arXiv subjects

Dirk Hofmann

Publications and source records attributed to Dirk Hofmann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The Only Distributive Law Over the Powerset Monad Is the One You Know

Distributive laws of set functors over the powerset monad (also known as Kleisli laws for the powerset monad) are well-known to be in one-to-one correspondence with extensions of set functors to functors on the category of sets and relations. We study the question of existence and uniqueness of such distributive laws. Our main result entails that an accessible set functor admits a distributive law over the powerset monad if and only if it preserves weak pullbacks, in which case the so-called power law (which induces the Barr extension) is the unique one. Furthermore, we show that the powerset functor admits exactly three distributive laws over the powerset monad, revealing that uniqueness may fail for non-accessible functors.

cs.LO↗

arXiv2025

Notions of Cauchy completeness for normed categories

As already mentioned by Lawvere in his 1973 paper, the characterisation of Cauchy completeness of metric spaces in terms of representability of adjoint distributors amounts to the idempotent-split property of an ordinary category when the governing symmetric monoidal-closed category is changed from the extended real half-line to the category of sets. In this paper, for any commutative quantale $\mathcal{V}$, we extend these two characterisations of Lawvere-style completeness to $\mathcal{V}$-normed categories, thus replacing $[0,\infty]$ and $\mathsf{Set}$ more generally by the category $\mathsf{Set}{/\!\!/}\mathcal{V}$ of $\mathcal{V}$-normed sets. We also establish improvements of recent results regarding the normed convergence of Cauchy sequences in two important $\mathcal{V}$-normed categories.

math.CT↗

arXiv2025

Topological lax comma categories

This paper investigates the interplay between properties of a topological space $X$, in particular of its natural order, and properties of the lax comma category $\mathsf{Top} \Downarrow X$, where $\mathsf{Top}$ denotes the category of topologicalspaces and continuous maps. Namely, it is shown that, whenever $X$ is a topological $\bigwedge$-semilattice, the canonical forgetful functor $\mathsf{Top} \Downarrow X \to \mathsf{Top}$ is topological, preserves and reflects exponentials, and preserves effective descent morphisms. Moreover, under additional conditions on $X$, a characterisation of effective descent morphisms is obtained.

math.CT↗

arXiv2025

Relators and Notions of Simulation Revisited

Simulations and bisimulations are ubiquitous in the study of concurrent systems and modal logics of various types. Besides classical relational transition systems, relevant system types include, for instance, probabilistic, weighted, neighbourhood-based, and game-based systems. Universal coalgebra abstracts system types in this sense as set functors. Notions of (bi)simulation then arise by extending the functor to act on relations in a suitable manner, turning it into what may be termed a relator. We contribute to the study of relators in the broadest possible sense, in particular in relation to their induced notions of (bi)similarity. Specifically, (i) we show that every functor that preserves a very restricted type of pullbacks (termed 1/4-iso pullbacks) admits a sound and complete notion of bisimulation induced by the coBarr relator; (ii) we establish equivalences between properties of relators and closure properties of the induced notion of (bi)simulation, showing in particular that the full set of expected closure properties requires the relator to be a lax extension, and that soundness of (bi)simulations requires preservation of diagonals; and (iii) we show that functors preserving inverse images admit a greatest lax extension. In a concluding case study, we apply (iii) to obtain a novel highly permissive notion of twisted bisimulation on labelled transition systems.

