Completions of -algebras

A μ-algebra is a model of a first-order theory that is an extension of the theory of bounded lattices, that comes with pairs of terms (f,μ_x.f) where μ_x.f is axiomatized as the least prefixed point of f, whose axioms are equations or equational implications.Standard μ-algebras are complete meaning that their lattice reduct is a complete lattice. We prove that any nontrivial quasivariety of μ-algebras contains a μ-algebra that has no embedding into a complete μ-algebra.We then focus on modal μ-algebras, i.e. algebraic models of the propositional modal μ-calculus. We prove that free modal μ-algebras satisfy a condition–reminiscent of Whitman’s condition for free lattices–which allows us to prove that (i) modal operators are adjoints on free modal μ-algebras, (ii) least prefixed points of Σ₁-operations satisfy the constructive relation μ_x.f=_n≥0fⁿ(). These properties imply the following statement: the MacNeille–Dedekind completion of a free modal μ-algebra is a complete modal μ-algebra and moreover the canonical embedding preserves all the operations in the class of the fixed point alternation hierarchy.