We consider the modality “ $\varphi $ is true in every $\sigma $ -centered forcing extension,” denoted $\square \varphi $ , and its dual “ $\varphi $ is true in some $\sigma $ -centered forcing extension,” denoted $\lozenge \varphi $ (where $\varphi $ is a statement in set theory), which give rise to the notion of a principle of $\sigma $ -centered forcing. We prove that if ZFC is consistent, then the modal logic of $\sigma $ -centered forcing, i.e., the ZFC-provable principles of $\sigma $ -centered forcing, is exactly $\mathsf {S4.2}$ . We also generalize this result to other related classes of forcing.

Drawing on the analogy between any unary first-order quantifier and a “face operator,” this paper establishes several connections between model theory and homotopy theory. The concept of simplicial set is brought into play to describe the formulae of any first-order language L, the definable subsets of any L-structure, as well as the type spaces of any theory expressed in L. An adjunction result is then proved between the category of o-minimal structures and a subcategory of the category of linearly ordered simplicial sets with distinguished vertices.

Here, we present a category ${\mathbf {pEff}}$ which can be considered a predicative variant of Hyland's Effective Topos ${{\mathbf {Eff} }}$ for the following reasons. First, its construction is carried in Feferman’s predicative theory of non-iterative fixpoints ${{\widehat {ID_1}}}$ . Second, ${\mathbf {pEff}}$ is a list-arithmetic locally cartesian closed pretopos with a full subcategory ${{\mathbf {pEff}_{set}}}$ of small objects having the same categorical structure which is preserved by the embedding in ${\mathbf {pEff}}$ ; furthermore subobjects in ${{\mathbf {pEff}_{set}}}$ are classified by a non-small object in ${\mathbf {pEff}}$ . Third ${\mathbf {pEff}}$ happens to coincide with the exact completion of the lex category defined as a predicative rendering in ${{\widehat {ID_1}}}$ of the subcategory of ${{\mathbf {Eff} }}$ of recursive functions and it validates the Formal Church’s thesis. Hence pEff turns out to be itself a predicative rendering of a full subcategory of ${{\mathbf {Eff} }}$ .

We analyze the hereditarily ordinal definable sets $\operatorname {HOD} $ in $M_n(x)[g]$ for a Turing cone of reals x, where $M_n(x)$ is the canonical inner model with n Woodin cardinals build over x and g is generic over $M_n(x)$ for the Lévy collapse up to its bottom inaccessible cardinal. We prove that assuming $\boldsymbol \Pi ^1_{n+2}$ -determinacy, for a Turing cone of reals x, $\operatorname {HOD} ^{M_n(x)[g]} = M_n(\mathcal {M}_{\infty } | \kappa _{\infty }, \Lambda ),$ where $\mathcal {M}_{\infty }$ is a direct limit of iterates of $M_{n+1}$ , $\delta _{\infty }$ is the least Woodin cardinal in $\mathcal {M}_{\infty }$ , $\kappa _{\infty }$ is the least inaccessible cardinal in $\mathcal {M}_{\infty }$ above $\delta _{\infty }$ , and $\Lambda $ is a partial iteration strategy for $\mathcal {M}_{\infty }$ . It will also be shown that under the same hypothesis $\operatorname {HOD}^{M_n(x)[g]} $ satisfies $\operatorname {GCH} $ .

We show that under the assumption of the existence of the canonical inner model with one Woodin cardinal $M_1$ , there is a model of $\mathsf {ZFC}$ in which $\mbox {NS}_{\omega _{1}}$ is $\aleph _2$ -saturated and ${\Delta }_{1}$ -definable with $\omega _1$ as a parameter which answers a question of S. D. Friedman and L. Wu. We also show that starting from an arbitrary universe with a Woodin cardinal, there is a model with $\mbox {NS}_{\omega _{1}}$ saturated and ${\Delta }_{1}$ -definable with a ladder system $\vec {C}$ and a full Suslin tree T as parameters. Both results rely on a new coding technique whose presentation is the main goal of this article .

Motivated by recent results and questions of Raghavan and Shelah, we present ZFC theorems on the bounding and various almost disjointness numbers, as well as on reaping and dominating families on uncountable, regular cardinals. We show that if $\kappa =\lambda ^+$ for some $\lambda \geq \omega $ and $\mathfrak {b}(\kappa )=\kappa ^+$ then $\mathfrak {a}_e(\kappa )=\mathfrak {a}_p(\kappa )=\kappa ^+$ . If, additionally, $2^{<\lambda }=\lambda $ then $\mathfrak {a}_g(\kappa )=\kappa ^+$ as well. Furthermore, we prove a variety of new bounds for $\mathfrak {d}(\kappa )$ in terms of $\mathfrak {r}(\kappa )$ , including $\mathfrak {d}(\kappa )\leq \mathfrak {r}_\sigma (\kappa )\leq \operatorname {\mathrm {cf}}([\mathfrak {r}(\kappa )]^\omega )$ , and $\mathfrak {d}(\kappa )\leq \mathfrak {r}(\kappa )$ whenever $\mathfrak {r}(\kappa )<\mathfrak {b}(\kappa )^{+\kappa }$ or $\operatorname {\mathrm {cf}}(\mathfrak {r}(\kappa ))\leq \kappa $ holds.