cs.LO↗

arXiv2024

Barr-coexactness for metric compact Hausdorff spaces

Compact metric spaces form an important class of metric spaces, but the category that they define lacks many important properties such as completeness and cocompleteness. In recent studies of "metric domain theory" and Stone-type dualities, the more general notion of a (separated) metric compact Hausdorff space emerged as a metric counterpart of Nachbin's compact ordered spaces. Roughly speaking, a metric compact Hausdorff space is a metric space equipped with a \emph{compatible} compact Hausdorff topology (which does not need to be the induced topology). These spaces maintain many important features of compact metric spaces, and, notably, the resulting category is much better behaved. Moreover, one can use inspiration from the theory of Nachbin's compact ordered spaces to solve problems for metric structures. In this paper we continue this line of research: in the category of separated metric compact Hausdorff spaces we characterise the regular monomorphisms as the embeddings and the epimorphisms as the surjective morphisms. Moreover, we show that epimorphisms out of an object $X$ can be encoded internally on $X$ by their kernel metrics, which are characterised as the continuous metrics below the metric on $X$; this gives a convenient way to represent quotient objects. Finally, as the main result, we prove that its dual category has an algebraic flavour: it is Barr-exact. While we show that it cannot be a variety of finitary algebras, it remains open whether it is an infinitary variety.

math.CT↗

arXiv2024

Cauchy convergence in V-normed categories

Building on the notion of normed category as suggested by Lawvere, we introduce notions of Cauchy convergence and cocompleteness which differ from proposals in previous works. Key to our approach is to treat them consequentially as categories enriched in the monoidal-closed category of normed sets. Our notions largely lead to the anticipated outcomes when considering individual metric spaces as small normed categories, but they can be challenging when considering some large categories, like those of semi-normed or normed vector spaces and all linear maps, or of generalized metric spaces and all mappings. These are the key example categories discussed in detail in this paper. Working with a general commutative quantale V as a value recipient for norms, rather than only with Lawvere's quantale of the extended real half-line, we observe that the categorically atypical structure gap between objects and morphisms in the example categories is already present in the underlying normed category of the enriching category of V-normed sets. To show that this normed category and, in fact, all presheaf categories over it, are Cauchy cocomplete, we assume the quantale V to satisfy a couple of light alternative extra properties. Of utmost importance to the general theory is the fact that our notion of normed colimit is subsumed by the notion of weighted colimit of enriched category theory. With this theory we are able to prove that all V-normed categories have correct-size Cauchy cocompletions. We also prove a Banach Fixed Point Theorem for contractive endofunctors of Cauchy cocomplete normed categories.

math.CT↗

arXiv2024

A variety of co-quasivarieties

It is shown that the duals of several categories of topological flavour, like the categories of ordered sets, generalised metric spaces, probabilistic metric spaces, topological spaces, approach spaces, are quasivarieties, presenting a common proof for all such results.

math.CT↗

arXiv2022

Quantitative Hennessy-Milner Theorems via Notions of Density

The classical Hennessy-Milner theorem is an important tool in the analysis of concurrent processes; it guarantees that any two non-bisimilar states in finitely branching labelled transition systems can be distinguished by a modal formula. Numerous variants of this theorem have since been established for a wide range of logics and system types, including quantitative versions where lower bounds on behavioural distance (e.g.~in weighted, metric, or probabilistic transition systems) are witnessed by quantitative modal formulas. Both the qualitative and the quantitative versions have been accommodated within the framework of coalgebraic logic, with distances taking values in quantales, subject to certain restrictions, such as being so-called value quantales. While previous quantitative coalgebraic Hennessy-Milner theorems apply only to liftings of set functors to (pseudo-)metric spaces, in the present work we provide a quantitative coalgebraic Hennessy-Milner theorem that applies more widely to functors native to metric spaces; notably, we thus cover, for the first time, the well-known Hennessy-Milner theorem for continuous probabilistic transition systems, where transitions are given by Borel measures on metric spaces, as an instance. In the process, we also relax the restrictions imposed on the quantale, and additionally parametrize the technical account over notions of closure and, hence, density, providing associated variants of the Stone-Weierstrass theorem; this allows us to cover, for instance, behavioural ultrametrics.

