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A geometric embedding is a geometric morphism whose direct-image functor is full and faithful. Its inverse image presents a left-exact reflective subcategory of the target topos. It is the second part of the surjection-embedding factorization of a geometric morphism.

Let $(G,\epsilon ,\delta )$ be a Cartesian comonad, so its endofunctor preserves finite limits. A coalgebra for a comonad is $(A,a)$ with $a:A\to GA$, ${\epsilon }_{A}a=1_A$ and ${\delta }_{A}a=Gaa$. Its morphisms satisfy $bf=Gfa$. Write $U:{\mathcal{E}}^G\to \mathcal{E}$ for the forgetful functor and $R(X)=(GX,{\delta }_X)$ for the cofree coalgebra. Transposition isThe forgetful functor creates finite limits, since $G$ preserves them. We construct both exponential objects and the subobject classifier.

For coalgebras $(A,a),(B,b)$, set $D=B^A$ and $W=(GB{)}^A$ in the ambient topos. Define $p,q:GD\to W$ by transposingwhere $GD\times GA\cong G(D\times A)$. Their cofree transposes are coalgebra morphismsLet $H$ be their coalgebra equalizer. For a coalgebra $(C,c)$, an arrow $C\to R(D)$ corresponds to a map $h:C\times A\to B$. Its evaluation respects coalgebra structure exactly whenUnder the displayed transpositions this is precisely the condition that it equalize $\hat{p},\hat{q}$. Thus ${\mathcal{E}}^G(C,H)\cong {\mathcal{E}}^G(C\times A,B)$ naturally, and $H$ is the required exponential in a coalgebra topos.

Let $\kappa :G\Omega \to \Omega$ classify $G\top :G1\cong 1\hookrightarrow G\Omega$. In $R(\Omega )$ take the equalizerThe truth map into $R(\Omega )$ is $G\top$ and factors through this equalizer. To verify its universal property, take an underlying subobject $m:S\hookrightarrow A$ of a coalgebra. It carries a compatible coalgebra structure exactly when $a$ maps $S$ into $GS$. Such a structure, if it exists, is unique because $Gm$ is monic; its laws follow by cancellation of $m,Gm,G^{2}m$. Moreover $a^{-1}(GS)\subseteq S$ always: applying ${\epsilon }_A$ to a point of $GS$ lands in $S$. Thus stability is equivalent to $S=a^{-1}(GS)$.

If $\chi :A\to \Omega$ classifies $S$, this last equality is exactlyThe cofree transpose $\hat{\chi }=G\chi a:A\to R(\Omega )$ satisfies this equation precisely when it factors through ${\Omega }_G$. Indeed transposing the equality $\hat{\chi }=G\kappa {\delta }_{\Omega }\hat{\chi }$ gives the equation above. Pulling back its truth map recovers $S$, because $\kappa$ classifies $G\top$. Hence ${\Omega }_G$ is the subobject classifier of a coalgebra topos. We have obtained finite limits, exponentials and a classifier, proving ${\mathcal{E}}^G$ is a topos.

Now let $f:\mathcal{H}\to \mathcal{E}$ be a geometric morphism, and put $L=f^{\ast }$, $V=f_{\ast }$, with unit $\eta$. Both functors preserve finite limits, so $G=LV$ is a Cartesian comonad on $\mathcal{H}$. Put $\mathcal{D}={\mathcal{H}}^G$. Its comparison functoris left exact and has right adjointTo check the adjunction, transpose an underlying map $LX\to A$ to $X\to VA$. The coalgebra-morphism equation becomes exactly the equality of the two composites into $VLVA$, so the transposed arrow factors uniquely through the displayed equalizer.

The counit $KJ(A,a)\to (A,a)$ is invertible. Applying $L$ to the defining equalizer gives the equalizer of $Ga,{\delta }_A:GA\rightrightarrows G^{2}A$. The structure map $a:A\to GA$ is exactly that equalizer: it equalizes by coassociativity; if $t:T\to GA$ equalizes, apply ${\epsilon }_{GA}$ to obtain $t=a{\epsilon }_{A}t$, giving its unique factorization through $a$. Thus the underlying comparison counit is an isomorphism, and the forgetful functor reflects isomorphisms. Therefore $J$ is full and faithful.

The adjunctions $U⊣R$ and $K⊣J$ defineHere $p^{\ast }=U$ is faithful, so $p$ is a surjective geometric morphism; $i_{\ast }=J$ is full and faithful, so $i$ is a geometric embedding. Their inverse-image composite is $UK=L$, establishing the surjection-embedding factorization of a geometric morphism.

For uniqueness, let $S$ be the class of arrows in $\mathcal{E}$ inverted by $f^{\ast }$. In any surjection-embedding factorization $f=i^{\prime }{p}^{\prime }$, conservativity of $p^{\prime \ast }$ shows that $S$ is also the class inverted by $i^{\prime \ast }$. The essential image of the fully faithful $i_{\ast }^{\prime }$ consists exactly of the $S$-local objects $Y$, namely those for which $\mathcal{E}(B,Y)\to \mathcal{E}(A,Y)$ is bijective for every $A\to B$ in $S$. One direction follows from the adjunction. For the converse, the reflector unit $Y\to i_{\ast }^{\prime }{i}^{\prime \ast }Y$ belongs to $S$; locality gives a retraction, and locality of the reflected object makes that retraction also a right inverse. Thus the unit is invertible. The image subcategory is consequently determined by $f$, independently of the factorization. The two intermediate toposes are equivalent over $\mathcal{E}$, and their inverse-image composites with the embeddings determine the surjection legs. This proves uniqueness up to equivalence.

A geometric morphism is surjective when its inverse-image functor is faithful, equivalently conservative for geometric inverse images. Reflection of isomorphisms of subobjects already proves faithfulness by applying the inverse image to equalizers of parallel arrows. The surjection-embedding factorization of a geometric morphism separates this property from a fully faithful direct image.