McKinsey-Tarski algebras: an alternative pointfree approach to topology (Q6057676)

It is well known that topological spaces can alternatively be studied by means of interior operators on their powerset algebras. The main goal of \textit{J. C. C. McKinsey} and \textit{A. Tarski} [Ann. Math. (2) 45, 141--191 (1944; Zbl 0060.06206)] was to ``set up the foundation of a new algebraic calculus, which could be regarded as a sort of algebra of topology'' and to ``study both the internal algebraic properties of this calculus and its relation to topology as ordinarily conceived''. Complete and atomic interior algebras can be thought of as the generalization of spatial frames. Indeed, each spatial frame is isomorphic to the lattice of open elements of a complete and atomic interior algebra. The authors thus arrive at the main objects of this paper: \begin{itemize} \item The study of complete interior algebras, which they term McKinsey-Tarski algebras or simply MT-algebras. \item The proof that each frame is isomorphic to the lattice of open elements of an appropriate MT-algebra. Thus, MT-algebras can indeed be thought of as a generalization of frames, and taking the lattice of open elements defines an essentially surjective functor from the category \(MT\) of MT-algebras to \(Frm\). \item The verification that the dual adjunction between \(Top\) and \(Frm\) generalizes to a dual adjunction between \(Top\) and \(MT\), which restricts to a dual equivalence between \(Top\) and the category \(SMT\) of spatial MT-algebras. \item The study of topological separation axioms in the language of MTalgebras. Each separation axiom is described by identifying an appropriate subset of an MT-algebra that join-generates it. \item The confirmation that separation axioms for MT-algebras can be connected with the corresponding separation axioms for frames, thus providing a unifying approach to separation axioms both in the topological and pointfree settings. \end{itemize}