Sh:1070

• Malliaris, M., & Shelah, S. (2016). Cofinality spectrum problems: the axiomatic approach. Topology Appl., 213, 50–79. DOI: 10.1016/j.topol.2016.08.019 MR: 3563070
• Abstract:
  Let X be a set of definable linear or partial orders in some model. We say that X has uniqueness below some cardinal \mathfrak{t}_* if for any regular \kappa < \mathfrak{t}_*, any two increasing \kappa-indexed sequences in any two orders of X have the same co-initiality. Motivated by recent work, we investigate this phenomenon from several interrelated points of view. We define the lower-cofinality spectrum for a regular ultrafilter \mathcal{D} on \lambda and show that this spectrum may consist of a strict initial segment of cardinals below \lambda and also that it may finitely alternate. We connect these investigations to a question of Dow on the conjecturally nonempty (in ZFC) region of OK but not good ultrafilters, by introducing the study of so-called ‘automorphic ultrafilters’ and proving that the ultrafilters which are automorphic for some, equivalently every, unstable theory are precisely the good ultrafilters. Finally, we axiomatize a general context of “lower cofinality spectrum problems”, a bare-bones framework consisting essentially of a single tree projecting onto two linear orders. We prove existence of a lower cofinality function in this context show that this framework holds of theories which are substantially less complicated than Peano arithmetic, the natural home of cofinality spectrum problems. Along the way we give new analogues of several open problems.
• Version 2016-05-03_11 (31p) published version (30p)

@article{Sh:1070,
 author = {Malliaris, Maryanthe and Shelah, Saharon},
 title = {{Cofinality spectrum problems: the axiomatic approach}},
 journal = {Topology Appl.},
 fjournal = {Topology and its Applications},
 volume = {213},
 year = {2016},
 pages = {50--79},
 issn = {0166-8641},
 mrnumber = {3563070},
 mrclass = {03E04 (03C55 03E17)},
 doi = {10.1016/j.topol.2016.08.019}
}