Congruence-lattices of discrete RUCS varieties (Q759783)

The author deals with a very special kind of algebras having ''equationally definable principal congruences''. These are still generalizations of discriminator algebras, defined as having a four-ary term f satisfying \(f(a,b,c,d)=d\) if \(\Theta\) (c,d)\(\leq \Theta (a,b)\) and \(=c\) otherwise. The congruence lattices of such algebras are described: 1) non-disjoint congruence classes are comparable or, equivalently, 2) the congruence lattice is distributive and exactly the join-irreducible congruences are principal or, equivalently, 3) the congruence lattice is isomorphic to the hereditary subset-lattice of a poset containing an (up-)cofinal chain. The ideas are used to generalize a result of R. Quackenbush: If the largest element of a congruence lattice is the join of k join irreducible congruences then it is the join of at most \((k+1)/2\) principal congruences. Some sort of converse is also proved.