Atoms in infinite dimensional free sequence-set algebras (Q2328129)

This paper reports progress on the as yet unproven conjecture of Tarski that all the atoms are zero-dimensional in any infinite dimensional cylindric algebra that is freely generated by at least one element. (Zero-dimensional elements are fixed under all cylindrifications and are the algebraic equivalent of sentences.) The authors prove Tarski's conjecture for several classes of algebras that are constructed from sets of infinite sequences in various ways. There are two main results. The first says that the free cylindric-relativized algebra on any number of generators is atomless and, for the targeted classes of algebras of sequences, the free algebra on \(m\) generators is not atomic and contains exactly \(2^m\) atoms, all of which are zero-dimensional. The proofs of this result and a more general one show that no element in the free algebra is disjoint from all the diagonal elements. This fails for cylindric algebras, as shown by the second main result, which says that the free cylindric algebra on \(m\) generators (with non-zero \(m\)) of dimension two or more has a non-zero element that is contained in all the non-zero complements of diagonal elements.