Torsion theories and coverings of \(V\)-groups (Q2156416)

In the article [\textit{M. Gran} and \textit{A. Michel}, Algebra Univers. 82, No. 2, Paper No. 22, 31 p. (2021; Zbl 1458.18005)], the authors introduce and describe a torsion theory [\textit{D. Bourn} and \textit{M. Gran}, J. Algebra 305, No. 1, 18--47 (2006; Zbl 1123.18009); \textit{M. M. Clementino} et al., J. Algebra 305, No. 1, 98--129 (2006; Zbl 1121.18010); \textit{M. Gran} and \textit{T. Everaert}, Bull. Sci. Math. 137, No. 8, 996--1006 (2013; Zbl 1284.18024); \textit{G. Janelidze} and \textit{W. Tholen}, Contemp. Math. 431, 249--256 (2007; Zbl 1128.18009)] in the category of preordered groups [\textit{M. M. Clementino} et al., J. Pure Appl. Algebra 223, No. 10, 4226--4245 (2019; Zbl 1468.18012)], which are (additive) groups equipped with a relation that is reflexive, transitive and compatible with the addition. Its torsion and torsion-free subcategories are respectively given by the indiscrete and the separated preordered groups. The aim of the article under review is first of all to extend results of [\textit{M. Gran} and \textit{A. Michel}, Algebra Univers. 82, No. 2, Paper No. 22, 31 p. (2021; Zbl 1458.18005)] to the setting of \(V\)-groups [\textit{M. M. Clementino} and \textit{A. Montoli}, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 225, No. 4, Article ID 106550, 24 p. (2021; Zbl 1445.18001)], where \(V\) is a commutative, unital and integral quantale. The context of preordered groups may then be recovered by letting \(V=2\), while different choices of \(V\) yield results for metric groups, ultrametric groups, probabilistic metric groups, etc. In particular, the article's Proposition 3.2 identifies the indiscrete \(V\)-groups and the separated \(V\)-groups as torsion and torsion-free subcategories in a torsion theory. From this, the author deduces (Corollary 3.4) that indiscrete \(V\)-groups form a coreflective, and separated \(V\)-groups a reflective subcategory of the category of \(V\)-groups. The coverings with respect to the latter adjunction are then characterised as \(V\)-group homomorphisms with a separated kernel (Theorem 3.10). In Section 4, via a version of the Fundamental Galois Theorem proved in [\textit{G. Janelidze} et al., J. Pure Appl. Algebra 128, No. 3, 281--289 (1998; Zbl 0927.18004)], this is recast in terms of actions of the Galois groupoid. A further aim of the article is to describe a pretorsion theory [\textit{A. Facchini} and \textit{C. A. Finocchiaro}, Ann. Mat. Pura Appl. (4) 199, No. 3, 1073--1089 (2020; Zbl 1481.18002)] for \(V\)-groups, where the torsion-free subcategory is still the category of separated \(V\)-groups, but the torsion subcategory now consists of all symmetric \(V\)-groups: this is Proposition 4.9. The article is entirely self-contained, with an introductory section on the theory of \(V\)-groups, on torsion and pretorsion theories, and on monotone-light factorisation systems with their relation to categorical Galois theory [\textit{A. Carboni} et al., Appl. Categ. Struct. 5, No. 1, 1--58 (1997; Zbl 0866.18003); \textit{C. Cassidy} et al., J. Aust. Math. Soc., Ser. A 38, 287--329 (1985; Zbl 0573.18002); \textit{M. Gran} and \textit{T. Everaert}, Bull. Sci. Math. 137, No. 8, 996--1006 (2013; Zbl 1284.18024); \textit{G. Janelidze}, J. Algebra 132, No. 2, 270--286 (1990; Zbl 0702.18006)].