The systematic study of planar semimodular lattices started in 2007 with a series of papers by G. Grätzer and E. Knapp. These lattices have connections with group theory and geometry. A planar semimodular lattice $L$ is {\it slim} if $M_3$ it is not a sublattice of $L$. In his 2016 monograph, "The Congruences of a Finite Lattice, A \emph{Proof-by-Picture Approach}", the second author asked for a characterization of congruence lattices of slim, planar, semimodular lattices. In addition to distributivity, both authors have previously found specific properties of these congruence lattices. In this paper, we present a new property, the {\it Three-pendant Three-crown Property}. The proof is based on the first author's papers: 2014 (multifork extensions), 2017 ($\mathcal C_1$-diagrams), and a recent paper (lamps), introducing the tools we need.
A planar (upper) semimodular lattice $L$ is slim if the five-element nondistributive modular lattice $M_3$ does not occur among its sublattices. (Planar lattices are finite by definition.) Slim rectangular lattices as particular slim planar semimodular lattices were defined by G. Grätzer and E. Knapp in 2007. In 2009, they also proved that the congruence lattices of slim planar semimodular lattices with at least three elements are the same as those of slim rectangular lattices. In order to provide an effective tool for studying these congruence lattices, we introduce the concept of lamps of sl…
For a slim, planar, semimodular lattice $L$ and covering square~$S$, G.~Czédli and E.\,T.~Schmidt introduced the fork extension, $L[S]$, which is also a slim, planar, semimodular lattice. We investigate when a congruence of $L$ extends to $L[S]$. We introduce a join-irreducible congruence $\boldsymbolγ(S)$ of $L[S]$. We determine when it is new, in the sense that it is not generated by a join-irreducible congruence of $L$. When it is new, we describe the congruence $\boldsymbolγ(S)$ in great detail. The main result follows: \emph{In the order of join-irreducible congruences of a slim, planar, …
In an earlier paper, to describe how a congruence spreads from a prime interval to another in a finite lattice, I introduced the concept of prime-perspectivity and its transitive extension, prime-projectivity and proved the Prime-projectivity Lemma. In this paper, I specialize the Prime-projectivity Lemma to slim, planar, semimodular lattices to obtain the Swing Lemma, a very powerful description of the congruence generated by a prime interval in this special class of lattices.
A lattice L is slim if it is finite and the set of its join-irreducible elements contains no three-element antichain. Slim, semimodular lattices were previously characterized by G. Czédli and E.T. Schmidt as the duals of the lattices consisting of the intersections of the members of two composition series in a group. Our main result determines the number of (isomorphism classes of) these lattices of a given size in a recursive way. The corresponding planar diagrams, up to similarity, are also enumerated. We prove that the number of diagrams of slim, distributive lattices of a given length b is…
A (Hasse) diagram of a finite partially ordered set (poset) P will be called quasiplanar if for any two incomparable elements u and v, either v is on the left of all maximal chains containing u, or v is on the right of all these chains. Every planar diagram is quasiplanar, and P has a quasiplanar diagram iff its order dimension is at most 2. A finite lattice is slim if it is join-generated by the union of two chains. We are interested in diagrams only up to similarity. The main result gives a bijection between the set of the (similarity classes of) finite quasiplanar diagrams and that of the (…
Let H and K be finite composition series of a group G. The intersections H_i\cap K_j of their members form a lattice CSL(H,\K) under set inclusion. Improving the Jordan-Hölder theorem, G. Grätzer, J.B. Nation and the present authors have recently shown that H and K determine a unique permutation pi such that, for all i, the i-th factor of H is "down-and-up projective" to the pi(i)-th factor of K. Equivalent definitions of pi were earlier given by R.P. Stanley and H. Abels. We prove that pi determines the lattice CLS(H,K). More generally, we describe slim semimodular lattices, up to isomorphism…
Since their introduction by G. Grätzer and E. Knapp in 2007, more than four dozen papers have been devoted to finite slim planar semimodular lattices (in short, SPS lattices or slim semimodular lattices) and to some related fields. In addition to distributivity, there have been seven known properties of the congruence lattices of these lattices. The first two properties were proved by G. Grätzer, the next four by the present author, while the seventh was proved jointly by G. Grätzer and the present author. Five out of the seven properties were found and proved by using lamps, which are lattice…
A planar semimodular lattice is slim if it does not contain $M_3$ as a sublattice. An SPS lattice is a slim, planar, semimodular lattice. A recent result of Gábor Czédli proves that there is an eight element (planar) distributive lattice that cannot be represented as the congruence lattice of an SPS lattice. We provide a new proof.
