We develop the theory of cofinal types of ultrafilters over measurable cardinals and establish its connections to Galvin’s property. We generalize fundamental results from the countable to the uncountable, but often in surprisingly strengthened forms, and present models with varying structures of the cofinal types of ultrafilters over measurable cardinals.

Ultrafilters play a significant role in model theory to characterize logics having various compactness and interpolation properties. They also provide a general method to construct extensions of first-order logic having these properties. A main result of this paper is that every class $\Omega $ of uniform ultrafilters generates a $\Delta $-closed logic ${\mathcal {L}}_\Omega $. ${\mathcal {L}}_\Omega $ is $\omega $-relatively compact iff some $D\in \Omega $ fails to be $\omega _1$-complete iff ${\mathcal {L}}_\Omega $ does not contain the quantifier “there are uncountably many.” If $\Omega $ is a set, or if it contains a countably incomplete ultrafilter, then ${\mathcal {L}}_\Omega $ is not generated by Mostowski cardinality quantifiers. Assuming $\neg 0^\sharp $ or $\neg L^{\mu }$, if $D\in \Omega $ is a uniform ultrafilter over a regular cardinal $\nu $, then every family $\Psi $ of formulas in ${\mathcal {L}}_\Omega $ with $|\Phi |\leq \nu $ satisfies the compactness theorem. In particular, if $\Omega $ is a proper class of uniform ultrafilters over regular cardinals, ${\mathcal {L}}_\Omega $ is compact.

We give a new characterization of the cardinal invariant $\mathfrak {d}$ as the minimal cardinality of a family $\mathcal {D}$ of tall summable ideals such that an ultrafilter is rapid if and only if it has non-empty intersection with all the ideals in the family $\mathcal {D}$. On the other hand, we prove that in the Miller model, given any family $\mathcal {D}$ of analytic tall p-ideals such that $\vert \mathcal {D}\vert <\mathfrak {d}$, there is an ultrafilter $\mathcal {U}$ which is an $\mathscr {I}$-ultrafilter for all ideals $\mathscr {I}\in \mathcal {D}$ at the same time, yet $\mathcal {U}$ is not a rapid ultrafilter. As a corollary, we obtain that in the Miller model, given any analytic tall p-ideal $\mathscr {I}$, $\mathscr {I}$-ultrafilters are dense in the Rudin–Blass ordering, generalizing a theorem of Bartoszyński and S. Shelah, who proved that in such model, Hausdorff ultrafilters are dense in the Rudin–Blass ordering. This theorem also shows some limitations about possible generalizations of a theorem of C. Laflamme and J. Zhu.

Let $\mathcal {I}$ be an ideal on $\omega $ . For $f,\,g\in \omega ^{\omega }$ we write $f \leq _{\mathcal {I}} g$ if $f(n) \leq g(n)$ for all $n\in \omega \setminus A$ with some $A\in \mathcal {I}$ . Moreover, we denote $\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}}=\{f\in \omega ^{\omega }: f^{-1}[\{n\}]\in \mathcal {I} \text { for every } n\in \omega \}$ (in particular, $\mathcal {D}_{\mathrm {Fin}}$ denotes the family of all finite-to-one functions).

We examine cardinal numbers $\mathfrak {b}(\geq _{\mathcal {I}}\cap (\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}} \times \mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}}))$ and $\mathfrak {b}(\geq _{\mathcal {I}}\cap (\mathcal {D}_{\mathrm {Fin}}\times \mathcal {D}_{\mathrm {Fin}}))$ describing the smallest sizes of unbounded from below with respect to the order $\leq _{\mathcal {I}}$ sets in $\mathcal {D}_{\mathrm {Fin}}$ and $\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}}$ , respectively. For a maximal ideal $\mathcal {I}$ , these cardinals were investigated by M. Canjar in connection with coinitial and cofinal subsets of the ultrapowers.

We show that $\mathfrak {b}(\geq _{\mathcal {I}}\cap (\mathcal {D}_{\mathrm {Fin}} \times \mathcal {D}_{\mathrm {Fin}})) =\mathfrak {b}$ for all ideals $\mathcal {I}$ with the Baire property and that $\aleph _1 \leq \mathfrak {b}(\geq _{\mathcal {I}}\cap (\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}} \times \mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}})) \leq \mathfrak {b}$ for all coanalytic weak P-ideals (this class contains all $\bf {\Pi ^0_4}$ ideals). What is more, we give examples of Borel (even $\bf {\Sigma ^0_2}$ ) ideals $\mathcal {I}$ with $\mathfrak {b}(\geq _{\mathcal {I}}\cap (\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}} \times \mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}}))=\mathfrak {b}$ as well as with $\mathfrak {b}(\geq _{\mathcal {I}}\cap (\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}} \times \mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {I}})) =\aleph _1$ .

