A uniform refinement property for congruence lattices

The Congruence Lattice Problem asks whether every algebraic distributive lattice is isomorphic to the congruence lattice of a lattice. It was hoped that a positive solution would follow from E. T. Schmidt's construction or from the approach of P. Pudlak, M. Tischendorf, and J. Tuma. In a previous paper, we constructed a distributive algebraic lattice $A$ with $\aleph\_2$ compact elements that cannot be obtained by Schmidt's construction. In this paper, we show that the same lattice $A$ cannot be obtained using the Pudlak, Tischendorf, Tuma approach. The basic idea is that every congruence lattice arising from either method satisfies the Uniform Refinement Property, which is not satisfied by our example. This yields, in turn, corresponding negative results about congruence lattices of sectionally complemented lattices and two-sided ideals of von Neumann regular rings

Semilattices of finitely generated ideals of exchange rings with finite stable rank

We find a distributive (v, 0, 1)-semilattice S of size $aleph\_1$ that is not isomorphic to the maximal semilattice quotient of any Riesz monoid endowed with an order-unit of finite stable rank. We thus obtain solutions to various open problems in ring theory and in lattice theory. In particular: - There is no exchange ring (thus, no von Neumann regular ring and no C*-algebra of real rank zero) with finite stable rank whose semilattice of finitely generated, idempotent-generated two-sided ideals is isomorphic to S. - There is no locally finite, modular lattice whose semilattice of finitely generated congruences is isomorphic to S. These results are established by constructing an infinitary statement, denoted here by URPsr, that holds in the maximal semilattice quotient of every Riesz monoid endowed with an order-unit of finite stable rank, but not in the semilattice S

A K_0K\_0-avoiding dimension group with an order-unit of index two

We prove that there exists a dimension group $G$ whose positive cone is not isomorphic to the dimension monoid Dim$L$ of any lattice $L$. The dimension group $G$ has an order-unit, and can be taken of any cardinality greater than or equal to $\aleph\_2$. As to determining the positive cones of dimension groups in the range of the Dim functor, the $\aleph\_2$ bound is optimal. This solves negatively the problem, raised by the author in 1998, whether any conical refinement monoid is isomorphic to the dimension monoid of some lattice. Since $G$ has an order-unit of index two, this also solves negatively a problem raised in 1994 by K.R. Goodearl about representability, with respect to $K\_0$, of dimension groups with order-unit of index 2 by unit-regular rings.Comment: To appear in Journal of Algebr

Non-extendability of semilattice-valued measures on partially ordered sets

For a distributive join-semilattice S with zero, a S-valued poset measure on a poset P is a map m:PxP->S such that m(x,z) <= m(x,y)vm(y,z), and x <= y implies that m(x,y)=0, for all x,y,z in P. In relation with congruence lattice representation problems, we consider the problem whether such a measure can be extended to a poset measure m*:P*xP*->S, for a larger poset P*, such that for all a,b in S and all x <= y in P*, m*(y,x)=avb implies that there are a positive integer n and a decomposition x=z\_0 <= z\_1 <= ... <= z\_n=y in P* such that either m*(z\_{i+1},z\_i) <= a or m*(z\_{i+1},z\_i) <= b, for all i < n. In this note we prove that this is not possible as a rule, even in case the poset P we start with is a chain and S has size $\aleph\_1$. The proof uses a "monotone refinement property" that holds in S provided S is either a lattice, or countable, or strongly distributive, but fails for our counterexample. This strongly contrasts with the analogue problem for distances on (discrete) sets, which is known to have a positive (and even functorial) solution.Comment: 8 pages, Proceedings of AAA 70 -- 70th Workshop on General Algebra, Vienna University of Technology (May 26--29, 2005), to appea

Gcd-monoids arising from homotopy groupoids

The interval monoid $\Upsilon$(P) of a poset P is defined by generators [x, y], where x $\le$ y in P , and relations [x, x] = 1, [x, z] = [x, y] $\times$ [y, z] for x $\le$ y $\le$ z. It embeds into its universal group $\Upsilon$ $\pm$ (P), the interval group of P , which is also the universal group of the homotopy groupoid of the chain complex of P. We prove the following results: $\bullet$ The monoid $\Upsilon$(P) has finite left and right greatest common divisors of pairs (we say that it is a gcd-monoid) iff every principal ideal (resp., filter) of P is a join-semilattice (resp., a meet-semilattice). $\bullet$ For every group G, there is a poset P of length 2 such that $\Upsilon$(P) is a gcd-monoid and G is a free factor of $\Upsilon$ $\pm$ (P) by a free group. Moreover, P can be taken finite iff G is finitely presented. $\bullet$ For every finite poset P , the monoid $\Upsilon$(P) can be embedded into a free monoid. $\bullet$ Some of the results above, and many related ones, can be extended from interval monoids to the universal monoid Umon(S) of any category S. This enables us, in particular, to characterize the embeddability of Umon(S) into a group, by stating that it holds at the hom-set level. We thus obtain new easily verified sufficient conditions for embeddability of a monoid into a group. We illustrate our results by various examples and counterexamples.Comment: 27 pages (v4). Semigroup Forum, to appea

Sublattices of complete lattices with continuity conditions

Various embedding problems of lattices into complete lattices are solved. We prove that for any join-semilattice S with the minimal join-cover refinement property, the ideal lattice IdS of S is both algebraic and dually algebraic. Furthermore, if there are no infinite D-sequences in J(S), then IdS can be embedded into a direct product of finite lower bounded lattices. We also find a system of infinitary identities that characterize sublattices of complete, lower continuous, and join-semidistributive lattices. These conditions are satisfied by any (not necessarily finitely generated) lower bounded lattice and by any locally finite, join-semidistributive lattice. Furthermore, they imply M. Ern\'e's dual staircase distributivity. On the other hand, we prove that the subspace lattice of any infinite-dimensional vector space cannot be embedded into any countably complete, countably upper continuous, and countably lower continuous lattice. A similar result holds for the lattice of all order-convex subsets of any infinite chain.Comment: To appear in Algebra Universali

Cevian operations on distributive lattices

We construct a completely normal bounded distributive lattice D in which for every pair (a, b) of elements, the set {x $\in$ D | a $\le$ b $\lor$ x} has a countable coinitial subset, such that D does not carry any binary operation - satisfying the identities x $\le$ y $\lor$(x-y),(x-y)$\land$(y-x) = 0, and x-z $\le$ (x-y)$\lor$(y-z). In particular, D is not a homomorphic image of the lattice of all finitely generated convex {\ell}-subgroups of any (not necessarily Abelian) {\ell}-group. It has $\aleph 2 elements. This solves negatively a few problems stated by Iberkleid, Mart{\'i}nez, and McGovern in 2011 and recently by the author. This work also serves as preparation for a forthcoming paper in which we prove that for any infinite cardinal$\lambda$, the class of Stone duals of spectra of all Abelian {\ell}-groups with order-unit is not closed under L$\infty$$\lambda$-elementary equivalence.Comment: 23 pages. v2 removes a redundancy from the definition of a Cevian operation in v1.In Theorem 5.12, Idc should be replaced by Csc (especially on the G side