The unification of

Mathematics
via
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
unifying spaces
in Mathematics

Background
The unification of Mathematics
Toposes as
bridges

A new way of
via
doing
Mathematics Topos Theory
Topos-theoretic
invariants

The duality
theorem
Olivia Caramello
Examples
Theories of presheaf
type
University of Cambridge
Frasss
construction from a
topos-theoretic
perspective

For further
reading
The unification of
Mathematics
via
Toposes as unifying spaces in Mathematics
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello
In this lecture, whenever I use the word topos, I really mean
Toposes as
unifying spaces
Grothendieck topos.
in Mathematics

Background

Toposes as
Recall that a Grothendieck topos can be seen as:
bridges
a generalized space
A new way of
doing
Mathematics
a mathematical universe
Topos-theoretic a geometric theory modulo Morita-equivalence where
invariants

The duality
Morita-equivalence is the equivalence relation which
theorem identifies two (geometric) theories precisely when they have
Examples
Theories of presheaf
equivalent categories of models in any Grothendieck topos
type
Frasss
E , naturally in E .
construction from a
topos-theoretic
perspective
In this talk, we present a new view of toposes as unifying spaces
For further which can serve as bridges for transferring information, ideas and
reading
results between distinct mathematical theories. This approach,
first introduced in my Ph.D. thesis, has already generated
ramifications into distinct mathematical fields and points towards
a realization of Topos Theory as a unifying theory of Mathematics.

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The unification of
Mathematics
via
Some examples from my research
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as Model Theory (a topos-theoretic interpretation of Frasss

unifying spaces
in Mathematics construction in Model Theory)
Background
Algebra (an application of De Morgans law to the theory of
Toposes as
bridges fields - jointly with P. T. Johnstone)
A new way of
doing Topology (a unified approach to Stone-type dualities)
Mathematics

Topos-theoretic Proof Theory (an equivalence between the traditional proof

invariants
system of geometric logic and a categorical system based on
The duality
theorem the notion of Grothendieck topology)
Examples
Theories of presheaf
Definability (applications of universal models to definability)
type
Frasss
construction from a
These are just a few examples selected from my research; as I
topos-theoretic
perspective see it, the interest of them especially lies in the fact that they
For further demonstrate the technical usefulness and centrality of the
reading
philosophy Toposes as bridges described below: without much
effort, one can generate an infinite number of new theorems by
applying these methodologies!

3 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
Geometric theories
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as Definition
unifying spaces
in Mathematics A geometric formula over a signature is any formula (with a
Background
finite number of free variables) built from atomic formulae
Toposes as
bridges over by only using finitary conjunctions, infinitary
A new way of disjunctions and existential quantifications.
doing
Mathematics
A geometric theory over a signature is any theory whose
Topos-theoretic
invariants axioms are of the form ( `~x ), where and are
The duality geometric formulae over and ~x is a context suitable for
theorem

Examples
both of them.
Theories of presheaf
type
Frasss
construction from a
Fact
topos-theoretic
perspective Most of the theories naturally arising in Mathematics are
For further
reading
geometric; and if a finitary first-order theory is not geometric, we
can always associate to it a finitary geometric theory over a larger
signature (the so-called Morleyization of the theory) with
essentially the same models in the category Set of sets.

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The unification of
Mathematics
via
The notion of classifying topos
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
Definition
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
Let T be a geometric theory over a given signature. A classifying
Background topos of T is a Grothendieck topos Set[T] such that for any
Toposes as Grothendieck topos E we have an equivalence of categories
bridges

A new way of
doing Geom(E , Set[T]) ' T-mod(E )
Mathematics

Topos-theoretic
invariants natural in E .
The duality
theorem Theorem
Examples
Theories of presheaf
Every geometric theory (over a given signature) has a classifying
type
Frasss
topos. Conversely, every Grothendieck topos arises as the
construction from a
topos-theoretic classifying topos of some geometric theory.
perspective

For further The classifying topos of a geometric theory T can always be

reading
constructed canonically from the theory by means of a syntactic
construction, namely as the topos of sheaves Sh(CT , JT ) on the
geometric syntactic category CT of T with respect to the syntactic
topology JT on it (i.e. the canonical Grothendieck topology on CT ).

