Yet some more non-finite axiomatizability results for algebras of relations and ways to avoid them

Abstract

Let α be an infinite ordinal. Let RCAα denote the variety of representable cylindric algebras of dimension α. Modifying Andréka’s methods of splitting, we show that the variety RQEAα of representable quasi-polyadic equality algebras of dimension α is not axiomatized by a set of universal formulas containing only finitely many variables over the variety RQAα of representable quasi-polyadic algebras of dimension α. This strengthens a seminal result due to Sain and Thompson, answers a question posed by Andréka, and lifts to the transfinite a result of hers proved for finite dimensions > 2. Using the modified method of splitting, we show that all known complexity results on universal axiomatizations of RCAα (proved by Andréka) transfer to universal axiomatizations of RQEAα. From such results it can be inferred that any algebraizable extension of Lω,ω is severely incomplete if we insist on Tarskian square semantics. Ways of circumventing the strong non-negative axiomatizability results hitherto obtained in the first part of the paper, such as guarding semantics, and /or expanding the signature of RQEAω by substitutions indexed by transformations coming from a finitely presented subsemigroup of (ωω, ○) containing all transpositions and replacements, are surveyed, discussed, and elaborated upon.