Different versions of a first countable space without choice

We show that two versions of a first countable topological space which are equivalent in ZFC set theory split in the absence of the Axiom of Choice AC. This answers in the negative a related question from Gutierres “What is a first countable space?”.     

A combinatorial result related to the consistency of New Foundations

We prove a combinatorial result for models of the 4-fragment of the Simple Theory of Types (TST), TST₄. The result says that if A=〈A₀,A₁,A₂,A₃〉 is a standard transitive and rich model of TST₄, then A satisfies the 〈0,0,n〉-property, for all n≥2. This property has arisen in the context of the consistency problem of the theory New Foundations (NF). The result is a weak form of the combinatorial condition (existence of ω-extendible coherent triples) that was shown in Tzouvaras (2007) [5] to be equivalent to the consistency of NF. Such weak versions were introduced in Tzouvaras (2009) [6] in order to relax the intractability of the original condition. The result strengthens one of the main theorems of Tzouvaras (2007) [5, Theorem 3.6] which is just equivalent to the 〈0,0,2〉-property.     

Cardinal characteristics for Menger-bounded subgroups

Machura, Shelah and Tsaban showed in [M. Machura, S. Shelah, B. Tsaban, Squares of Menger-bounded groups, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., in press, http://arxiv.org/pdf/math.GN/0611353, 2007] that under the condition, that a relative d^′(P) of the dominating number is at least d, there are subgroups of the Baer-Specker group whose kth power is Menger-bounded and whose (k+1)st power is not. We show that the sufficient condition implies r?d and indeed can be replaced by r?d. This result includes an affirmative answer to a question by Tsaban on a possibly weaker still sufficient condition. We show that it is consistent relative to ZFC that g?r<d and there are subgroups of the Baer-Specker group whose kth power is Menger-bounded and whose (k+1)st power is not.     

A non-implication between fragments of Martin’s Axiom related to a property which comes from Aronszajn trees

We introduce a property of forcing notions, called the anti-, which comes from Aronszajn trees. This property canonically defines a new chain condition stronger than the countable chain condition, which is called the property .In this paper, we investigate the property . For example, we show that a forcing notion with the property does not add random reals. We prove that it is consistent that every forcing notion with the property has precaliber ℵ₁ and for forcing notions with the property fails. This negatively answers a part of one of the classical problems about implications between fragments of .     

Some remarks on a question of D. H. Fremlin regarding ε-density

We show the relative consistency of ℵ₁ satisfying a combinatorial property considered by David Fremlin (in the question DU from his list) in certain choiceless inner models. This is demonstrated by first proving the property is true for Ramsey cardinals. In contrast, we show that in ZFC, no cardinal of uncountable cofinality can satisfy a similar, stronger property. The questions considered by D. H. Fremlin are if families of finite subsets of ω₁ satisfying a certain density condition necessarily contain all finite subsets of an infinite subset of ω₁, and specifically if this and a stronger property hold under MA + ?CH. Towards this we show that if MA + ?CH holds, then for every family ? of ℵ₁ many infinite subsets of ω₁, one can find a family ? of finite subsets of ω₁ which is dense in Fremlins sense, and does not contain all finite subsets of any set in ?. We then pose some open problems related to the question. Received: 2 June 1999 / Revised version: 2 February 2000 / Published online: 18 July 2001     

Generic embeddings associated to an indestructibly weakly compact cardinal

I use generic embeddings induced by generic normal measures on P_κ(λ) that can be forced to exist if κ is an indestructibly weakly compact cardinal. These embeddings can be applied in order to obtain the forcing axioms in forcing extensions. This has consequences in : The Singular Cardinal Hypothesis holds above κ, and κ has a useful Jónsson-like property. This in turn implies that the countable tower Q_<κ works much like it does when κ is a Woodin limit of Woodin cardinals. One consequence is that every set of reals in the Chang model is Lebesgue measurable and has the Baire Property, the Perfect Set Property and the Ramsey Property. So indestructible weak compactness has effects on cardinal arithmetic high up and also on the structure of sets of real numbers, down low, similar to supercompactness.     

Cardinal characteristics and projective wellorders

Using countable support iterations of S-proper posets, we show that the existence of a definable wellorder of the reals is consistent with each of the following: d<c, b<a=s and b<g.     

Turing cones and set theory of the reals

We investigate Turing cones as sets of reals, and look at the relationship between Turing cones, measures, Baire category and special sets of reals, using these methods to show that Martin's proof of Turing Determinacy (every determined Turing closed set contains a Turing cone or is disjoint from one) does not work when you replace “determined” with “Blackwell determined”. This answers a question of Tony Martin. Received: 6 December 1999 / Revised version: 28 June 2000 Published online: 3 October 2001     

On a problem of Foreman and Magidor

A question of Foreman and Magidor asks if it is consistent for every sequence of stationary subsets of the _ns for 1n< to be mutually stationary. We get a positive answer to this question in the context of the negation of the Axiom of Choice. We also indicate how a positive answer to a generalized version of this question in a choiceless context may be obtained.The author wishes to thank James Cummings for helpful correspondence on the subject matter of this paper. The author also wishes to thank the referee and Andreas Blass, the corresponding editor, for helpful comments and suggestions that have been incorporated into this version of the paper. 03E35, 03E55 Supercompact cardinal – Indestructibility – Almost huge cardinal – Mutual stationarity – Symmetric inner modelRevised version: 6 June 2004     

Mathias–Prikry and Laver–Prikry type forcing

We study the Mathias–Prikry and Laver–Prikry forcings associated with filters on ω. We give a combinatorial characterization of Martin?s number for these forcing notions and present a general scheme for analyzing preservation properties for them. In particular, we give a combinatorial characterization of those filters for which the Mathias–Prikry forcing does not add a dominating real.     

Models of Cohen measurability

We show that in contrast with the Cohen version of Solovay's model, it is consistent for the continuum to be Cohen-measurable and for every function to be continuous on a non-meagre set.     

Cofinal types of ultrafilters

We study Tukey types of ultrafilters on ω, focusing on the question of when Tukey reducibility is equivalent to Rudin-Keisler reducibility. We give several conditions under which this equivalence holds. We show that there are only c many ultrafilters that are Tukey below any basically generated ultrafilter. The class of basically generated ultrafilters includes all known ultrafilters that are not Tukey above [ω₁]^<ω. We give a complete characterization of all ultrafilters that are Tukey below a selective. A counterexample showing that Tukey reducibility and RK reducibility can diverge within the class of P-points is also given.     

On successors of Jónsson cardinals

We show that, like singular cardinals, and weakly compact cardinals, Jensen's core model K for measures of order zero [4] calculates correctly the successors of Jónsson cardinals, assuming does not exist. Namely, if is a Jónsson cardinal then , provided that there is no non-trivial elementary embedding . There are a number of related results in ZFC concerning in V and inner models, for a Jónsson or singular cardinal. Received: 8 December 1998     

Club-guessing, stationary reflection, and coloring theorems

We obtain very strong coloring theorems at successors of singular cardinals from failures of certain instances of simultaneous reflection of stationary sets. In particular, the simplest of our results establishes that if μ is singular and , then there is a regular cardinal θ<μ such that any fewer than cf(μ) stationary subsets of must reflect simultaneously.