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Main Authors: García-Martínez, Xabier, Gray, James R. A., Hoefnagel, Michael A., Van der Linden, Tim, Vienne, Corentin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.11250
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author García-Martínez, Xabier
Gray, James R. A.
Hoefnagel, Michael A.
Van der Linden, Tim
Vienne, Corentin
author_facet García-Martínez, Xabier
Gray, James R. A.
Hoefnagel, Michael A.
Van der Linden, Tim
Vienne, Corentin
contents This article gives an overview of some key categorical-algebraic properties of the variety of Heyting semilattices, with the aim of correcting a misconception in the literature. We confirm that the category of Heyting semilattices is not algebraically coherent, even though it satisfies a strong version of the so-called Smith is Huq condition (on the equivalence of two types of commutators). We also prove that Higgins commutators of normal subobjects are normal, as a consequence of the fact that Heyting semilattices form an arithmetical category. We provide an elementary characterisation of when a pair of subobjects commutes, and use this in the construction of two counterexamples. We further show that centralisers exist, centralisers of normal monomorphisms are normal monomorphisms, and normal monomorphisms are closed under composition. We study the latter condition in detail. On the other hand, we show that the category of Heyting semilattices does not satisfy normality of unions. Hence, it is not action accessible and so it does not admit all normalisers. In particular, this means that the known implication between action accessibility and the condition requiring the existence of centralisers of normal monomorphisms which are themselves normal, is strict.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_11250
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Categorical-algebraic aspects of Heyting semilattices
García-Martínez, Xabier
Gray, James R. A.
Hoefnagel, Michael A.
Van der Linden, Tim
Vienne, Corentin
Category Theory
03G25, 06A12, 18E13
This article gives an overview of some key categorical-algebraic properties of the variety of Heyting semilattices, with the aim of correcting a misconception in the literature. We confirm that the category of Heyting semilattices is not algebraically coherent, even though it satisfies a strong version of the so-called Smith is Huq condition (on the equivalence of two types of commutators). We also prove that Higgins commutators of normal subobjects are normal, as a consequence of the fact that Heyting semilattices form an arithmetical category. We provide an elementary characterisation of when a pair of subobjects commutes, and use this in the construction of two counterexamples. We further show that centralisers exist, centralisers of normal monomorphisms are normal monomorphisms, and normal monomorphisms are closed under composition. We study the latter condition in detail. On the other hand, we show that the category of Heyting semilattices does not satisfy normality of unions. Hence, it is not action accessible and so it does not admit all normalisers. In particular, this means that the known implication between action accessibility and the condition requiring the existence of centralisers of normal monomorphisms which are themselves normal, is strict.
title Categorical-algebraic aspects of Heyting semilattices
topic Category Theory
03G25, 06A12, 18E13
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.11250