Tukey reducibility for categories -- In search of the strongest statement in finite Ramsey theory

Every statement of the Ramsey theory of finite structures corresponds to the fact that a particular category has the Ramsey property. We can, then, compare the strength of Ramsey statements by comparing the ``Ramsey strength'' of the corresponding categories. The main thesis of this paper is that establishing pre-adjunctions between pairs of categories is an appropriate way of comparing their ``Ramsey strength''. What comes as a pleasant surprise is that pre-adjunctions generalize the Tukey reducibility in the same way categories generalize preorders. In this paper we set forth a classification program of statements of finite Ramsey theory based on their relationship with respect to this generalized notion of Tukey reducibility for categories. After identifying the ``weakest'' Ramsey category, we prove that the Finite Dual Ramsey Theorem is as powerful as the full-blown version of the Graham-Rothschild Theorem, and conclude the paper with the hypothesis that the Finite Dual Ramsey Theorem is the ``strongest'' of all finite Ramsey statements

The Expectation Monad in Quantum Foundations

The expectation monad is introduced abstractly via two composable adjunctions, but concretely captures measures. It turns out to sit in between known monads: on the one hand the distribution and ultrafilter monad, and on the other hand the continuation monad. This expectation monad is used in two probabilistic analogues of fundamental results of Manes and Gelfand for the ultrafilter monad: algebras of the expectation monad are convex compact Hausdorff spaces, and are dually equivalent to so-called Banach effect algebras. These structures capture states and effects in quantum foundations, and also the duality between them. Moreover, the approach leads to a new re-formulation of Gleason's theorem, expressing that effects on a Hilbert space are free effect modules on projections, obtained via tensoring with the unit interval.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2011, arXiv:1210.029

Dual Ramsey properties for classes of algebras

Almost any reasonable class of finite relational structures has the Ramsey property or a precompact Ramsey expansion. In contrast to that, the list of classes of finite algebras with the precompact Ramsey expansion is surprisingly short. In this paper we show that any nontrivial variety (that is, equationally defined class of algebras) enjoys various \emph{dual} Ramsey properties. We develop a completely new set of strategies that rely on the fact that left adjoints preserve the dual Ramsey property, and then treat classes of algebras as Eilenberg-Moore categories for a monad. We show that finite algebras in any nontrivial variety have finite dual small Ramsey degrees, and that every finite algebra has finite dual big Ramsey degree in the free algebra on countably many free generators. As usual, these come as consequences of ordered versions of the statements

Logical Relations for Monadic Types

Logical relations and their generalizations are a fundamental tool in proving properties of lambda-calculi, e.g., yielding sound principles for observational equivalence. We propose a natural notion of logical relations able to deal with the monadic types of Moggi's computational lambda-calculus. The treatment is categorical, and is based on notions of subsconing, mono factorization systems, and monad morphisms. Our approach has a number of interesting applications, including cases for lambda-calculi with non-determinism (where being in logical relation means being bisimilar), dynamic name creation, and probabilistic systems.Comment: 83 page