Weak well-filtered spaces and coherence (Q2405086)

This is a paper about coherence, an important property in domain theory (coherence of a topological space means that the intersection of any two compact saturated subsets is compact). A topological space is called \textit{well-filtered} if, whenever an open set \(U\) contains a filtered intersection \(\bigcap_{i\in I}Q_i\) of compact saturated subsets, then \(U\) contains some \(Q_i\). This defines a class of spaces that contains all sober spaces. In the paper under review, the authors introduce and study a larger class of spaces, referred to as weak well-filtered spaces. A topological space is said to be \textit{weak well-filtered} if, whenever a \textbf{nonempty} open set \(U\) contains a filtered intersection \(\bigcap_{i\in I}Q_i\) of compact saturated subsets, then \(U\) contains some \(Q_i\). Then, a poset \(L\) is \textit{weak well-filtered} if \(L\), with its Scott topology \(\sigma(L)\), is a weak well-filtered space. The authors start by presenting some properties and characterizations of weak well-filteredness and they show that the famous example of a non-sober dcpo, due to \textit{P. T. Johnstone} [Lect. Notes Math. 871, 282--283 (1981; Zbl 0469.06002)], is weak well-filtered but not well-filtered. Among the authors' main results are the following: \(\bullet\) The frame of open sets of any weak well-filtered \(T_0\)-space is always a consistent dcpo. \(\bullet\) A weak well-filtered poset \(L\) is coherent if and only if \(\uparrow\!\! x \;\cap \uparrow\!\! y\) is compact for every \(x,y\in L\). \(\bullet\) Lawson compactness is a sufficient condition for a dcpo being coherent. They leave open the problem of determining the conditions under which weak well filteredness is equivalent to well filteredness.