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 , and let be the category of profinite sets of cardinality less than , with continuous maps. A -condensed set is a presheaf such that:
- is a one-point set.
- For all , the map is a bijection.
- For each continuous surjection , the map is a bijection from onto the equalizer of the two maps induced by the projections.
A condensed set is a -condensed set for some such . Formally, the category of condensed sets is the union (colimit) over of the categories of -condensed sets.
Remarks
The three conditions say exactly that is a sheaf for the Grothendieck topology whose covering families are the finite jointly surjective families. The cardinal only avoids set-theoretic size problems; other authors use sheaves on all compact Hausdorff spaces with a fixed universe. Example: for a topological space , the functor of continuous maps is a condensed set. A continuous map on is a pair of continuous maps. A continuous map on that agrees on the two pullbacks descends to , because a surjection of compact Hausdorff spaces is a quotient map. Non-example: for a set with at least two points, the constant presheaf fails clause 1, since . The value 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.
Show the path as a graph
- no evidence level
- Equalizer concept
- Presheaf concept
- Product concept
- Sheaf on a site concept
- Stone space concept
- Condensed set definition
Further reading
About this page
| Tag | Z4JZPEBM68 |
|---|---|
| URI | m2://Z4JZPEBM68 |
| Kind | definition |
| Writing | W0 stub |
| MSC | 18F10, 18F20 |
| Defines | Condensed set |
| Uses | Stone space, Presheaf, Sheaf on a site, Product, Equalizer |
| Changed | 2 November 2026 |
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