Homogeneous almost disjoint families

An almost disjoint family is constructed which is isomorphic to any almost disjoint family which can be constructed from it by taking subsets and finite unions. This is applied to the construction of a Boolean algebra with related properties.Presented by R. McKenzie.Partially supported by Israel-US Binational Research Fund.Partially supported by NSERC.     

On Borel almost disjoint families

There is a close correspondence between uncountable almost disjoint families of subsets of $\omega $ and Aleksandrov–Urysohn compacta (in short, AU-compacta)—separable, uncountable compact spaces whose second derived set is a singleton. We shall show in particular, that AU-compacta embeddable in the space of first Baire class functions on the Cantor set $2^\omega $ , with the pointwise topology, are exactly the ones determined by almost disjoint families that are Borel sets in $2^\omega $ , and they are also distinguished among AU-compacta by the property that the cylindrical $\sigma $ -algebras of their function spaces are standard measurable spaces. Although the first condition implies the third one for arbitrary separable compact space, it is an open problem, whether the reverse implication is always true.     

Conflict free colorings of (strongly) almost disjoint set-systems

\(f\: \cup {\mathcal {A}}\to {\rho}\) is called a conflict free coloring of the set-system\({\mathcal {A}}\)(withρcolors) if

$\forall A\in {\mathcal {A}}\ \exists\, {\zeta}<{\rho} (|A\cap f^{-1}\{{\zeta}\}|=1).$

The conflict free chromatic number\(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, ({\mathcal {A}})\) of \({\mathcal {A}}\) is the smallest ρ for which \({\mathcal {A}}\) admits a conflict free coloring with ρ colors.

\({\mathcal {A}}\) is a (λ,κ,μ)-system if \(|{\mathcal {A}}| = \lambda\), |A|=κ for all \(A \in {\mathcal {A}}\), and \({\mathcal {A}}\) is μ-almost disjoint, i.e. |A∩A′|<μ for distinct \(A, A'\in {\mathcal {A}}\). Our aim here is to study

$\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\lambda,\kappa,\mu) = \sup \{\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, ({\mathcal {A}})\: {\mathcal {A}}\mbox{ is a } (\lambda,\kappa,\mu)\mbox{-system}\}$

for λ≧κ≧μ, actually restricting ourselves to λ≧ω and μ≦ω.

For instance, we prove that

? for any limit cardinal κ (or κ=ω) and integers n≧0, k>0, GCH implies

$\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\kappa^{+n},t,k+1) =\begin{cases}\kappa^{+(n+1-i)}&; \text{if \ } i\cdot k < t \le (i+1)\cdot k,\ i =1,\dots,n;\\[2pt]\kappa&; \text{if \ } (n+1)\cdot k < t;\end{cases}$

? if λ≧κ≧ω>d>1, then λ<κ ^+ω implies \(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\lambda,\kappa,d) <\omega\) and λ≧? _ω (κ) implies \(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\lambda,\kappa,d) = \omega\);? GCH implies \(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\lambda,\kappa,\omega) \le \omega_{2}\) for λ≧κ≧ω ₂ and V=L implies \(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\lambda,\kappa,\omega) \le \omega_{1}\) for λ≧κ≧ω ₁;? the existence of a supercompact cardinal implies the consistency of GCH plus \(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\,(\aleph_{\omega+1},\omega_{1},\omega)= \aleph_{\omega+1}\) and \(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\aleph_{\omega+1},\omega_{n},\omega) = \omega_{2}\) for 2≦n≦ω;? CH implies \(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\omega_{1},\omega,\omega) = \operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\omega_{1},\omega_{1},\omega) = \omega_{1}\), while \(MA_{\omega_{1}}\) implies \(\operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\omega_{1},\omega,\omega) = \operatorname {\chi _{\rm CF}}\, (\omega_{1},\omega_{1},\omega) = \omega\).     

Separability properties of almost — disjoint families of sets

We solve here some problems arising from a work by Hechler [3]. We eliminate extra set-theoretic axioms (MA, in fact) from existence theorems and deal with the existence of disjoint sets.     

Mrówka maximal almost disjoint families for uncountable cardinals

We consider generalizations of a well-known class of spaces, called by S. Mrówka, N∪R, where R is an infinite maximal almost disjoint family (MADF) of countable subsets of the natural numbers N. We denote these generalizations by ψ=ψ(κ,R) for κ?ω. Mrówka proved the interesting theorem that there exists an R such that |βψ(ω,R)?ψ(ω,R)|=1. In other words there is a unique free z-ultrafilter p₀ on the space ψ. We extend this result of Mrówka to uncountable cardinals. We show that for κ?c, Mrówka's MADF R can be used to produce a MADF M⊂ω[κ] such that |βψ(κ,M)?ψ(κ,M)|=1. For κ>c, and every M⊂ω[κ], it is always the case that |βψ(κ,M)?ψ(κ,M)|≠1, yet there exists a special free z-ultrafilter p on ψ(κ,M) retaining some of the properties of p₀. In particular both p and p₀ have a clopen local base in βψ (although βψ(κ,M) need not be zero-dimensional). A result for κ>c, that does not apply to p₀, is that for certain κ>c, p is a P-point in βψ.     