cs.LO↗

arXiv2022

Kantorovich Functors and Characteristic Logics for Behavioural Distances

Behavioural distances measure the deviation between states in quantitative systems, such as probabilistic or weighted systems. There is growing interest in generic approaches to behavioural distances. In particular, coalgebraic methods capture variations in the system type (nondeterministic, probabilistic, game-based etc.), and the notion of quantale abstracts over the actual values distances take, thus covering, e.g., two-valued equivalences, (pseudo-)metrics, and probabilistic (pseudo-)metrics. Coalgebraic behavioural distances have been based either on liftings of SET-functors to categories of metric spaces, or on lax extensions of SET-functors to categories of quantitative relations. Every lax extension induces a functor lifting but not every lifting comes from a lax extension. It was shown recently that every lax extension is Kantorovich, i.e. induced by a suitable choice of monotone predicate liftings, implying via a quantitative coalgebraic Hennessy-Milner theorem that behavioural distances induced by lax extensions can be characterized by quantitative modal logics. Here, we essentially show the same in the more general setting of behavioural distances induced by functor liftings. In particular, we show that every functor lifting, and indeed every functor on (quantale-valued) metric spaces, that preserves isometries is Kantorovich, so that the induced behavioural distance (on systems of suitably restricted branching degree) can be characterized by a quantitative modal logic.

math.CT↗

arXiv2021

A Point-free Perspective on Lax extensions and Predicate liftings

Lax extensions of set functors play a key role in various areas including topology, concurrent systems, and modal logic, while predicate liftings provide a generic semantics of modal operators. We take a fresh look at the connection between lax extensions and predicate liftings from the point of view of quantale-enriched relations. Using this perspective, we show in particular that various fundamental concepts and results arise naturally and their proofs become very elementary. Ultimately, we prove that every lax extension is induced by a class of predicate liftings; we discuss several implications of this result.

math.CT↗

arXiv2020

Duality theory for enriched Priestley spaces

The term Stone-type duality often refers to a dual equivalence between a category of lattices or other partially ordered structures on one side and a category of topological structures on the other. This paper is part of a larger endeavour that aims to extend a web of Stone-type dualities from ordered to metric structures and, more generally, to quantale-enriched categories. In particular, we improve our previous work and show how certain duality results for categories of [0,1]-enriched Priestley spaces and [0,1]-enriched relations can be restricted to functions. In a broader context, we investigate the category of quantale-enriched Priestley spaces and continuous functors, with emphasis on those properties which identify the algebraic nature of the dual of this category.

math.CT↗

arXiv2019

Hausdorff coalgebras

As composites of constant, (co)product, identity, and powerset functors, Kripke polynomial functors form a relevant class of $\mathsf{Set}$-functors in the theory of coalgebras. The main goal of this paper is to expand the theory of limits in categories of coalgebras of Kripke polynomial functors to the context of quantale-enriched categories. To assume the role of the powerset functor we consider "powerset-like" functors based on the Hausdorff $\mathsf{V}$-category structure. As a starting point, we show that for a lifting of a $\mathsf{SET}$-functor to a topological category $\mathsf{X}$ over $\mathsf{Set}$ that commutes with the forgetful functor, the corresponding category of coalgebras over $\mathsf{X}$ is topological over the category of coalgebras over $\mathsf{Set}$ and, therefore, it is "as complete" but cannot be "more complete". Secondly, based on a Cantor-like argument, we observe that Hausdorff functors on categories of quantale-enriched categories do not admit a terminal coalgebra. Finally, in order to overcome these "negative" results, we combine quantale-enriched categories and topology \emph{\`a la} Nachbin. Besides studying some basic properties of these categories, we investigate "powerset-like" functors which simultaneously encode the classical Hausdorff metric and Vietoris topology and show that the corresponding categories of coalgebras of "Kripke polynomial" functors are (co)complete.

math.CT↗

arXiv2019

Cartesian closed exact completions in topology

Using generalized enriched categories, in this paper we show that Rosický's proof of cartesian closedness of the exact completion of the category of topological spaces can be extended to a wide range of topological categories over $\mathsf{Set}$, like metric spaces, approach spaces, ultrametric spaces, probabilistic metric spaces, and bitopological spaces. In order to do so we prove a sufficient criterion for exponentiability of $(\mathbb{T},V)$-categories and show that, under suitable conditions, every $(\mathbb{T},V)$-injective category is exponentiable in $(\mathbb{T},V)\text{-}\mathsf{Cat}$.

