Decision problems for distributive lattice-ordered semigroups (Q1891276)

Various decision problems for finitely presented distributive lattice- ordered semigroups are shown to be unsolvable. In particular, it is shown that there is a finitely presented distributive lattice-ordered semigroup with unsolvable word problem in any variety containing an algebra defined from an infinite-dimensional vector space. More general results on unsolvable problems are obtained by adapting a technique of A. Markov subsequently employed for group-theoretical decision problems by M. Rabin and A. M. W. Glass. The main technique used is an adaptation of the von Neumann coordinatization theorem for modular lattices.