Coset relation algebras

Abstract

A measurable relation algebra is a relation algebra in which the identity element is a sum of atoms that can be measured in the sense that the “size” of each such atom can be defined in an intuitive and reasonable way (within the framework of the first-order theory of relation algebras). A large class of examples of such algebras, using systems of groups and coordinated systems of isomorphisms between quotients of the groups, has been constructed. This class of group relation algebras is not large enough to exhaust the class of all measurable relation algebras. In the present article, the class of examples of measurable relation algebras is considerably extended by adding one more ingredient to the mix: systems of cosets that are used to “shift” the operation of relative multiplication. It is shown that, under certain additional hypotheses on the system of cosets, each such coset relation algebra with a shifted operation of relative multiplication is an example of a measurable relation algebra. We also show that the class of coset relation algebras does contain examples that are not representable as set relation algebras. In later articles, it is shown that the class of coset relation algebras is adequate to the task of describing all measurable relation algebras in the sense that every atomic measurable relation algebra is essentially isomorphic to a coset relation algebra, and the class of group relation algebras is similarly adequate to the task of representing all measurable relation algebras in which the associated groups are finite and cyclic.