Representation of MV-algebras by regular ultrapowers of \([0,1]\) (Q971886): Difference between revisions

The main general tools in representation theory of MV-algebras are given by the Chang Representation Theorem [\textit{C. C. Chang}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 88, 467--490 (1958; Zbl 0084.00704)], the McNaughton Theorem and the Di Nola Representation Theorem [\textit{A. Di Nola}, Ric. Mat. 40, No.~2, 291--297 (1991; Zbl 0767.06013)]. The first one gives a subdirect representation of all MV-algebras via linearly ordered MV-algebras. The second one gives a characterization of free MV-algebras as algebras of continuous, picewise linear functions with integer coefficients on \([0,1]\). Finally, the last one describes MV-algebras as subalgebras of algebras of functions with values in a nonstandard ultrapower of the MV-algebra \([0,1]\); in other words, given an arbitrary MV-algebra \(A\), there exists an ultrapower \(^{*}[0,1]\) and a set \(X\) such that \(A\) can be embedded into the MV-algebra of functions from \(X\) to \(^{*}[0,1]\). In the light of the latter functional representation, it is worth stressing that the class of semisimple MV-algebras can be characterized, up to isomorphism, as the class of subalgebras of the MV-algebras \([0,1]^{X}\) for some set \(X\). In this paper the authors investigate how the nonstandard representation of an MV-algebra \(A\) depends on the cardinality of \(A\). For any MV-algebra \(A\) of cardinality at most \(\alpha\) (where \(\alpha\) is an infinite cardinal), there exists a set \(X\) such that \(A\) can be embedded into an MV-algebra of functions from \(X\) to an ultrapower of the MV-algebra \([0,1]\) via an \(\alpha \)-regular ultrafilter over \(\alpha\) which does not depend on \(A\). In particular, they obtain a functional representation of all countable MV-algebras. Using Mundici's well-known functor, the above results can be transferred to abelian lattice-ordered groups with strong unit. Finally, the authors refine the previous embedding theorems by using certain definable structures, rather than the usual (nondefinable) ultrapowers. These structures are iterated ultrapowers in the sense of Chang and Keisler (that is, structures which can be obtained out of a linearly ordered set of ultrapowers of a given base structure in such a way that all these ultrapowers are elementarily embedded in it). Thus, the authors obtain that for every infinite cardinal \(\alpha\), there is an iterated ultrapower \(\Pi _{\alpha}\) of \([0,1]\) definable in \(\alpha\), where every MV-chain of cardinality \(\alpha\) embeds (so every MV-algebra of cardinality \(\alpha\) embeds in a power of \(\Pi _{\alpha}\)).