We describe the absolute retracts for the following classes of finite lattices: (1) slim semimodular lattices, (2) finite distributive lattices, and for each positive integer $n$, (3) at most $n$-dimensional finite distributive lattices. Although the singleton lattice is the only absolute retract for the first class, this result has paved the way to some other classes. For the second class, we prove that the absolute retracts are exactly the finite boolean lattices; this generalizes a 1979 result of J. Schmid. For the third class, the absolute retracts are the finite boolean lattices of dimens…
Slim semimodular lattices were introduced by G. Grätzer and E. Knapp in 2007, and they have intensively been studied since then. It is often reasonable to give these lattices by their $\mathcal C_1$-diagrams defined by the author in 2017. We prove that if $x$ and $y$ are incomparable elements in such a lattice $L$, then the interval $[x\wedge y, x]$ is a chain and this chain is of a normal slope in every $\mathcal C_1$-diagram of $L$. Except possibly for $x$, the elements of this chain are meet-reducible. If $A $ and $X$ are subsets of a lattice $K$, then a sublattice $S$ of a lattice $L$ has …
The Swing Lemma of the second author describes how a congruence spreads from a prime interval to another in a slim (having no $M_3$ sublattice), planar, semimodular lattice. We generalize the Swing Lemma to planar semimodular lattices.
In this note, I find a new property of the congruence lattice, Con$L$, of an SPS lattice $L$ (slim, planar, semimodular, where "slim" is the absence of~$\mathsf M_3$ sublattices) with more than $2$ elements: \emph{there are at least two dual atoms in Con$L$}. So the three-element chain cannot be represented as the congruence lattice of an SPS lattice, supplementing a~result of G. Czédli.
A 1955 result of J.~Jakubí k states that for the prime intervals $\fp$ and $\fq$ of a finite lattice, $\con{\fp} \geq \con{\fq}$ if{}f $\fp$ is congruence-projective to~$\fq$ (\emph{via} intervals of arbitrary size). The problem is how to determine whether $\con{\fp} \geq \con{\fq}$ involving only prime intervals. Two recent papers approached this problem in different ways. G. Czédli's used trajectories for slim rectangular lattices---a special subclass of slim, planar, semimodular lattices. I used the concept of prime-projectivity for arbitrary finite lattices. In this note I show how my appr…
Patch lattices, introduced by G. Czédli and E.T. Schmidt in 2013, are the building stones for slim (and so necessarily finite and planar) semimodular lattices with respect to gluing. Slim semimodular lattices were introduced by G. Grätzer and E. Knapp in 2007, and they have been intensively studied since then. Outside lattice theory, these lattices played the main role in adding a uniqueness part to the classical Jordan--Hölder theorem for groups by G. Czédli and E.T. Schmidt in 2011, and they also led to results in combinatorial geometry. In this paper, we prove that slim patch lattices are e…
This paper has been withdrawn by the authors due to a crucial computational error. In this paper we deal with the finite case. We prove that a finite bounded ordered set can be represented as the order of principal congruences of a finite \emph{semimodular lattice}.
In a 1998 paper with H. Lakser, the authors proved that every finite distributive lattice $D$ can be represented as the congruence lattice of a finite \emph{semimodular lattice}. Some ten years later, the first author and E. Knapp proved a much stronger result, proving the representation theorem for \emph{rectangular lattices}. In this note we present a short proof of these results.
