Strong retracts of unary algebras

Abstract

This paper introduces the notion of a strong retract of an algebra and then focuses on strong retracts of unary algebras. We characterize subuniverses of a unary algebra which are carriers of its strong retracts. This characterization enables us to describe the poset of strong retracts of a unary algebra under inclusion. Since this poset is not necessarily a lattice, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for the poset to be a lattice, as well as the full description of the poset.