Describing semantic domains with sprouts (Q1823713)

In denotational semantics, the meaning of a construct of a programming language is modelled by an element of a (semantic) domain. Domains are essentially ordered sets, in which every element may be approximated by a directed set of compact elements. A new approach to domain construction is proposed using directed systems of certain finite subsets of a domain, called sprouts. Every element of the domain can be uniquely approximated by an element of any given sprout. Sprouts consist only of compact elements and every compact element is contained in some of the sprouts. The directed system of sprouts fits neatly to the usual domain constructions, so it is possible to describe the approximations of an element of a composed domain by the corresponding approximations in the component domains. A constructive and less abstract description of profinite domains given by C. Gunter may be obtained with one interesting added feature.