Duality for finitely valued algebras

Abstract

The theory of natural dualities provides a well-developed framework for studying Stone-like dualities induced by an algebra $\mathbf{L}$ which acts as a dualizing object when equipped with suitable topological and relational structure. The development of this theory has, however, largely remained restricted to the case where $\mathbf{L}$ is finite. Motivated by the desire to provide a universal algebraic formulation of the existing duality of Cignoli and Marra or locally weakly finite MV-algebras and to extend it to a corresponding class of positive MV-algebras, in this paper we investigate Stone-like dualities where the algebra $\mathbf{L}$ is allowed to be infinite. This requires restricting our attention from the whole prevariety generated by $\mathbf{L}$ to the subclass of algebras representable as algebras of $\mathbf{L}$-valued functions of finite range, a distinction that does not arise in the case of finite $\mathbf{L}$. Provided some requirements on $\mathbf{L}$ are met, our main result establishes a categorical duality for this class of algebras, which covers the above cases of MV-algebras and positive MV-algebras.