Nonstandard Methods and Finiteness Conditions in Algebra (Q4711235)

In ``Some nonstandard methods applied to distributive lattices'' [\textit{M. Gehrke, M. Insall} and \textit{K. Kaiser}, ibid. 36, No.\ 2, 123-131 (1990; Zbl 0711.03031)], use was made of the fact that a locally finite algebra \(A\) admits a hyperfinite extension, \(A_ \nu\), in any given nonstandard enlargement \(^*A\) (of \(A\)). That the converse holds and may be used to discover and prove standard and nonstandard results, is the thrust here. In general, we characterize those properties \(\mathcal P\) for which the following theorem holds: An algebra \(A\) is a local \(\mathcal P\)-algebra if and only if it has a hyper-\(\mathcal P\) extension in \(^*A\). (The property \(\mathcal P\) is not assumed to be a general first-order property.) In the particular case that \({\mathcal P}(A)\) means ``\(A\) is finite'', we have a characterization of local finiteness for algebraic structures, and we present a condition on a variety \(V\) of algebras for which \(V\)-sums of locally finite \(V\)-algebras are locally finite. The development of this condition on the variety \(V\) and the proof of its sufficiency for the desired result are affected via both directions of the aforementioned characterization of local finiteness. In addition to the development and use of nonstandard characterizations like those mentioned above, we present a nonstandard construct which seems to promise a strong tie to finiteness conditions for algebraic structures. Due to the method by which it is constructed, this (generally external) nonstandard object, \(A\hat{ }\), is called the extension monad (in \(^*A\)) of a given algebra \(A\). We explore the properties of the extension monad and its relation to certain finiteness conditions for the algebra \(A\). Throughout, we realize that the standard results we obtain may be obtained via standard methods, yet the power of nonstandard methods is to provide an intuitive transparency which is aesthetic and renders a more ``finite'' flavor to the arguments, although infinite structures are involved.