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The unification of
Mathematics
via
Toposes as bridges I
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
Definition
unifying spaces
in Mathematics By a site of definition of a Grothendieck topos E , we mean a
Background
site (C , J) such that E ' Sh(C , J).
Toposes as
bridges We shall say that two geometric theories are
A new way of
doing
Morita-equivalent if they have equivalent categories of
Mathematics
models in every Grothendieck topos E , naturally in E .
Topos-theoretic
invariants

The duality Note that to be Morita-equivalent to each other defines an

theorem
equivalence relation of the collection of all geometric theories.
Examples
Theories of presheaf
type
Two geometric theories are Morita-equivalent if and only if
Frasss
construction from a
they are biinterpretable in each other (in a generalized
topos-theoretic
perspective sense).
For further
reading On the other hand, the notion of Morita-equivalence is a
semantical one, and we can expect most of the categorical
equivalences between categories of models of geometric
theories in Set to lift to Morita-equivalences.

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The unification of
Mathematics
via
Toposes as bridges II
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello
In fact, many important dualities and equivalences in
Toposes as
unifying spaces Mathematics can be naturally interpreted in terms of
in Mathematics

Background
Morita-equivalences (either as Morita-equivalences
Toposes as
themselves or as arising from the process of functorializing
bridges Morita-equivalences).
A new way of
doing On the other hand, Topos Theory itself is a primary source of
Mathematics

Topos-theoretic
Morita-equivalences. Indeed, different representations of the
invariants same topos can be interpreted as Morita-equivalences
The duality
theorem
between different mathematical theories.
Examples It is fair to say that the notion of Morita-equivalence
Theories of presheaf
type formalizes in many situations the feeling of looking at the
Frasss
construction from a
topos-theoretic
same thing in different ways, which explains why it is
perspective
ubiquitous in Mathematics.
For further
reading Also, the notion captures the intrinsic dynamism inherent to
the notion of mathematical theory; indeed, a mathematical
theory alone gives rise to an infinite number of
Morita-equivalences.

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The unification of
Mathematics
via
Toposes as bridges III
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
Two geometric theories have equivalent classifying toposes if
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
and only if they are Morita-equivalent to each other.
Background Hence, a topos can be seen as a canonical representative of
Toposes as
bridges
equivalence classes of geometric theories modulo
A new way of
Morita-equivalence. So, we can think of a topos as
doing
Mathematics
embodying the common features of mathematical theories
Topos-theoretic which are Morita-equivalent to each other.
invariants

The duality
The essential features of Morita-equivalences are all hidden
theorem
inside Grothendieck toposes, and can be revealed by using
Examples
Theories of presheaf
their different sites of definition.
type
Frasss Conceptually, a property of geometric theories which is stable
construction from a
topos-theoretic
perspective
under Morita-equivalence is a property of their classifying
For further
topos.
reading Technically, considered the richness and flexibility of
topos-theoretic methods, we can expect these properties to be
expressible as topos-theoretic invariants (in the sense of
properties of toposes written in the language of Topos Theory).

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The unification of
Mathematics
via
Toposes as bridges IV
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello The underlying intuition behind this is that a given

Toposes as
mathematical property can manifest itself in several different
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
forms in the context of mathematical theories which have a
Background common semantical core but a different linguistic
Toposes as presentation.
bridges
The remarkable fact is that if the property is formulated as a
A new way of
doing topos-theoretic invariant on some topos then the expression of
Mathematics
it in terms of the different theories classified by the topos is
Topos-theoretic
invariants determined to a great extent by the structural relationship
The duality
theorem
between the topos and the different sites of definition for it.
Examples
Indeed, the fact that different mathematical theories have
Theories of presheaf
type
equivalent classifying toposes translates into the existence of
Frasss
construction from a
different sites of definition for one topos.
topos-theoretic
perspective
Topos-theoretic invariants can then be used to transfer
For further properties from one theory to another.
reading
In fact, any invariant behaves like a pair of glasses which
allows us to discern certain information which is hidden in the
given Morita-equivalence. Different invariants enable us to
extract different information.