We define a weak iterability notion that is sufficient for a number of arguments concerning $\Sigma _{1}$ -definability at uncountable regular cardinals. In particular we give its exact consistency strength first in terms of the second uniform indiscernible for bounded subsets of $\kappa $ : $u_2(\kappa )$ , and secondly to give the consistency strength of a property of Lücke’s.

TheoremThe following are equiconsistent:

1. (i) There exists $\kappa $ which is stably measurable;

2. (ii) for some cardinal $\kappa $ , $u_2(\kappa )=\sigma (\kappa )$ ;

3. (iii) The $\boldsymbol {\Sigma }_{1}$ -club property holds at a cardinal $\kappa $ .

Here $\sigma (\kappa )$ is the height of the smallest $M \prec _{\Sigma _{1}} H ( \kappa ^{+} )$ containing $\kappa +1$ and all of $H ( \kappa )$ . Let $\Phi (\kappa )$ be the assertion:

TheoremAssume $\kappa $ is stably measurable. Then $\Phi (\kappa )$ .

And a form of converse:

TheoremSuppose there is no sharp for an inner model with a strong cardinal. Then in the core model K we have: $\mbox {``}\exists \kappa \Phi (\kappa ) \mbox {''}$ is (set)-generically absolute ${\,\longleftrightarrow \,}$ There are arbitrarily large stably measurable cardinals.

When $u_2(\kappa ) < \sigma (\kappa )$ we give some results on inner model reflection.

We consider the structures $(\mathbb {Z}; \mathrm {SF}^{\mathbb {Z}})$ , $(\mathbb {Z}; <, \mathrm {SF}^{\mathbb {Z}})$ , $(\mathbb {Q}; \mathrm {SF}^{\mathbb {Q}})$ , and $(\mathbb {Q}; <, \mathrm {SF}^{\mathbb {Q}})$ where $\mathbb {Z}$ is the additive group of integers, $\mathrm {SF}^{\mathbb {Z}}$ is the set of $a \in \mathbb {Z}$ such that $v_{p}(a) < 2$ for  every prime p and corresponding p-adic valuation $v_{p}$ , $\mathbb {Q}$ and $\mathrm {SF}^{\mathbb {Q}}$ are defined likewise for rational numbers, and $<$ denotes the natural ordering on each of these domains. We prove that the second structure is model-theoretically wild while the other three structures are model-theoretically tame. Moreover, all these results can be seen as examples where number-theoretic randomness yields model-theoretic consequences.

The general theory developed by Ben Yaacov for metric structures provides Fraïssé limits which are approximately ultrahomogeneous. We show here that this result can be strengthened in the case of relational metric structures. We give an extra condition that guarantees exact ultrahomogenous limits. The condition is quite general. We apply it to stochastic processes, the class of diversities, and its subclass of $L_1$ diversities.

We show that recurrence conditions do not yield invariant Borel probability measures in the descriptive set-theoretic milieu, in the strong sense that if a Borel action of a locally compact Polish group on a standard Borel space satisfies such a condition but does not have an orbit supporting an invariant Borel probability measure, then there is an invariant Borel set on which the action satisfies the condition but does not have an invariant Borel probability measure.

A mass problem is a set of functions $\omega \to \omega $ . For mass problems ${\mathcal {C}}, {\mathcal {D}}$ , one says that ${\mathcal {C}}$ is Muchnik reducible to ${\mathcal {D}}$ if each function in ${\mathcal {C}}$ is computed by a function in ${\mathcal {D}}$ . In this paper we study some highness properties of Turing oracles, which we view as mass problems. We compare them with respect to Muchnik reducibility and its uniform strengthening, Medvedev reducibility.

