Gelfand spectra in Grothendieck toposes using geometric mathematics

Bas Spitters, Steven Vickers, Sander Wolters

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperConference articleResearchpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In the (covariant) topos approach to quantum theory by Heunen, Landsman and Spitters, one associates to each unital C∗-algebra A a topos T (A) of sheaves on a locale and a commutative C∗-algebra A within that topos. The Gelfand spectrum of A is a locale Σ in this topos, which is equivalent to a bundle over the base locale. We further develop this external presentation of the locale Σ, by noting that the construction of the Gelfand spectrum in a general topos can be described using geometric logic. As a consequence, the spectrum, seen as a bundle, is computed fibrewise. As a by-product of the geometricity of Gelfand spectra, we find an explicit external description of the spectrum whenever the topos is a functor category. As an intermediate result we show that locally perfect maps compose, so that the externalization of a locally compact locale in a topos of sheaves over a locally compact locale is locally compact, too.

Original languageEnglish
JournalElectronic Proceedings in Theoretical Computer Science, EPTCS
Volume158
Pages (from-to)77-107
Number of pages31
ISSN2075-2180
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2014
Externally publishedYes
Event9th Workshop on Quantum Physics and Logic, QPL 2012 - Brussels, Belgium
Duration: 10 Oct 201212 Oct 2012

Conference

Conference9th Workshop on Quantum Physics and Logic, QPL 2012
Country/TerritoryBelgium
CityBrussels
Period10/10/201212/10/2012

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