Strongly almost disjoint functions

Two total functionsf, g fromω ₁ toω are called strongly almost disjoint if {α<ω ₁:f(α)=g(α)} is finite. We show that it is consistent with ZFC to have families of pairwise strongly almost disjoint functions of arbitrary prescribed size.     

Ultrafilters and almost disjoint sets

Let μκ denote the space of uniform ultrafilters on κ, and let λ be a cardinal. Uϵμκ is said to be a λ-point of μκ if U is a boundary point of λ pairwise disjoint open subsets of μκ. We prove that if κ is a successor cardinal, 2^κ= κ⁺, and Kurepa's hypothesis for κ holds, then each U ϵ μκ is a 2^κ-point of μκ.     

(a)-spaces and selectively (a)-spaces from almost disjoint families

We investigate a selective version of property (a) and prove a number of results showing that, under certain set theoretical conditions, (a) spaces and selectively (a) spaces behave in a very similar way, at least for separable spaces. Several results regarding the presence of the referred selective version in spaces from almost disjoint families are established; in particular, we give a combinatorial characterization of such presence. Consistent set theoretical hypotheses implying equivalence between being (a) and being selectively (a) within the referred class are presented, as well as hypotheses implying non-equivalence. We also show that the Continuum Hypothesis is independent of the statement asserting the above mentioned equivalence. The paper finishes by presenting some notes and questions on the role of set theoretical assumptions in the subject.     

Designs with no three mutually disjoint blocks

Let D(v,b,r,k,λ) be any quasi-symmetric block design with block intersection numbers 0 and y. Suppose D has no three mutually disjoint blocks. We show that for a given value of y, there are only finitely many parameter sets of such designs. Moreover, the ‘extremal’ designs D have one of the following parameter sets: (1) v = 4y, k = 2y, λ = 2y − 1 (y 2) (2) v = y(y²+3y+1), k = y(y+1), λ =y²+y−1(y2) (3) v = (y+1)(y²+2y−1), k = y(y+1), λ =y² (y2) A computer search revealed only three parameter sets in the range 1y199, which are not of the above types.     

Small maximally disjoint union-free families

A family F of k-subsets of an n-set X is disjoint union-free (DUF) if all disjoint pairs of elements of F have distinct unions; that is, if for every A,B,C,D∈F, A∩B=C∩D=∅ and A∪B=C∪D implies {A,B}={C,D}. DUF families of maximum size have been studied by Erdös and Füredi. Let F be DUF with the property that F∪{E} is not DUF for any k-subset E of X not already in F. Then F is maximally DUF. We introduce the problem of finding the minimum size of maximally DUF families and provide bounds on this quantity for k=3.     

On digraphs with no two disjoint directed cycles

We obtain a result on configurations in 2-connected digraphs with no two disjoint dicycles. We derive various consequences, for example a short proof of the characterization of the minimal digraphs having no vertex meeting all dicycles and a polynomially bounded algorithm for finding a dicycle through any pair of prescribed arcs in a digraph with no two disjoint dicycles, a problem which is NP-complete for digraphs in general.     

Almost disjoint families of connected sets

We investigate the question which (separable metrizable) spaces have a ‘large’ almost disjoint family of connected (and locally connected) sets. Every compact space of dimension at least 2 as well as all compact spaces containing an ‘uncountable star’ have such a family. Our results show that the situation for 1-dimensional compacta is unclear.     

Every transformation is disjoint from almost every non-classical exchange

A natural generalization of interval exchange maps are linear involutions, first introduced by Danthony and Nogueira (Ann Sci École Norm Sup (4) 26(6):645–664, 1993). Recurrent train tracks with a single switch which are called non-classical interval exchanges (Gadre in Ergod Theory Dyn Syst 32(06):1930–1971, 2012), form a subclass of linear involutions without flips. They are analogs of classical interval exchanges, and are first return maps for non-orientable measured foliations associated to quadratic differentials on Riemann surfaces. We show that every transformation is disjoint from almost every irreducible non-classical interval exchange. In the “Appendix”, we prove that for almost every pair of quadratic differentials with respect to the Masur–Veech measure, the vertical flows are disjoint.     

Minimal transformations with no common factor need not be disjoint

A countable family of minimal transformations (X, Z) is described for which no pair have a non-trivial common factor, and so that no pair is disjoint. This answers in the negative a question of H. Furstenberg.