Paper detail

A logic of co-valuations

A co-valuation is, essentially, a minimal finite cover. We introduce a logic based on co-valuations, which play the role of valuations of free variables in classical first-order logic, and show that the fundamental tools of model theory -- such as ultraproducts, compactness, and omitting types -- can be developed in this setup. Using a recently discovered duality between certain countable posets and second-countable compact $T_1$ spaces, we show that these spaces are counterparts of countable universes in first-order logic. Thus, although no topology appears in the initial formulation, the logic of co-valuations turns out to be naturally suited for studying compact topological objects. Standard topological notions, such as connectedness and covering dimension, are easily expressible, and model-theoretic properties, such as atomicity, can be effectively analyzed. The framework also interacts well with Fraïssé-type constructions.