The Beth property in algebraic logic (Q2433094)

The authors investigate the correspondence between the metalogical Beth property and the algebraic property of surjectivity of epimorphisms. A deductive system \({\mathcal S}\) is called an equivalential logic if there exists a (possibly infinite) set \(\Delta(p, q)\) of \(k\)-formulas in at most the two 1-variables \(p\), \(q\) such that (R) \(\vdash_{{\mathcal S}}\Delta(p,p)\), (MP) \(\langle r_1,\dots, r_{i-1}, p,r_i,\dots, r_{k-1}\rangle\), \(\Delta(p,q)\vdash_{{\mathcal S}}\langle r_1,\dots, r_{i-1} q,r_i,\dots, r_{k-1}\rangle\) for all choices of the coordinate in \(\{1,\dots,k\}\), and for every \(n\)-ary connective \(\omega\), (Con) \(\Delta(p_1,q_1),\dots, \Delta(p_n, q_n)\vdash_{{\mathcal S}}\Delta(\omega(p_1,\dots, p_n), \omega(q_1,\dots, q_n))\). Let \({\mathcal S}\) be a \(k\)-deductive system and let \(P\), \(R\) be disjoint sets of variables such that \(\text{Fm}(P)\neq\emptyset\). For \(\Gamma\subseteq \text{Fm}^k(P\cup R)\), we say that \(\Gamma\) implicitly defines \(R\) in terms of \(P\) if for every \(r\in R\) and every substitution \(\sigma\), defined on \(P\cup R\), such that \(\sigma|_P= \text{id}|_P\), the following holds: (I) For any set \(X\subset\text{Var}\) that contains \(P\cup R\cup\text{var}(\sigma R)\), and for all \({\mathcal A}\in\text{Mod}^*{\mathcal S}\), \[ \Gamma, \sigma\Gamma\models_{{\mathcal A}(X)}r\approx\sigma r. \] Moreover, a formula \(\varphi_r\in \text{Fm}(P)\) is called an explicit definition of \(r\in R\) in terms of \(P\) with respect to \(\Gamma\) if the following is true: (II) For any set \(X\subset\text{Var}\) that contains \(P\cup\{r\}\cup\text{var}(F)\), and for all \({\mathcal A}\in\text{Mod}^*{\mathcal S}\), \[ \Gamma\models_{{\mathcal A}(X)} r\approx\varphi_r. \] In this case, we say that \({\mathcal S}\) has the Beth property provided that for any \(\Gamma\), \(P\) and \(R\) as above, if \(\Gamma\) implicitly defines \(R\) in terms of \(P\) then for every \(r\in R\) there exists an explicit definition of \(r\) in terms of \(P\) with respect to \(\Gamma\). Let \(K\) be a class of \({\mathcal L}\)-algebras, where \({\mathcal L}= \{\omega_i\mid i\in I\}\) is a set of connectives of finite rank and \(A,B\in K\). A homomorphism \(h: A\to B\) is called a \(K\)-epimorphism, or a \(K\)-epi, if it meets the following condition. For any \(C\in K\) and any pair of homomorphisms \(g,g':B\to C\), \[ \text{if }g\circ h= g'\circ h,\text{ then }g= g'. \] The authors prove fundamental results about the Beth property. Moreover, they prove Theorem 3.9 and Theorem 3.12, which are the main theorems of the paper. Theorem 3.9. Let \({\mathcal S}_1\) be a \(k\)-deductive system, \({\mathcal S}_2\) an \(l\)-deductive system, \(1\leq k\), \(l\in\omega\). Suppose \({\mathcal S}_1\) and \({\mathcal S}_2\) are equivalent. Then \[ {\mathcal S}_1\text{ has the Beth property}\Leftrightarrow{\mathcal S}_2\text{ has the Beth property}. \] Theorem 3.12. Let \({\mathcal S}\) be an equivalential \(k\)-deductive system. Then \({\mathcal S}\) has the Beth property iff all \(\text{Mod}^*{\mathcal S}\)-epimorphism are surjective.