Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 March 2014
An important program in the study of the structure the lattice of r.e. sets modulo finite sets, is the classification of the orbits under Aut(), the automorphism group of , If Φ ∈ Aut() and Φ(We) =* Wh(e) for all e ∈ ω, then h is called a presentation of Φ. Define Autχ() to be the class of those elements of Aut() that have a presentation in the class of functions X, where for instance X might be the class of Δn functions for n ∈ ω. If Φ ∈ Autx() then we will say that Φ is an X-automorphism. Note that we only need to consider Δn- and Πn-orbits and automorphisms since if f is a Σn-presentation, then f is a total function and therefore Δn.
Definition. If X is a class of functions and ⊆ {Wi: i < ω}, then is an X-orbit iff is an orbit under Aut() and for all A, B ∈ there is a Φ ∈ Autx() satisfying Φ(A) =* B. (Here Φ: → .)
Harrington proved that the creative sets form a Δ0-orbit and Soare proved that the maximal sets form Δ3-orbit. We will show that there is no Boolean algebra such that {A: A is r.e. and ℒ*(A) ≈ ] forms a Δ2-orbit, where ℒ*(A) is the principal filter of A in ; ℒ*(A) = {B: B ⊆* A & B ∈ }. The idea behind the proof of this theorem is very similar to the proof by Soare that maximal sets do not form a Δ2-orbit (see Soare [1974] or Soare [1987]).