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The unification of
Mathematics
via
Toposes as bridges V
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
unifying spaces
in Mathematics This methodology is technically feasible because the
Background relationship between a site (C , J) and the topos Sh(C , J)
Toposes as
bridges
which it generates is often very natural, enabling us to easily
A new way of
transfer invariants across different sites.
doing
Mathematics A topos thus acts as a bridge which allows the transfer of
Topos-theoretic
invariants
information and results between theories which are
The duality
Morita-equivalent to each other:
theorem

Examples

2 Sh(C , J) ' Sh(C 0 , J 0 )

Theories of presheaf
type
Frasss
construction from a
topos-theoretic
perspective

For further "

reading
(C , J) (C 0 , J 0 )

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The unification of
Mathematics
via
Toposes as bridges VI
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
unifying spaces
in Mathematics

Background The level of generality represented by topos-theoretic

Toposes as invariants is ideal to capture several important features of
bridges
mathematical theories. Indeed, as shown in my thesis,
A new way of
doing important topos-theoretic invariants considered on the
Mathematics

Topos-theoretic
classifying topos Set[T] of a geometric theory T translate into
invariants interesting logical (i.e. syntactic or semantic) properties of T.
The duality
theorem The fact that topos-theoretic invariants often specialize to
Examples important properties or constructions of natural mathematical
Theories of presheaf
type interest is a clear indication of the centrality of these
Frasss
construction from a
topos-theoretic
concepts in Mathematics. In fact, whatever happens at the
perspective
level of toposes has uniform ramifications in Mathematics as
For further
reading a whole.

11 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
A new way of doing Mathematics I
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello The working mathematician could very well attempt to

Toposes as
formulate his or her properties of interest in terms of
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
topos-theoretic invariants, and derive equivalent versions of
Background them by using alternative sites.
Toposes as Also, whenever one discovers a duality or an equivalence of
bridges
mathematical theories, one should try to interpret it in terms of
A new way of
doing a Morita-equivalence, calculate the classifying topos of the two
Mathematics
theories and apply topos-theoretic methods to extract new
Topos-theoretic
invariants information about it.
The duality These methodologies define a new way of doing Mathematics
theorem

Examples
which is upside-down compared with the usual one. Instead
Theories of presheaf
type
of starting with simple ingredients and combining them to build
Frasss
construction from a
more complicated structures, one assumes as primitive
topos-theoretic
perspective ingredients rich and sophisticated mathematical entities,
For further namely Morita-equivalences and topos-theoretic invariants,
reading
and extracts from them a huge amount of information relevant
for classical mathematics.

12 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
A new way of doing Mathematics I
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello The working mathematician could very well attempt to

Toposes as
formulate his or her properties of interest in terms of
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
topos-theoretic invariants, and derive equivalent versions of
Background them by using alternative sites.
Toposes as Also, whenever one discovers a duality or an equivalence of
bridges
mathematical theories, one should try to interpret it in terms of
A new way of
doing a Morita-equivalence, calculate the classifying topos of the two
Mathematics
theories and apply topos-theoretic methods to extract new
Topos-theoretic
invariants information about it.
The duality These methodologies define a new way of doing Mathematics
theorem

Examples
which is upside-down compared with the usual one. Instead
Theories of presheaf
type
of starting with simple ingredients and combining them to build
Frasss
construction from a
more complicated structures, one assumes as primitive
topos-theoretic
perspective ingredients rich and sophisticated mathematical entities,
For further namely Morita-equivalences and topos-theoretic invariants,
reading
and extracts from them a huge amount of information relevant
for classical mathematics.

