Forcing Isomorphism II

We introduce bounded category forcing axioms for well-behaved classes $\Gamma$. These are strong forms of bounded forcing axioms which completely decide the theory of some initial segment of the universe $H_{\lambda_\Gamma^+}$ modulo forcing in $\Gamma$, for some cardinal $\lambda_\Gamma$ naturally associated to $\Gamma$. These axioms naturally extend projective absoluteness for arbitrary set-forcing--in this situation $\lambda_\Gamma=\omega$--to classes $\Gamma$ with $\lambd...

We continue the investigation started in [Sh:1215] about the relation between the Keilser-Shelah isomorphism theorem and the continuum hypothesis. In particular, we show it is consistent that the continuum hypothesis fails and for any given sequence $\mathbf m=\langle (\mathbb{M}^{1}_n, \mathbb{M}^{2}_n: n < \omega \rangle$ of models of size at most $\aleph_1$ in a countable language, if the sequence satisfies a mild extra property, then for every non-principal ultrafilter $\...

Cohen's first model is a model of Zermelo--Fraenkel set theory in which there is a Dedekind-finite set of real numbers, and it is perhaps the most famous model where the Axiom of Choice fails. We force over this model to add a function from this Dedekind-finite set to some infinite ordinal $\kappa$. In the case that we force the function to be injective, it turns out that the resulting model is the same as adding $\kappa$ Cohen reals to the ground model, and that we have just...

The paper is a first of two and aims to show that (assuming large cardinals) set theory is a tractable (and we dare to say tame) first order theory when formalized in a first order signature with natural predicate symbols for the basic definable concepts of second and third order arithmetic, and appealing to the model-theoretic notions of model completeness and model companionship. Specifically we develop a general framework linking generic absoluteness results to model com...

We provide a model where u(\kappa) < 2^{\kappa} for a supercompact cardinal \kappa. Garti and Shelah have provided a sketch of how to obtain such a model by modifying the construction in a paper of Dzamonja and Shelah; we provide here a complete proof using a different modification and further study the values of other natural generalizations of classical cardinal characteristics in our model. For this purpose we generalize some standard facts that hold in the countable case ...

Absolute model companionship (AMC) is a strict strengthening of model companionship defined as follows: For a theory $T$, $T_{\exists\vee\forall}$ denotes the logical consequences of $T$ which are boolean combinations of universal sentences. $T^*$ is the AMC of $T$ if it is model complete and $T_{\exists\vee\forall}=T^*_{\exists\vee\forall}$. We use AMC to study the continuum problem and to gauge the expressive power of forcing. We show that (a definable version of) $2^{\al...

The purpose of this article is to prove that the forcing axiom for completely proper forcings is inconsistent with the Continuum Hypothesis. This answers a longstanding problem of Shelah. The corresponding completely proper forcing which can be constructed using CH is moreover a tree whose square is special off the diagonal. While such trees had previously been constructed by Jensen and Kunen under the assumption of Jensen's diamond principle, this is the first time such a co...

We give an example of a countable theory T such that for every cardinal lambda >= aleph_2 there is a fully indiscernible set A of power lambda such that the principal types are dense over A, yet there is no atomic model of T over A. In particular, T(A) is a theory of size lambda where the principal types are dense, yet T(A) has no atomic model.

We study the Borel-reducibility of isomorphism relations in the generalized Baire space $\kappa^\kappa$. In the main result we show for inaccessible $\kappa$, that if $T$ is a classifiable theory and $T'$ is superstable with the strong dimensional order property (S-DOP), then the isomorphism of models of $T$ is Borel reducible to the isomorphism of models of $T'$. In fact we show the consistency of the following: If $\kappa$ is inaccessible and $T$ is a superstable theory wit...

When classes of structures are not first-order definable, we might still try to find a nice description. There are two common ways for doing this. One is to expand the language, leading to notions of pseudo-elementary classes, and the other is to allow infinite conjuncts and disjuncts. In this paper we examine the intersection. Namely, we address the question: Which classes of structures are both pseudo-elementary and $\mathcal{L}_{\omega_1 \omega}$-elementary? We find that t...