Slim semimodular lattices (for short, SPS lattices) and slim rectangular lattices (for short, SR lattices) were introduced by G. Grätzer and E. Knapp in 2007 and 2009. These lattices are necessarily finite and planar, and they have been studied in more then four dozen papers since 2007. They are best understood with the help of their $\mathcal C_1$-diagrams, introduced by the author in 2017. For a diagram $F$ of a finite lattice $L$ and a congruence $α$ of $L$, we define the ``quotient diagram'' $F/α$ by taking the maximal elements of the $α$-blocks and preserving their geometric positions. Wh…
A planar semimodular lattice $K$ is \emph{slim} if $\mathsf{M}_3$ is not a sublattice of~$K$. In a recent paper, G. Czédli found four new properties of congruence lattices of slim, planar, semimodular lattices, including the \emph{No Child Property}: \emph{Let~$P$ be the ordered set of join-irreducible congruences of $K$. Let $x,y,z \in P$ and let $z$ be a~maximal element of $P$. If $x \neq y$, $x, y \prec z$ in $P$, then there is no element $u$ of $P$ such that $u \prec x, y$ in $P$.} We are applying my Swing Lemma, 2015, and a type of standardized diagrams of Czédli's, to verify Czédli's fou…
A planar semimodular lattice $K$ is \emph{slim} if $\mathsf{M}_{3}$ is not a sublattice of~$K$. In a recent paper, G. Czédli found four new properties of congruence lattices of slim, planar, semimodular lattices, including the \emph{No Child Property}: \emph{Let~$\mathcal{P}$ be the ordered set of join-irreducible congruences of $K$. Let $x,y,z \in \mathcal{P}$ and let $z$ be a~maximal element of $\mathcal{P}$. If $x \neq y$ and $x, y \prec z$ in $\mathcal{P}$, then there is no element $u$ of $\mathcal{P}$ such that $u \prec x, y$ in $\mathcal{P}$.} We are applying my Swing Lemma, 2015, and a …
Following G.~Grätzer and E.~Knapp, 2009, a planar semimodular lattice $L$ is \emph{rectangular}, if~the left boundary chain has exactly one doubly-irreducible element, $c_l$, and the right boundary chain has exactly one doubly-irreducible element, $c_r$, and these elements are complementary. The Czédli-Schmidt Sequences, introduced in 2012, construct rectangular lattices. We use them to prove some structure theorems. In particular, we prove that for a slim (no $\mathsf{M}_3$ sublattice) rectangular lattice~$L$, the congruence lattice $\Con L$ has exactly $\length[c_l,1] + \length[c_r,1]$ dual …
We prove that every finite distributive lattice $D$ can be represented as the congruence lattice of a rectangular lattice $K$ in which all congruences are principal. We verify this result in a stronger form as an extension theorem.
For a slim, planar, semimodular lattice, G. Czédli and E.\,T. Schmidt introduced the fork extension in 2012. In this note we prove that the fork extension has the Congruence Extension Property. This paper has been merged with Part II, under the title Congruences of fork extensions of slim semimodular lattices, see arXiv: 1307.8404
Let $L$ be a planar semimodular lattice. We call $L$ \emph{slim}, if it has no $\mthree$ sublattice. Let us define an \emph{SPS lattice} as a slim, planar, semimodular lattice $L$. In 2016, I proved a property of congruences of SPS lattices (Two-cover Property) and raised the problem of characterizing them. Since then, more than 50 papers have been published contributing to this problem. In this survey, I provide an overview of this field with major contributions by Gábor Czédli.