math.CT↗

arXiv2017

Topology from enrichment: the curious case of partial metrics

For any small quantaloid $\Q$, there is a new quantaloid $\D(\Q)$ of diagonals in $\Q$. If $\Q$ is divisible then so is $\D(\Q)$ (and vice versa), and then it is particularly interesting to compare categories enriched in $\Q$ with categories enriched in $\D(\Q)$. Taking Lawvere's quantale of extended positive real numbers as base quantale, $\Q$-categories are generalised metric spaces, and $\D(\Q)$-categories are generalised partial metric spaces, i.e.\ metric spaces in which self-distance need not be zero and with a suitably modified triangular inequality. We show how every small quantaloid-enriched category has a canonical closure operator on its set of objects: this makes for a functor from quantaloid-enriched categories to closure spaces. Under mild necessary-and-sufficient conditions on the base quantaloid, this functor lands in the category of topological spaces; and an involutive quantaloid is Cauchy-bilateral (a property discovered earlier in the context of distributive laws) if and only if the closure on any enriched category is identical to the closure on its symmetrisation. As this now applies to metric spaces and partial metric spaces alike, we demonstrate how these general categorical constructions produce the "correct" definitions of convergence and Cauchyness of sequences in generalised partial metric spaces. Finally we describe the Cauchy-completion, the Hausdorff contruction and exponentiability of a partial metric space, again by application of general quantaloid-enriched category theory.

math.CT↗

arXiv2017

Generating the algebraic theory of $C(X)$: the case of partially ordered compact spaces

It is known since the late 1960's that the dual of the category of compact Hausdorff spaces and continuous maps is a variety -- not finitary, but bounded by $\aleph_1$. In this note we show that the dual of the category of partially ordered compact spaces and monotone continuous maps is a $\aleph_1$-ary quasivariety, and describe partially its algebraic theory. Based on this description, we extend these results to categories of Vietoris coalgebras and homomorphisms. We also characterise the $\aleph_1$-copresentable partially ordered compact spaces.

math.CT↗

arXiv2017

Convergence and quantale-enriched categories

Generalising Nachbin's theory of "topology and order", in this paper we continue the study of quantale-enriched categories equipped with a compact Hausdorff topology. We compare these $\mathcal{V}$-categorical compact Hausdorff spaces with ultrafilter-quantale-enriched categories, and show that the presence of a compact Hausdorff topology guarantees Cauchy completeness and (suitably defined) codirected completeness of the underlying quantale enriched category.

math.CT↗

arXiv2017

Enriched Stone-type dualities

A common feature of many duality results is that the involved equivalence functors are liftings of hom-functors into the two-element space resp. lattice. Due to this fact, we can only expect dualities for categories cogenerated by the two-element set with an appropriate structure. A prime example of such a situation is Stone's duality theorem for Boolean algebras and Boolean spaces,the latter being precisely those compact Hausdorff spaces which are cogenerated by the two-element discrete space. In this paper we aim for a systematic way of extending this duality theorem to categories including all compact Hausdorff spaces. To achieve this goal, we combine duality theory and quantale-enriched category theory. Our main idea is that, when passing from the two-element discrete space to a cogenerator of the category of compact Hausdorff spaces, all other involved structures should be substituted by corresponding enriched versions. Accordingly, we work with the unit interval $[0,1]$ and present duality theory for ordered and metric compact Hausdorff spaces and (suitably defined) finitely cocomplete categories enriched in $[0,1]$.

math.CT↗

arXiv2017

Limits in Categories of Vietoris Coalgebras

Motivated by the need to reason about hybrid systems, we study limits in categories of coalgebras whose underlying functor is a Vietoris polynomial one - intuitively, the topological analogue of a Kripke polynomial functor. Among other results, we prove that every Vietoris polynomial functor admits a final coalgebra if it respects certain conditions concerning separation axioms and compactness. When the functor is restricted to some of the categories induced by these conditions the resulting categories of coalgebras are even complete. As a practical application, we use these developments in the specification and analysis of non-deterministic hybrid systems, in particular to obtain suitable notions of stability, and behaviour.

cs.LO↗