13 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
A new way of doing Mathematics II
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello There is an strong element of automatism in these techniques;

Toposes as
by means of them, one can generate new mathematical results
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
without really making any creative effort: indeed, in many
Background cases one can just readily apply the general characterizations
Toposes as connecting properties of sites and topos-theoretic invariants to
bridges
the particular Morita-equivalence under consideration.
A new way of
doing The results generated in this way are in general non-trivial; in
Mathematics
some cases they can be rather weird according to the usual
Topos-theoretic
invariants mathematical standards (although they might still be quite
The duality
theorem
deep) but, with a careful choice of Morita-equivalences and
Examples
invariants, one can easily get interesting and natural
Theories of presheaf
type
mathematical results.
Frasss
construction from a
In fact, a lot of information that is not visible with the usual
topos-theoretic
perspective glasses is revealed by the application of this machinery.
For further On the other hand, the range of applicability of these methods
reading
is boundless within Mathematics, by the very generality of the
notion of topos.

14 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
Topos-theoretic invariants
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello Definition

Toposes as
By a topos-theoretic invariant we mean a property of (or a
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
construction involving) toposes which is stable under categorical
Background
equivalence.
Toposes as Examples of topos-theoretic invariants include:
bridges

A new way of
to be a classifying topos for a geometric theory.
doing
Mathematics
to be a Boolean (resp. De Morgan) topos.
Topos-theoretic to be an atomic topos.
invariants
to be equivalent to a presheaf topos.
The duality
theorem to be a connected (resp. locally connected, compact) topos.
Examples to be a subtopos (in the sense of geometric inclusion) of a given
Theories of presheaf
type topos.
Frasss
construction from a
to have enough points.
topos-theoretic
perspective to be two-valued.
For further
reading
Of course, there are a great many others, and one can always
introduce new ones!
Sometimes, in order to obtain more specific results, it is convenient to
consider invariants of objects of toposes rather than global
invariants of toposes.
15 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
Subtoposes
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
unifying spaces
in Mathematics

Background
Definition
Toposes as
A subtopos of a topos E is a geometric inclusion of the form
bridges
shj (E ) , E for a local operator j on E .
A new way of
doing
Mathematics Fact
Topos-theoretic
invariants A subtopos of a topos E can be thought of as an equivalence
The duality
theorem
class of geometric inclusions with codomain E ; hence, the
Examples notion of subtopos is a topos-theoretic invariant.
If E is the topos Sh(C , J) of sheaves on a site (C , J), the
Theories of presheaf
type

subtoposes of E are in bijective correspondence with the

Frasss
construction from a
topos-theoretic
perspective
Grothendieck topologies J 0 on C which contain J (i.e. such
For further
reading that every J-covering sieve is J 0 -covering).

16 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
The duality theorem
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
Definition
Background Let T be a geometric theory over a signature . A quotient of
Toposes as
bridges T is a geometric theory T0 over such that every axiom of T
A new way of is provable in T0 .
doing
Mathematics Let T and T0 be geometric theories over a signature . We
Topos-theoretic
invariants
say that T and T0 are syntactically equivalent, and we write
The duality T s T0 , if for every geometric sequent over , is
theorem
provable in T if and only if is provable in T0 .
Examples
Theories of presheaf
type
Frasss
construction from a
Theorem
topos-theoretic
perspective Let T be a geometric theory over a signature . Then the
For further
reading
assignment sending a quotient of T to its classifying topos defines
a bijection between the s -equivalence classes of quotients of T
and the subtoposes of the classifying topos Set[T] of T.

17 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
A simple example
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello
In light of the fact that the notion of subtopos is a topos-theoretic
Toposes as
unifying spaces invariant, the duality theorem allows us to easily transfer
in Mathematics
information between quotients of geometric theories classified by
Background
the same topos.
Toposes as
bridges For example, consider the following problem. Suppose to have a
A new way of
doing
Morita-equivalence between two geometric theories T and S.
Mathematics

Topos-theoretic Question: If T0 is a quotient of T, is there a quotient S0 of S such

invariants
that the given Morita-equivalence restricts to a Morita-equivalence
The duality
theorem between T0 and S0 ?
Examples
Theories of presheaf
type
Frasss
The duality theorem gives a straight positive answer to this
construction from a
topos-theoretic question. In fact, both quotients of T and quotients of S
perspective

For further
correspond bijectively with subtoposes of the classifying topos
reading Set[T] = Set[S].

Note the role of the classifying topos as a bridge between the

two theories!