In 1980, U. Faigle introduced a sort of finite geometries on posets that are in bijective correspondence with finite semimodular lattices. His result has almost been forgotten in lattice theory. Here we simplify the axiomatization of these geometries, which we call Faigle geometries. To exemplify their usefulness, we give a short proof of a theorem of Grätzer and E. Knapp (2009) asserting that each slim semimodular lattice $L$ has a congruence-preserving extension to a slim rectangular lattice of the same length as $L$. As another application of Faigle geometries, we give a short proof of G. G…
In 2009, G. Grätzer and E. Knapp proved that every planar semimodular lattice has a rectangular extension. We prove that, under reasonable additional conditions, this extension is unique. This theorem naturally leads to a hierarchy of special diagrams of planar semimodular lattices. Besides that these diagrams are unique in a strong sense, we explore many of their further properties. Finally, we demonstrate the power of our new diagrams in two ways. First, we prove a simplified version of our earlier Trajectory Coloring Theorem, which describes the inclusion con(p)\supseteq\con(q) for prime in…
IIn a finite lattice, a congruence spreads from a prime interval to another by a sequence of congruence-perspectivities through \emph{intervals of arbitrary size}, by a 1955 result of J. Jakubík. In this note, I introduce the concept of \emph{prime-perspectivity} and prove the Prime-projectivity Lemma: a congruence spreads from a prime interval to another by a sequence of prime-perspectivities through \emph{prime ntervals}. A planar semimodular lattice is \emph{slim} if it contains no $\mathsf{M}_3$ sublattice. I introduce the Swing Lemma, a very strong version of the Prime-projectivity Lemma …
Let $L$ be a slim, planar, semimodular lattice (slim means that it does not contain ${\mathsf M}_3$-sublattices). We call the interval $I = [o, i]$ of $L$ \emph{rectangular}, if there are $u_l, u_r \in [o, i] - \{o,i\}$ such that $i = u_l \vee u_r$ and $o = u_l \wedge u_r$ where $u_l$ is to the left of $u_r$. \emph{The first result}: a rectangular interval of a rectangular lattice is a rectangular lattice. As an application, we get a recent result of G. Czédli. In a 2017 paper, G. Czédli introduced a very powerful diagram type for slim, planar, semimodular lattices, the \emph{$\mathcal{C}_1$-d…
A classical result of R.\,P. Dilworth states that every finite distributive lattice $D$ can be represented as the congruence lattice of a finite lattice~$L$. A~sharper form was published in G.~Grätzer and E.\,T. Schmidt in 1962, adding the requirement that all congruences in $L$ be principal. Another variant, published in 1998 by the authors and E.\,T. Schmidt, constructs a planar semimodular lattice $L$. In this paper, we merge these two results: we construct $L$ as a planar semimodular lattice in which all congruences are principal. This paper relies on the techniques developed by the author…
Let $L$ be a slim, planar, semimodular lattice (slim means that it does not contain an ${\mathsf M}_3$-sublattice). We call the interval $I = [o, i]$ of $L$ \emph{rectangular}, if there are complementary $a, b \in I$ such that $a$ is to the left of $b$. We claim that a rectangular interval of a slim rectangular lattice is also a slim rectangular lattice. We will present some applications, including a recent result of G. Czédli. In a paper with E. Knapp about a dozen years ago, we introduced natural diagrams} for slim rectangular lattices. Five years later, G. Czédli introduced ${\E C}_1$-diagr…
Dilworth's theorem. Every finite distributive lattice $D$ can be represented as the congruence lattice of a finite lattice $L$. We want: Every finite distributive lattice $D$ can be represented as the congruence lattice of a nice finite lattice $L$. nice = sectionally complemented, uniform, semimodular, given automorphism group, regular, uniform, isoform
Let $L$ be a slim, planar, semimodular lattice (slim means that it does not contain ${\mathsf M}_3$-sublattices). We call the interval $I = [o, i]$ of $L$ \emph{rectangular}, if there are $u_l, u_r \in [o, i] - \{o,i\}$ such that $o = u_l \wedge u_r$ and $i = u_l \vee u_r$, where $u_l$ is to the left of $u_r$. We prove that a rectangular interval of a rectangular lattice is a rectangular lattice. As an application, we get a recent result of G. Czédli.
