Lattices do not distribute over powerset (Q2200477)

The article shows that there is no distributive law of the free lattice monad over the powerset monad. The presented method of proof also works for some other classes of lattices. Let \(Set\) be the category of sets and functions. Recall that the monad \((T, \eta, \mu)\) [\textit{S. Mac Lane}, Categories for the working mathematician. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Springer (1998; Zbl 0906.18001)] is an endofunctor \(T\) together with natural transformations \(\eta: \mathrm{Id}\to T\) and \(\mu: TT\to T\) satisfying the relations: \(\mu\cdot \eta T= \mathrm{id}_T= \mu\cdot T\eta\) and \(\mu\cdot T\mu= \mu\cdot\mu T\). Here the symbol ``\(\cdot\)'' denotes the composition of natural transformations. In this paper, monads are considered over \(Set\). The powerset monad \((\mathcal{P}, {\hat\eta}, {\hat\mu})\) is defined so that \(\mathcal{P} X\) is the set of all subsets of \(X\), and the natural transformations is defined by \[ {\hat\eta}_X(x)= \{x\}, ~ {\hat\mu}_X(\Phi)= \bigcup\Phi, \text{ for } x\in X, \Phi\subseteq\mathcal{P} X. \] A lattice is a set with two associative and commutative binary operations \(\wedge\) and \(\vee\) that satisfy the absorption laws: \[ x\vee(x\wedge y)=x, ~ x\wedge (x\vee y)= x. \] The distributive law of the monad \((T, \eta^T, \mu^T)\) over the monad \((S, \eta^S, \mu^S)\) is a natural transformation \(\lambda: TS\to ST\) satisfying the following conditions from [\textit{J. Beck}, Lect. Notes Math. 80, 119--140 (1969; Zbl 0186.02902)]: \[ \lambda\cdot T\eta^S= \eta^S T, \ \lambda\cdot \eta^T S= S \eta^T \] \[ \lambda\cdot T\mu^S= \mu^S T\cdot S\lambda\cdot \lambda S, \ \lambda\cdot \mu^T S= S \mu^T\cdot \lambda T\cdot T \lambda. \] The main results: Theorem 3.1. There is no distributive law of the free lattice monad \((\mathcal{L}, \eta, \mu)\) over the powerset monad \((\mathcal{P}, {\hat\eta}, {\hat\mu})\). Theorem 3.7. Let \((T, \eta^T, \mu^T)\) be a monad associated to a lattice variety that contains the two element linear order 2 and let \((S, \eta^S, \mu ^S)\) any of the following monads: \begin{itemize} \item the (nonempty) powerset monad, \item the (nonempty) finite powerset monad. \end{itemize} Then there is no distributive law of $(T, \eta^T , \mu^T )$ over $(S, \eta^S, \mu^S)$. From the text: ``Particular cases of the monad \((T, \eta^T, \mu^T)\) in the previous theorem include: the free (bounded) lattice monad, the free (bounded) distributive lattice monad and the free (bounded) modular lattice monad, among others.''