Finitely Presented Heyting Algebras

In this paper we study the structure of finitely presented Heyting algebras. Using algebraic techniques (as opposed to techniques from proof-theory) we show that every such Heyting algebra is in fact coHeyting, improving on a result of Ghilardi who showed that Heyting algebras free on a finite set of generators are co-Heyting. Along the way we give a new and simple proof of the finite model property. Our main technical tool is a representation of finitely presented Heyting algebras in terms of a colimit of finite distributive lattices. As applications we construct explicitly the minimal join-irreducible elements (the atoms) and the maximal join-irreducible elements of a finitely presented Heyting algebras in terms of a given presentation. This gives as well a new proof of the disjunction property for intuitionistic propositional logic. Unfortunately not very much is known about the structure of Heyting algebras, although it is understood that implication causes the complex structure of Heyting algebras. Just to name an example, the free Boolean algebra on one generator has four elements, the free Heyting algebra on one generator is infinite. Our research was motivated a simple application of Pitts’ uniform interpolation theorem [11]. Combining it with the old analysis of Heyting algebras free on a finite set of generators by Urquhart [13] we get a faithful functor J : HA f.p. → PoSet, ∗BRICS, Basic Research in Computer Science, Centre of the Danish National Research Foundation, Computer Science Department, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade, DK–8000 Århus C, Denmark, [email protected].