Functors for coalgebras (Q5950751)

Coalgebras have been introduced by \textit{P. Aczel} and \textit{N. Mendler} [Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. 389, 357-365 (1989; Zbl 0712.68006)] to model various types of transition systems. Giving a functor \(T\) from \textbf{Set}, the category of sets, to itself, a coalgebra of type \(T\) is a map \(\alpha : X \rightarrow T(X)\). Functors preserving weak pullbacks provide the basis for a rich structure theory of coalgebras. The author gives an easy criterion to check whether a functor preserves weak pullbacks. He applies this characterization to the functor which associates a set \(X\) with the set of all filters on \(X\). It turns out that this functor preserves weak pullbacks but not weak generalized pullbacks. Since topological spaces form coalgebras, he finds that intersection of subcoalgebras need not be a coalgebra and hence 1-generated subcoalgebras need not exist.