Equivalencies, identities, symmetric differences, and congruences in orthomodular lattices (Q1421664)

The authors study six possible binary operations on orthomodular lattices (quantum equivalence operations) which extend the Boolean equivalence. With the use of their special software, they derived new equalities and facts. This investigation continues their previous study of implication algebras. In contrast to it, here they prove that any of quantum equivalence operations together with the complementation does not allow to express all binary operations in an orthomodular lattice. This is not much surprising as it follows from arguments known in Boolean algebras. The main contribution deals with several properties of the equivalence \(a\equiv_5b=(a\cap b)\cup(a'\cap b')\) (this is the correct definition, its complement appeared in the paper by mistake). Among other results, the authors prove the following ``distributivity'' result: \((a\equiv_5b)\cap((b\equiv_5c)\cup(a\equiv_5c)) =((a\equiv_5b)\cap (b\equiv_5c))\cup ((a\equiv_5b)\cap (a\equiv_5c))\) which induces solutions to several open questions. A detailed analysis of relations to numerous papers is presented. As quantum equivalence operations are complements of (noncommutative) symmetric differences, an alternative to [\textit{G. Dorfer}, \textit{A. Dvurečenskij} and \textit{H. Länger}, Symmetric differences in orthomodular lattices, Math. Slovaca 46, No. 5, 435--444 (1996; Zbl 0890.06006)] is obtained. As a substitute of [\textit{M. Navara}, On generating finite orthomodular sublattices, Tatra Mt. Math. Publ. 10, 109--117 (1997; Zbl 0915.06004)], the authors recommend their efficient computer tool for verification of equalities in orthomodular lattices, proving also some results of [\textit{G. Dorfer}, Non-commutative symmetric differences in orthomodular lattices, Preprint arXiv.org/abs/math.RA/O211237 (2002)]. Here they refer to an old, not final, version of the paper, thus the references have to be updated: What they call ``Corollary~8'' is now Theorem~7 and formula (iii\(\prime)\) does not appear in Theorem 15 but in Proposition~16 (with \(\equiv_1\) instead of~\(\equiv_i\)). Some misunderstanding occured: while Dorfer deals with any congruence in an orthomodular lattice, Megill and Pavičić are interested in congruence relations characterized by the property \(a\equiv_i b=1\), where \(\equiv_i\) is a quantum equivalence. Their question ``It would be interesting to know examples of a0b in orthomodular lattices and which relations would satisfy the conditions from Dorfer's Theorem 15 in any orthomodular lattice?'' results from these two different interpretations. The main contribution of the paper (Theorem 3.1) collects several rather deep properties of orthomodular lattices (including the above form of distributivity of equivalence) which cannot be proved by elementary tools and require highly advanced techniques. Analogous questions are studied also in more general structures, ortholattices and weakly orthomodular lattices. It is a pity that the paper is not self-contained; its detailed study requires preceding papers of the authors. The table of Beran's codes from [\textit{L. Beran}, Orthomodular lattices. Algebraic approach (1985; Zbl 0558.06008)] is necessary for understanding the results. It can be downloaded from \url{http://cmp.felk.cvut.cz/~navara/FOML/} Hopefully once this topic will be presented in detail. It is worth that effort. (Even the authors had sometimes problems with their notation; Beran's code of \((a\equiv_5b)'\) is 89, not 84 as in p.~2803. The missing connective in (8), p.~2801, is \(\cup\); 4 lines below it, two occurences of \(\cap\) have to be replaced by \(\cup\).)