MV-algebras: a variety for magnitudes with archimedean units (Q2577712)

This is a very nice survey paper interesting not only for people who want to know the key results in the theory of MV-algebras but also for people who want to know more, since it collects many references and presents ideas how to prove the main results so that a reader can see that the theory of MV-algebras is nowadays quite deeply developed. After several definitions the paper starts with Chang's Completeness Theorem showing that the variety of MV-algebras is generated by one particular MV-algebra on the real unit interval \([0,1]\). Then a crucial result showing that there is a categorical equivalence between the category of MV-algebras and the category of unital \(\ell\)-groups is presented. This equivalence serves as one of the basic tools in further investigations of MV-algebras. The paper also sketches the main ideas behind the characterization of free MV-algebras by means of McNaughton functions. Next, the authors collect the results concerning subclasses of MV-algebras. Firstly, the lattice of subvarieties is described. Secondly, the universal classes of MV-chains are characterized and axiomatized. Finally, the quasi-varieties are discussed. Then, properties like finite model property, finite embeddability property, or relative congruence extension property, are studied. Finally, locally finite MV-algebras and their connection to the class of Boolean algebras with locally finite automorphisms is presented. At the end of the paper the authors collect miscellaneous results. Firstly, Priestley duality for MV-algebras is described. Secondly, the fact that the word problem for MV-algebras is co-NP-complete is mentioned. Then a connection between MV-algebras and AF \(C^*\)-algebras is discussed. Finally, a list of open problems is presented.