18 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
A simple example
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello
In light of the fact that the notion of subtopos is a topos-theoretic
Toposes as
unifying spaces invariant, the duality theorem allows us to easily transfer
in Mathematics
information between quotients of geometric theories classified by
Background
the same topos.
Toposes as
bridges For example, consider the following problem. Suppose to have a
A new way of
doing
Morita-equivalence between two geometric theories T and S.
Mathematics

Topos-theoretic Question: If T0 is a quotient of T, is there a quotient S0 of S such

invariants
that the given Morita-equivalence restricts to a Morita-equivalence
The duality
theorem between T0 and S0 ?
Examples
Theories of presheaf
type
Frasss
The duality theorem gives a straight positive answer to this
construction from a
topos-theoretic question. In fact, both quotients of T and quotients of S
perspective

For further
correspond bijectively with subtoposes of the classifying topos
reading Set[T] = Set[S].

Note the role of the classifying topos as a bridge between the

two theories!

19 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
Applications
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
The duality theorem realizes a unification between the theory of
Background elementary toposes and geometric logic. In fact, there are several
Toposes as notions and results in elementary Topos Theory which apply to
bridges
subtoposes of a given topos; all of these results can then be
A new way of
doing transferred into the world of Logic by passing through the theory
Mathematics

Topos-theoretic
of Grothendieck toposes. Examples include:
invariants

The duality
The notion of Booleanization (resp. DeMorganization) of a
theorem geometric theory.
Examples
Theories of presheaf The logical interpretation of the surjection-inclusion
type
Frasss factorization of a geometric morphism.
construction from a
topos-theoretic
perspective The Heyting algebra structure on the collection of
For further
reading
(syntactic-equivalence classes of) geometric theories over a
given signature.

20 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
Theories of presheaf type
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello Definition

Toposes as A geometric theory T over a signature is said to be of presheaf
unifying spaces
in Mathematics type if it is classified by a presheaf type.
Background A model M of a theory of presheaf type T in the category Set is
Toposes as
bridges
said to be finitely presentable if the functor
A new way of
HomT-mod(Set) (M, ) : T-mod(Set) Set preserves filtered
doing
Mathematics
colimits.
Topos-theoretic
invariants The class of theories of presheaf type contains all the finitary
The duality algebraic theories and many other significant mathematical theories.
theorem

Examples Fact
Theories of presheaf
type For any theory of presheaf type C , we have two different
Frasss
construction from a representations of its classifying topos:
topos-theoretic
perspective

For further [f.p.T-mod(Set), Set] ' Sh(CT , JT )

reading

where f.p.T-mod(Set) is the category of finitely presentable T-models.

Note that this gives us a perfect opportunity to test the effectiveness
of the philosophy toposes as bridges!

21 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
Topos-theoretic Frasss construction
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
Theorem
unifying spaces
in Mathematics
Let T be a theory of presheaf type such that the category
Background
f.p.T-mod(Set) satisfies both amalgamation and joint embedding
Toposes as properties. Then any two countable homogeneous T-models in
bridges
Set are isomorphic.
A new way of
doing
Mathematics
The quotient of T axiomatizing the homogeneous T-models is
Topos-theoretic precisely the Booleanization of T.
invariants

The duality
theorem The theorem is proved by means of an investigation of topos
Examples
Theories of presheaf
Sh(f.p.T-mod(Set)op , Jat )
type
Frasss
construction from a
geometrically
topos-theoretic
perspective syntactically
For further
reading semantically
The main result arises from an integration of these three lines of
investigation according to the principles toposes as bridges
explained above.

22 / 23
The unification of
Mathematics
via
For further reading
Topos Theory

Olivia Caramello

Toposes as
unifying spaces
in Mathematics

Background

Toposes as
bridges
O. Caramello.
A new way of
doing The unification of Mathematics via Topos Theory,
Mathematics

Topos-theoretic
arXiv:math.CT/1006.3930, 2010
invariants

The duality
O. Caramello.
theorem The Duality between Grothendieck toposes and Geometric
Examples
Theories of presheaf
Theories, Ph.D. thesis
type
Frasss
University of Cambridge, 2009
construction from a
topos-theoretic
perspective

For further
reading

23 / 23