For $p \in [0,1]$ let ${\mathcal {D}}(p)$ be the mass problem of infinite bit sequences y (i.e., $\{0,1\}$ -valued functions) such that for each computable bit sequence x, the bit sequence $ x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y$ has asymptotic lower density at most p (where $x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y$ has a $1$ in position n iff $x(n) = y(n)$ ). We show that all members of this family of mass problems parameterized by a real p with $0 < p <1/2 $ have the same complexity in the sense of Muchnik reducibility. We prove this by showing Muchnik equivalence of the problems ${\mathcal {D}}(p)$ with the mass problem $\text {IOE}({2^{2}}^{n})$ ; here for an order function h, the mass problem $\text {IOE}(h)$ consists of the functions f that agree infinitely often with each computable function bounded by h. This result also yields a new version of the proof to of the affirmative answer to the “Gamma question” due to the first author: $\Gamma (A)< 1/2$ implies $\Gamma (A)=0$ for each Turing oracle A.

As a dual of the problem ${\mathcal {D}}(p)$ , define ${\mathcal {B}}(p)$ , for $0 \le p < 1/2$ , to be the set of bit sequences y such that $\underline \rho (x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y)> p$ for each computable set x. We prove that the Medvedev (and hence Muchnik) complexity of the mass problems ${\mathcal {B}}(p)$ is the same for all $p \in (0, 1/2)$ , by showing that they are Medvedev equivalent to the mass problem of functions bounded by ${2^{2}}^{n}$ that are almost everywhere different from each computable function.

Next, together with Joseph Miller, we obtain a proper hierarchy of the mass problems of type $\text {IOE}$ : we show that for any order function g there exists a faster growing order function $h $ such that $\text {IOE}(h)$ is strictly above $\text {IOE}(g)$ in the sense of Muchnik reducibility.

We study cardinal characteristics in the sense of set theory that are analogous to the highness properties above. For instance, ${\mathfrak {d}} (p)$ is the least size of a set G of bit sequences such that for each bit sequence x there is a bit sequence y in G so that $\underline \rho (x {\,\leftrightarrow\,} y)>p$ . We prove within ZFC all the coincidences of cardinal characteristics that are the analogs of the results above.

It is well-known that natural axiomatic theories are well-ordered by consistency strength. However, it is possible to construct descending chains of artificial theories with respect to consistency strength. We provide an explanation of this well-orderedness phenomenon by studying a coarsening of the consistency strength order, namely, the $\Pi ^1_1$ reflection strength order. We prove that there are no descending sequences of $\Pi ^1_1$ sound extensions of $\mathsf {ACA}_0$ in this ordering. Accordingly, we can attach a rank in this order, which we call reflection rank, to any $\Pi ^1_1$ sound extension of $\mathsf {ACA}_0$ . We prove that for any $\Pi ^1_1$ sound theory T extending $\mathsf {ACA}_0^+$ , the reflection rank of T equals the $\Pi ^1_1$ proof-theoretic ordinal of T. We also prove that the $\Pi ^1_1$ proof-theoretic ordinal of $\alpha $ iterated $\Pi ^1_1$ reflection is $\varepsilon _\alpha $ . Finally, we use our results to provide straightforward well-foundedness proofs of ordinal notation systems based on reflection principles.

Inquisitive modal logic, InqML, is a generalisation of standard Kripke-style modal logic. In its epistemic incarnation, it extends standard epistemic logic to capture not just the information that agents have, but also the questions that they are interested in. Technically, InqML fits within the family of logics based on team semantics. From a model-theoretic perspective, it takes us a step in the direction of monadic second-order logic, as inquisitive modal operators involve quantification over sets of worlds. We introduce and investigate the natural notion of bisimulation equivalence in the setting of InqML. We compare the expressiveness of InqML and first-order logic in the context of relational structures with two sorts, one for worlds and one for information states, and characterise inquisitive modal logic as the bisimulation invariant fragment of first-order logic over various natural classes of two-sorted structures.

We prove a variety of theorems about stationary set reflection and concepts related to internal approachability. We prove that an implication of Fuchino–Usuba relating stationary reflection to a version of Strong Chang’s Conjecture cannot be reversed; strengthen and simplify some results of Krueger about forcing axioms and approachability; and prove that some other related results of Krueger are sharp. We also adapt some ideas of Woodin to simplify and unify many arguments in the literature involving preservation of forcing axioms.

A notion of interpretation between arbitrary logics is introduced, and the poset $\mathsf {Log}$ of all logics ordered under interpretability is studied. It is shown that in $\mathsf {Log}$ infima of arbitrarily large sets exist, but binary suprema in general do not. On the other hand, the existence of suprema of sets of equivalential logics is established. The relations between $\mathsf {Log}$ and the lattice of interpretability types of varieties are investigated.

