Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2007 / iii / Paper 87 / 3 / a / Solution

Here a pointed complete partial order is a partially ordered set $D$ with a least element ${\perp }_D$ in which every nonempty directed set has a least upper bound. Directed means that every pair of its elements has an upper bound within that set. A Scott continuous map is monotone and preserves these directed suprema. It is not required to preserve the least element; restricting to strict maps would change the categorical claim. If completeness is instead formulated only for increasing countable chains, the same arguments below work with those chains.

Order the function space of complete partial orders $[D\to E]$ pointwise: $f\le g$ means $f(x)\le g(x)$ for every $x$. Its least element is the constant function with value ${\perp }_E$. For a directed family $\mathcal{F}$ of continuous maps, define $h(x)={\sup }_{f\in \mathcal{F}}f(x)$. This is well-defined and is its pointwise least upper bound. It is monotone. For any directed $A\subseteq D$,The interchange is valid because the combined family $\{f(a):f\in \mathcal{F},a\in A\}$ is directed, and either iterated supremum is its least upper bound. Thus $h$ is a Scott continuous map, proving that $[D\to E]$ is a pointed complete partial order.

Finite products carry the product order, componentwise suprema and least element $({\perp }_D,{\perp }_E)$. The one-element order is a terminal object. For the exponential, use the function space with evaluation $\mathrm{ev}(f,x)=f(x)$. To check joint continuity, take a directed family of pairs $(f_i,x_i)$. ThenIndeed, directedness supplies a $k$ above the pairs indexed by both $i$ and $j$, giving $f_i(x_j)\le f_k(x_k)$. Thus the diagonal values are cofinal in the double family, and evaluation preserves its supremum.

For a continuous $h:A\times D\to E$, its currying is $\Lambda h:A\to [D\to E]$, $(\Lambda h)(a)(d)=h(a,d)$. Each section is continuous because $d\mapsto (a,d)$ is; pointwise directed suprema in the $a$ coordinate show that $\Lambda h$ is continuous. Conversely a continuous $g:A\to [D\to E]$ gives the continuous map $\mathrm{ev}\circ (g\times {\mathrm{id}}_D)$. The two constructions are inverse, because they agree on every pair $(a,d)$. This gives the natural bijectionwith the required evaluation map. Together with the terminal object and products, it proves cartesian closure of pointed complete partial orders with non-strict continuous maps.