Math 2.0

Category theory; homological algebra Definition

Condensed set

Builds on Stone spacePresheafSheaf on a siteProductEqualizer

Definition

A profinite set is a Stone space, that is, a compact Hausdorff totally disconnected space. Fix an uncountable strong limit cardinal ฮบ\kappa, and let ๐๐ซ๐จ๐…๐ข๐งฮบ\mathbf{ProFin}_\kappa be the category of profinite sets of cardinality less than ฮบ\kappa, with continuous maps. A ฮบ\kappa-condensed set is a presheaf Tโ€‰โฃ:๐๐ซ๐จ๐…๐ข๐งฮบopโ†’๐’๐ž๐ญT \colon \mathbf{ProFin}_\kappa^{\mathrm{op}} \to \mathbf{Set} such that:

  1. T(โˆ…)T(\emptyset) is a one-point set.
  2. For all S1,S2S_1, S_2, the map T(S1โŠ”S2)โ†’T(S1)ร—T(S2)T(S_1 \sqcup S_2) \to T(S_1) \times T(S_2) is a bijection.
  3. For each continuous surjection pโ€‰โฃ:Sโ€ฒโ†’Sp \colon S' \to S, the map T(p)T(p) is a bijection from T(S)T(S) onto the equalizer of the two maps T(Sโ€ฒ)โ‡‰T(Sโ€ฒร—SSโ€ฒ)T(S') \rightrightarrows T(S' \times_S S') induced by the projections.

A condensed set is a ฮบ\kappa-condensed set for some such ฮบ\kappa. Formally, the category of condensed sets is the union (colimit) over ฮบ\kappa of the categories of ฮบ\kappa-condensed sets.

Remarks

The three conditions say exactly that TT is a sheaf for the Grothendieck topology whose covering families are the finite jointly surjective families. The cardinal ฮบ\kappa only avoids set-theoretic size problems; other authors use sheaves on all compact Hausdorff spaces with a fixed universe. Example: for a topological space XX, the functor Xโ€พ(S)=C(S,X)\underline{X}(S) = C(S, X) of continuous maps is a condensed set. A continuous map on S1โŠ”S2S_1 \sqcup S_2 is a pair of continuous maps. A continuous map on Sโ€ฒS' that agrees on the two pullbacks descends to SS, because a surjection of compact Hausdorff spaces is a quotient map. Non-example: for a set AA with at least two points, the constant presheaf T(S)=AT(S) = A fails clause 1, since T(โˆ…)=AT(\emptyset) = A. The value T(โˆ—)T(*) at a point is the underlying set of the condensed set.

Reading path

To understand this page from the ground up, read these 6 pages in order. The foundations come first.

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Each page uses the pages above it. The colour of the bar on a box shows how strong the evidence is, and the box also gives it as text. The list has the same pages.
  • no evidence level
  1. Equalizer concept
  2. Presheaf concept
  3. Product concept
  4. Sheaf on a site concept
  5. Stone space concept
  6. Condensed set definition

Further reading

  1. Web https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensed_mathematics
About this page
TagZ4JZPEBM68
URIm2://Z4JZPEBM68
Kinddefinition
WritingW0 stub
MSC18F10, 18F20
DefinesCondensed set
UsesStone space, Presheaf, Sheaf on a site, Product, Equalizer
Changed2 November 2026

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