We also study cardinals $\mathfrak {b}(\geq _{\mathcal {I}}\cap (\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {J}} \times \mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {K}}))$ describing the smallest sizes of sets in $\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {K}}$ not bounded from below with respect to the preorder $\leq _{\mathcal {I}}$ by any member of $\mathcal {D}_{\mathcal {J}}\!$ . Our research is partially motivated by the study of ideal-QN-spaces: those cardinals describe the smallest size of a space which is not ideal-QN.

We investigate the structure of ultrafilters on Boolean algebras in the framework of Tukey reducibility. In particular, this paper provides several techniques to construct ultrafilters which are not Tukey maximal. Furthermore, we connect this analysis with a cardinal invariant of Boolean algebras, the ultrafilter number, and prove consistency results concerning its possible values on Cohen and random algebras.

We continue the research of the relation $\hspace {1mm}\widetilde {\mid }\hspace {1mm}$ on the set $\beta \mathbb {N}$ of ultrafilters on $\mathbb {N}$ , defined as an extension of the divisibility relation. It is a quasiorder, so we see it as an order on the set of $=_{\sim }$ -equivalence classes, where $\mathcal {F}=_{\sim }\mathcal {G}$ means that $\mathcal {F}$ and $\mathcal {G}$ are mutually $\hspace {1mm}\widetilde {\mid }$ -divisible. Here we introduce a new tool: a relation of congruence modulo an ultrafilter. We first recall the congruence of ultrafilters modulo an integer and show that $=_{\sim }$ -equivalent ultrafilters do not necessarily have the same residue modulo $m\in \mathbb {N}$ . Then we generalize this relation to congruence modulo an ultrafilter in a natural way. After that, using iterated nonstandard extensions, we introduce a stronger relation, which has nicer properties with respect to addition and multiplication of ultrafilters. Finally, we introduce a strengthening of $\hspace {1mm}\widetilde {\mid }\hspace {1mm}$ and show that it also behaves well with respect to the congruence relation.

The aim of this paper is to shed light on our understanding of large scale properties of infinite strings. We say that one string $\alpha $ has weaker large scale geometry than that of $\beta $ if there is color preserving bi-Lipschitz map from $\alpha $ into $\beta $ with small distortion. This definition allows us to define a partially ordered set of large scale geometries on the classes of all infinite strings. This partial order compares large scale geometries of infinite strings. As such, it presents an algebraic tool for classification of global patterns. We study properties of this partial order. We prove, for instance, that this partial order has a greatest element and also possess infinite chains and antichains. We also investigate the sets of large scale geometries of strings accepted by finite state machines such as Büchi automata. We provide an algorithm that describes large scale geometries of strings accepted by Büchi automata. This connects the work with the complexity theory. We also prove that the quasi-isometry problem is a $\Sigma _2^0$ -complete set, thus providing a bridge with computability theory. Finally, we build algebraic structures that are invariants of large scale geometries. We invoke asymptotic cones, a key concept in geometric group theory, defined via model-theoretic notion of ultra-product. Partly, we study asymptotic cones of algorithmically random strings, thus connecting the topic with algorithmic randomness.

We study a partial order on countably complete ultrafilters introduced by Ketonen [2] as a generalization of the Mitchell order. The following are our main results: the order is wellfounded; its linearity is equivalent to the Ultrapower Axiom, a principle introduced in the author’s dissertation [1]; finally, assuming the Ultrapower Axiom, the Ketonen order coincides with Lipschitz reducibility in the sense of generalized descriptive set theory.

It is proved that the Continuum Hypothesis implies that any sequence of rapid P-points of length ${<}\mathfrak{c}^{+}$ that is increasing with respect to the Rudin–Keisler ordering is bounded above by a rapid P-point. This is an improvement of a result from B. Kuzeljevic and D. Raghavan. It is also proved that Jensen’s diamond principle implies the existence of an unbounded strictly increasing sequence of P-points of length $\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}_{1}$ in the Rudin–Keisler ordering. This shows that restricting to the class of rapid P-points is essential for the first result.

