A characterization of companionable, universal theories

Abstract

A first-order theory is companionable if it is mutually model-consistent with a model-complete theory. The latter theory is then called a model-companion for the former theory. For example, the theory of formally real fields is a companionable theory; its model-companion is the theory of real closed fields. If a companionable, inductive theory has the amalgamation property, then its model-companion is actually a model-completion. For example, the theory of fields is a companionable, inductive theory with the amalgamation property; its model-completion is the theory of algebraically closed fields.The goal of this paper is the characterization, by “algebraic” or “structural” properties, of the companionable, universal theories which satisfy a certain finiteness condition. A theory is companionable precisely when the theory consisting of its universal consequences is companionable. Both theories have the same model-companion if either has one. Accordingly, nought is lost by the restriction to universal theories. The finiteness condition, finite presentation decompositions, is an analogue for an arbitrary theory of the decomposition of a radical ideal in a Noetherian, commutative ring into a finite intersection of prime ideals for the theory of integral domains. The companionable theories with finite presentation decompositions are characterized by two properties: a coherence property for finitely generated submodels of finitely presented models and a homomorphism lifting property for homomorphisms from submodels of finitely presented models.