We show that if M is a countable transitive model of $\text {ZF}$ and if $a,b$ are reals not in M, then there is a G generic over M such that $b \in L[a,G]$ . We then present several applications such as the following: if J is any countable transitive model of $\text {ZFC}$ and $M \not \subseteq J$ is another countable transitive model of $\text {ZFC}$ of the same ordinal height $\alpha $ , then there is a forcing extension N of J such that $M \cup N$ is not included in any transitive model of $\text {ZFC}$ of height $\alpha $ . Also, assuming $0^{\#}$ exists, letting S be the set of reals generic over L, although S is disjoint from the Turing cone above $0^{\#}$ , we have that for any non-constructible real a, $\{ a \oplus s : s \in S \}$ is cofinal in the Turing degrees.

In this paper we study the relativized Lascar Galois group of a strong type. The group is a quasi-compact connected topological group, and if in addition the underlying theory T is G-compact, then the group is compact. We apply compact group theory to obtain model theoretic results in this note. For example, we use the divisibility of the Lascar group of a strong type to show that, in a simple theory, such types have a certain model theoretic property that we call divisible amalgamation. The main result of this paper is that if c is a finite tuple algebraic over a tuple a, the Lascar group of $\operatorname {stp}(ac)$ is abelian, and the underlying theory is G-compact, then the Lascar groups of $\operatorname {stp}(ac)$ and of $\operatorname {stp}(a)$ are isomorphic. To show this, we prove a purely compact group-theoretic result that any compact connected abelian group is isomorphic to its quotient by every finite subgroup. Several (counter)examples arising in connection with the theoretical development of this note are presented as well. For example, we show that, in the main result above, neither the assumption that the Lascar group of $\operatorname {stp}(ac)$ is abelian, nor the assumption of c being finite can be removed.

We define a new type of “shatter function” for set systems that satisfies a Sauer–Shelah type dichotomy, but whose polynomial-growth case is governed by Shelah’s two-rank instead of VC dimension. We identify the least exponent bounding the rate of growth of the shatter function, the quantity analogous to VC density, with Shelah’s $\omega $ -rank.

L'analyse de la démonstration par contradiction de Frécon 2018 qui est faite dans Poizat 2018 met en évidence la structure symétrique des groupes de rang de Morley fini sans involutions; en effet, cette démonstration consiste en la construction d'un espace symétrique de dimension deux (“un plan”), puis à montrer que ce plan ne peut exister.

Aux sous-espaces symétriques définissables de ces groupes sont associées des symétries et des transvexions, qu'on entreprend d'étudier ici dans l'abstrait, sans référence à un groupe qui les enveloppe; cela nous mène à considérer des structures introduites axiomatiquement que nous appelons symétrons (plutôt qu'ensembles symétriques diadiques, comme les ont nommées Lawson & Lim 2004).

Le $Z^*$ -Theorem de Glauberman permet d'élucider complètement la structure des symétrons finis: chacun est isomorphe à l'ensemble des symétries associées à un sous-espace symétrique d'un groupe fini sans involutions, qui est loin d'être uniquement déterminé: de fait, il existe des groupes finis non isomorphes qui ont les mêmes symétries, et aussi des symétrons finis qui ne sont pas isomorphes aux symétries d'un groupe,

La situation est plus incertaine dans le cas des symétrons de rang de Morley fini, ou même algébriques, qui sont l'objet d'étude principal de cet article. Mais bien qu'un symétron soit une structure nettement plus faible qu'un groupe, nous pouvons étendre aux symétrons des résultats bien connus à propos des groupes de rang de Morley fini: condition de chaîne, décomposition en composantes connexes, caractérisation des parties définissables génériques, génération elliptique, etc. Ces propriétés sont nouvelles même dans le cas des sous-espaces symétriques d’un groupe, et permettent de court-circuiter les calculs de Frécon dans la construction de son plan paradoxal.

En outre, sous l'hypothèse de la Conjecture d'Algébricité, nous généralisons le Théorème de Glauberman au contexte de rang de Morley fini.

We show that the Lascar group $\operatorname {Gal}_L(T)$ of a first-order theory T is naturally isomorphic to the fundamental group $\pi _1(|\mathrm {Mod}(T)|)$ of the classifying space of the category of models of T and elementary embeddings. We use this identification to compute the Lascar groups of several example theories via homotopy-theoretic methods, and in fact completely characterize the homotopy type of $|\mathrm {Mod}(T)|$ for these theories T. It turns out that in each of these cases, $|\operatorname {Mod}(T)|$ is aspherical, i.e., its higher homotopy groups vanish. This raises the question of which homotopy types are of the form $|\mathrm {Mod}(T)|$ in general. As a preliminary step towards answering this question, we show that every homotopy type is of the form $|\mathcal {C}|$ where $\mathcal {C}$ is an Abstract Elementary Class with amalgamation for $\kappa $ -small objects, where $\kappa $ may be taken arbitrarily large. This result is improved in another paper.