Truncations of ordered abelian groups (Q829755)

Let \((\Gamma, \oplus, \leq)\) be a linearly ordered abelian group, and \(\tau\) be a positive element of \(\Gamma\). One can define an addition \(+\) on the ordered set \([0,\tau]=\{ \gamma\in \Gamma: 0\leq \gamma\leq \tau\}\) by setting \(\gamma_1+\gamma_2=\min (\gamma_1\oplus\gamma_2,\tau)\). This structure is called a truncation of \(\Gamma\). The authors set sixteen axioms which are satisfied by \([0,\tau]\) in the language \((\leq,0,\tau,+)\). Among these axioms, four are said to be obvious axioms (\(+\) is commutative, \(0\) is its neutral element, \(\tau\) is its absorbing element and the order relation is compatible). Associativity of \(+\) is said to be less obvious because it is not so trivial to prove it. Four axioms concern cancellation: cancellation holds if the sum of elements is less than \(\tau\), partial subtraction, existence of a minimal complement to \(\tau\), and the minimal complement of the minimal complement of \(x\) is \(x\). The last seven axioms are crucial, but less intuitive. A structure which satisfies these sixteen axioms is called a truncated ordered abelian group (TOAG). The authors prove that for every TOAG there exists a linearly ordered abelian group \(\Gamma\) and a positive element \(\tau\) of \(\Gamma\) such that this TOAG is (isomorphic to) the segment \([0,\tau]\). Then, they turn to Presburger arithmetic (the first-order theory of the natural numbers with addition). Since the truncation of a linearly ordered abelian group is also the truncation of the semi-group of its positive elements, we can define the Presburger truncated ordered abelian groups, that is truncations of a models of Presburger arithmetic. These groups contain a least positive element \(1\). The authors give necessary and sufficient conditions for a TOAG being a Presburger truncated ordered abelian group. These conditions are: the order is discrete and for every positive integer \(n\) and every \(x\) in \(|0,\tau]\) there is an integer \(m<n\) and \(y\) in \([0,\tau]\) such that \(ny\leq x\) and \(x-ny=m\cdot 1\). Finally, they prove that the elementary theory of a Presburger truncated ordered abelian group is determined by the \(1\)-type of \(\tau-1\). Moreover, any Presburger \(1\)-type can occur for some TOAG.