Let G be a countably infinite discrete group, let βG be the Stone–Čech compactification of G, and let ${G^{\rm{*}}} = \beta G \setminus G$. An idempotent $p \in {G^{\rm{*}}}$ is left (right) maximal if for every idempotent $q \in {G^{\rm{*}}}$, pq = p (qp = P) implies qp = q (qp = q). An idempotent $p \in {G^{\rm{*}}}$ is strongly right maximal if the equation xp = p has the unique solution x = p in G*. We show that there is an idempotent $p \in {G^{\rm{*}}}$ which is both left maximal and strongly right maximal.

The generic ultrafilter ${\cal G}_2 $ forced by ${\cal P}\left( {\omega \times \omega } \right)/\left( {{\rm{Fin}} \otimes {\rm{Fin}}} \right)$ was recently proved to be neither maximum nor minimum in the Tukey order of ultrafilters ([1]), but it was left open where exactly in the Tukey order it lies. We prove ${\cal G}_2 $ that is in fact Tukey minimal over its projected Ramsey ultrafilter. Furthermore, we prove that for each ${\cal G}_2 $, the collection of all nonprincipal ultrafilters Tukey reducible to the generic ultrafilter ${\cal G}_k $ forced by ${\cal P}\left( {\omega ^k } \right)/{\rm{Fin}}^{ \otimes k} $ forms a chain of length k. Essential to the proof is the extraction of a dense subset εk from (Fin⊗k)+ which we prove to be a topological Ramsey space. The spaces εk, k ≥ 2, form a hierarchy of high dimensional Ellentuck spaces. New Ramsey-classification theorems for equivalence relations on fronts on εk are proved, extending the Pudlák–Rödl Theorem for fronts on the Ellentuck space, which are applied to find the Tukey and Rudin–Keisler structures below ${\cal G}_k $.

We answer two questions of Hindman, Steprāns, and Strauss; namely, we prove that every strongly summable ultrafilter on an abelian group is sparse and has the trivial sums property. Moreover, we show that in most cases the sparseness of the given ultrafilter is a consequence of its being isomorphic to a union ultrafilter. However, this does not happen in all cases; we also construct (assuming Martin's Axiom for countable partial orders, i.e., $\operatorname{cov}\left( \text{M} \right)=\mathfrak{c})$, a strongly summable ultrafilter on the Boolean group that is not additively isomorphic to any union ultrafilter.

Criteria are obtained for a filter ${\cal F}$ of subsets of a set I to be an intersection of finitely many ultrafilters, respectively, finitely many κ-complete ultrafilters for a given uncountable cardinal $\kappa .$ From these, general results are deduced concerning homomorphisms on infinite direct product groups, which yield quick proofs of some results in the literature: the Łoś–Eda theorem (characterizing homomorphisms from a not-necessarily-countable direct product of modules to a slender module), and some results of Nahlus and the author on homomorphisms on infinite direct products of not-necessarily-associative k-algebras. The same tools allow other results of Nahlus and the author to be nontrivially strengthened, and yield an analog to one of their results, with nonabelian groups taking the place of k-algebras.

We briefly examine the question of how the common technique used in applying the general results of this note to k-algebras on the one hand, and to nonabelian groups on the other, might be extended to more general varieties of algebras in the sense of universal algebra.

In a final section, the Erdős–Kaplansky theorem on dimensions of vector spaces ${D^I}$$(D$ a division ring) is extended to reduced products ${D^I}/{\cal F},$ and an application is noted.

Let be a finite sequence of algebras of sets given on a set with more than pairwise disjoint sets not belonging to It was shown in [4] and [5] that in this case Let us consider, instead a finite sequence of algebras It turns out that if for each natural i ≤ l there exist no less than pairwise disjoint sets not belonging to then But if l ≥ 195 and if for each natural i ≤ l there exist no less than pairwise disjoint sets not belonging to then After consideration of finite sequences of algebras, it is natural to consider countable sequences of algebras. We obtained two essentially important theorems on a countable sequence of almost σ-algebras (the concept of almost σ-algebra was introduced in [4]).

The paper examines the classes K1 and Γ1 of Hausdorff uniform spaces which are Gδ-closed in their Samuel compactifications, or completions. It is shown that the classes are epi-reflective, the reflections K1 and Γ are described, K1 and Γ1 are represented as epi-reflective hulls, membership in the classes is described by fixation of certain zero-set ultrafilters, and it is shown that k1 = Γ1 exactly on spaces without discrete sets of measurable power. The results include familiar facts about realcompact and topologically complete topological spaces and are closely connected with the theory of metric-fine uniform spaces.

Subject classification (Amer. Math. Soc. (MOS) 1970): primary 54 C 50, 54 E 15, 18 A 40; secondary 54 B 05, 54 B 10, 54 C 10, 54 C 30.