Coset-minimal groups (Q1399099)

Coset minimality enlarges the classical notion of o-minimality within (expansions of) totally ordered groups \(G\); in fact, it requires that every definable subset of \(G\) is a finite union of cosets of definable subgroups intersected with intervals with endpoints in \(G \cup \{ \pm \infty \}\). Ultimate and eventual coset minimality provide weaker variations on this theme: their definition is a little technical, but some people may appreciate to find its details here. So, \(G\) is called ultimately coset minimal when, for every definable subset \(X\) and every nontrivial convex definable subgroup \(H\) of \(G\), \(X \cap H\) ultimately equals a finite union of cosets of (not necessarily definable) subgroups of \(G\), in the sense that the two sets have the same intersection with \([a, + \infty)\) for some \(a \in H\). Eventual coset minimality has a similar definition: what is required this time is that, for \(X\) and \(H\) as before, there are \(a \in H\) and \(b > H\) (possibly \(b = + \infty\) when \(H = G\)) such that \(X\) coincides in the interval \((a, b)\) with a finite union of cosets of subgroups of \(G\). Clearly coset minimality implies eventual coset minimality, which in turn implies ultimate coset minimality. These notions were already treated some years ago by Belegradek and others, and by F. Point and F. Wagner. The paper under review continues their study. First, coset minimality (and variations) are explored within pure ordered groups (without extra structure). In particular, coset minimality and eventual coset minimality are characterized in this setting via some conditions regarding chains of convex subgroups, and a broad class of ultimately coset minimal pure ordered groups is found. Moreover, coset minimal non coset minimal (and ultimately coset minimal non eventually coset minimal) examples are provided. Then the authors turn their attention to arbitrary ordered groups \(G\) (possibly with some additional structure). It is proved that the expansions of certain pure ordered groups by arbitrary bounded relations are eventually coset minimal (here ``bounded'' means bounded from above and below in all coordinates). It is shown that in a discrete coset minimal group \(G\), definable 1-ary functions are piecewise linear (which improves a previous result of Point and Wagner, proving the same conclusion under the stronger assumption that all the models of the theory of \(G\) are coset minimal). Piecewise linearity of definable 1-ary functions is also shown in the dense case, except possibly for finitely many cosets of the smallest definable convex nonzero subgroup. Dense coset minimal groups even satisfy the exchange property (which fails in the discrete case). The final section of the paper proposes some further examples and open questions in the coset minimal framework. For instance, suitable counterexamples show that definable homomorphisms need not be piecewise monotone in coset minimal groups, or that eventual coset minimality is not preserved under elementary equivalence; whether this also concerns coset minimality is raised as an open problem.