Due to Gödel’s incompleteness results, the categoricity of a sufficiently rich mathematical theory and the semantic completeness of its underlying logic are two mutually exclusive ideals. For first- and second-order logics we obtain one of them with the cost of losing the other. In addition, in both these logics the rules of deduction for their quantifiers are non-categorical. In this paper I examine two recent arguments—Warren [43] and Murzi and Topey [30]—for the idea that the natural deduction rules for the first-order universal quantifier are categorical, i.e., they uniquely determine its semantic intended meaning. Both of them make use of McGee’s open-endedness requirement and the second one uses in addition Garson’s [19] local models for defining the validity of these rules. I argue that the success of both these arguments is relative to their semantic or infinitary assumptions, which could be easily discharged if the introduction rule for the universal quantifier is taken to be an infinitary rule, i.e., non-compact. Consequently, I reconsider the use of the $\omega $-rule and I show that the addition of the $\omega $-rule to the standard formalizations of first-order logic is categorical. In addition, I argue that the open-endedness requirement does not make the first-order Peano Arithmetic categorical and I advance an argument for its categoricity based on the inferential conservativity requirement.

Let $G$ be a split connected reductive group over a finite field of characteristic $p > 2$ such that $G_\text {der}$ is absolutely almost simple. We give a geometric construction of perverse $\mathbb {F}_p$-sheaves on the Iwahori affine flag variety of $G$ which are central with respect to the convolution product. We deduce an explicit formula for an isomorphism from the spherical mod $p$ Hecke algebra to the center of the Iwahori mod $p$ Hecke algebra. We also give a formula for the central integral Bernstein elements in the Iwahori mod $p$ Hecke algebra. To accomplish these goals we construct a nearby cycles functor for perverse $\mathbb {F}_p$-sheaves and we use Frobenius splitting techniques to prove some properties of this functor. We also prove that certain equal characteristic analogues of local models of Shimura varieties are strongly $F$-regular, and hence they are $F$-rational and have pseudo-rational singularities.

We prove the test function conjecture of Kottwitz and the first named author for local models of Shimura varieties with parahoric level structure attached to Weil-restricted groups, as defined by B. Levin. Our result covers the (modified) local models attached to all connected reductive groups over $p$-adic local fields with $p\geqslant 5$. In addition, we give a self-contained study of relative affine Grassmannians and loop groups formed using general relative effective Cartier divisors in a relative curve over an arbitrary Noetherian affine scheme.

In this paper, we study the reduced loci of special cycles on local models of the Shimura variety for $\text{GU}\left( 1,\,n\,-\,1 \right)$. Those special cycles are defined by Kudla and Rapoport. We explicitly compute the irreducible components of the reduced locus of a single special cycle, as well as of an arbitrary intersection of special cycles, and their intersection behaviour in terms of Bruhat–Tits theory. Furthermore, as an application of our results, we prove the connectedness of arbitrary intersections of special cycles, as conjectured by Kudla and Rapoport.

in this article we compare different conditions on abelian schemes with real multiplication which occur in the integral models of the hilbert–blumenthal shimura variety considered by rapoport, deligne, pappas and kottwitz. we show that the models studied by deligne/pappas and kottwitz are isomorphic over $\mathrm{spec}\mathbb{z}_{(p)}$. we also examine the associated local models and prove that they are equal.

Kottwitz conjectured a formula for the (semi-simple) trace of Frobenius on the nearby cycles for the local model of a Shimura variety with Iwahori-type level structure. In this paper, we prove his conjecture in the linear and symplectic cases by adapting an argument of Gaitsgory, who proved an analogous theorem in the equal characteristic case.