On a problem involving bounded epimorphisms of lattices (Q1239172)

A lattice \(L\) satisfies the bounded epimorphism condition if whenever \(M\) is a lattice and \(\varphi: M\to L\) is a bounded epimorphism, there exists a homomorphism \(\psi : L\to M\) such that \(\psi\varphi= \mathrm{id}_L\). The problem of characterizing all lattices satisfying the bounded epimorphism condition was posed in a paper of \textit{B. A. Davey} and \textit{B. Sands} [Algebra Univers. 7, 171--178 (1977; Zbl 0356.06013)]. The current paper makes some progress towards a solution of this problem. From A. Day's interval construction follows that any lattice satisfying the bounded epimorphism condition must satisfy Whitman's condition (W); conversely, all of the usual examples of lattices satisfying (W) turn out also to satisfy the bounded epimorphism condition. Nevertheless, in the first part of this paper an infinite family of finite lattices is constructed, each of which satisfies (W) but fails the bounded epimorphism condition. The smallest lattice in this family has twenty elements. Secondly, a sufficient condition for a finite lattice to satisfy the bounded epimorphism condition is established. Let \(MR\) denote the set of meet reducible elements and \(SR\) the set of join reducible elements of the finite lattice \(L\), and set \(R=MR\cup JR\); then \(L\) satisfies the bounded epimorphism condition if it satisfies the condition \[ \begin{cases} \text{there exists a linear ordering } r_1,r_2,\dots,r_n \text{ of the elements of } R \text{ such that}\\ \text{(i) } r_i=a\lor b\in JR, \;r_j\in MR, \;r_i\geq r_j, \;a\not\geq r_j, \;b\not\geq r_j \text{ implies } i<j,\\ \text{ and dually }\\ \text{(ii) } r_i\in JR, \;r_j = a\land b\in MR, \;r_i\geq r_j, \;r_i \not\geq a, \;r_i\not\geq b \text{ implies }i>j. \end{cases} \] It is not known if this condition is also necessary.