone) interpolants in this fragment.
  We then apply these results to extend and improve previous results on
multilinear proofs (over fields of characteristic 0), as studied in
[RazTzameret06]. Specifically, we show the following:
  1. Proofs operating with depth-3 multilinear formulas polynomially simulate a
certain, considerably strong, fragment of resolution over linear equations.
  2. Proofs operating with depth-3 multilinear formulas admit polynomial-size
refutations of the pigeonhole principle and Tseitin graph tautologies. The
former improve over a previous result that established small multilinear proofs
only for the \emph{functional} pigeonhole principle. The latter are different
than previous proofs, and apply to multilinear proofs of Tseitin mod p graph
tautologies over any field of characteristic 0.
  We conclude by connecting resolution over linear equations with extensions of
the cutting planes proof system.
