We deal with some of problems posed by Monk and related to cardinal invariant of ultraproducts of Boolean algebras. We also introduce and investigate some new cardinal invariants.
We construct Boolean Algebras answering questions of Monk on cardinal invariants. The results are proved in ZFC (rather than giving consistency results). We deal with the existence of superatomic Boolean Algebras with ``few automorphisms'', with entangled sequences of linear orders, and with semi-ZFC examples of the non-attainment of the spread (and hL, hd).
Let C denote any of the following cardinal characteristics of Boolean algebras: incomparability, spread, character, pi-character, hereditary Lindelof number, hereditary density. It is shown to be consistent that there exists a sequence <B_i:i<kappa> of Boolean algebras and an ultrafilter D on kappa such that C(prod_{i<kappa}B_i/D)<|prod_{i<kappa}C(B_i)/D|. This answers a number of problems posed by Monk.
We introduce a large cardinal property which is consistent with L and show that for every superatomic Boolean algebra B and every cardinal lambda with the large cardinal property, if tightness^+(B) >= lambda^+, then depth (B) >= lambda. This improves a theorem of Dow and Monk.
The present status of the problems in my book "Cardinal Invariants on Boolean algebras" (Birkhauser 1996) is described, with a description of solutions or partial solutions, and references.
Boolean ultrapowers extend the classical ultrapower construction to work with ultrafilters on any complete Boolean algebra, rather than only on a power set algebra. When they are well-founded, the associated Boolean ultrapower embeddings exhibit a large cardinal nature, and the Boolean ultrapower construction thereby unifies two central themes of set theory---forcing and large cardinals---by revealing them to be two facets of a single underlying construction, the Boolean ultrapower.
We prove that assuming suitable cardinal arithmetic, if B is a Boolean algebra every homomorphic image of which is isomorphic to a factor, then B has locally small density. We also prove that for an (infinite) Boolean algebra B, the number of subalgebras is not smaller than the number of endomorphisms, and other related inequalities. Lastly we deal with the obtainment of the supremum of the cardinalities of sets of pairwise incomparable elements of a Boolean algebra.
For I a proper, countably complete ideal on P(X) for some set X, can the quotient Boolean algebra P(X)/I be complete? This question was raised by Sikorski in 1949. By a simple projection argument as for measurable cardinals, it can be assumed that X is an uncountable cardinal kappa, and that I is a kappa-complete ideal on P(kappa) containing all singletons. In this paper we provide consequences from and consistency results about completeness.
Using Koszmider's strongly unbounded functions, we show the following consistency result: Suppose that $κ,λ$ are infinite cardinals such that $κ^{+++} \leq λ$, $κ^{<κ}=κ$ and $2^κ= κ^+$, and $η$ is an ordinal with $κ^+\leq η<κ^{++}$ and $cf(η) = κ^+$. Then, in some cardinal-preserving generic extension there is a superatomic Boolean algebra $B$ such that - $ht(B) = η+ 1$, - the cardinality of the $α$th level of $B$ is $κ$ for every $α<η$, - and the cardinality of the $η$th level of $B$ is $λ$ Especially, $\<ω\>_{ω_1}\concatenation \<ω_3\>$ and $\<ω_1\>_{ω_2}\concatenation \<ω_4\>$ can be cardi…
We prove the consistency with ZFC of ``the length of an ultraproduct of Boolean algebras is smaller than the ultraproduct of the lengths''. Similarly for some other cardinal invariants of Boolean algebras.
We prove that for any superatomic Boolean Algebra of cardinality >beth_omega there is an automorphism moving uncountably many atoms. Similarly for larger cardinals. Any of those results are essentially best possible.
We address several questions of Donald Monk related to irredundance and spread of Boolean algebras, gaining both some ZFC knowledge and consistency results. We show in ZFC that irr(B_0 times B_1)= max(irr(B_0),irr(B_1)). We prove consistency of the statement ``there is a Boolean algebra B such that irr(B)<s(B otimes B)'' and we force a superatomic Boolean algebra B_* such that s(B_*)=inc(B_*)=kappa, irr(B_*)=Id(B_*)=kappa^+ and Sub(B_*)=2^(kappa^+). Next we force a superatomic algebra B_0 such that irr(B_0)<inc(B_0) and a superatomic algebra B_1 such that t(B_1)>Aut(B_1). Finally we show that …
We give a definition of some classes of boolean algebras generalizing free boolean algebras; they satisfy a universal property that certain functions extend to homomorphisms. We give a combinatorial property of generating sets of these algebras, which we call n -independent. The properties of these classes (n-free and omega-free boolean algebras) are investigated. These include connections to hypergraph theory and cardinal invariants on these algebras. Related cardinal functions, n Ind, which is the supremum of the cardinalities of n-independent subsets; i_n, the minimum size of a maximal n -i…
This article is devoted to two different generalizations of projective Boolean algebras: openly generated Boolean algebras and tightly sigma-filtered Boolean algebras. We show that for every uncountable regular cardinal kappa there are 2^kappa pairwise non-isomorphic openly generated Boolean algebras of size kappa > aleph_1 provided there is an almost free non-free abelian group of size kappa. The openly generated Boolean algebras constructed here are almost free. Moreover, for every infinite regular cardinal kappa we construct 2^kappa pairwise non-isomorphic Boolean algebras of size kappa tha…
We answer three problems by J. D. Monk on cardinal invariants of Boolean algebras. Two of these are whether taking the algebraic density pi(A), resp. the topological density d(A), of a Boolean algebra A commutes with formation of ultraproducts; the third one compares the number of endomorphisms and of ideals of a Boolean algebra.
How many endomorphisms does a Boolean algebra have? Can we find Boolean algebras with as few endomorphisms as possible? Of course from any ultrafilter of the Boolean algebra we can define an endomorphism, and we can combine finitely many such endomorphisms in some reasonable ways. We prove that in any cardinality lambda=lambda^ {aleph_0} there is a Boolean algebra with no other endomorphisms. For this we use the so called "black boxes", but in a self contained way. We comment on how necessary the restriction on the cardinal is.
We give a necessary and sufficient condition for an atomless Boolean algebra to be countably generated, and use it to give new proofs of some some know facts due to Gaifman-Hales and Solovay and also due to Jech, Kunen and Magidor. We also show that Jensen's coding theorem can be used to provide cardinal preserving countably generated complete Boolean algebras of arbitrary large cardinality. This answers a question of Jech [5] from 1976.
Let inv denote the cardinal invariants Depth^+ and Length^+ on Boolean algebras. For many singular cardinals we create a strict inequality between the product of the inv values and the inv of the product algebra. The proof holds in ZFC.
We give a definition of some classes of boolean algebras generalizing free boolean algebras; they satisfy a universal property that certain functions extend to homomorphisms. We give a combinatorial property of generating sets of these algebras, which we call n-independent. The properties of these classes (n-free and omega-free boolean algebras) are investigated. These include connections to hypergraph theory and cardinal invariants on these algebras. Related cardinal functions, $n$Ind, which is the supremum of the cardinalities of n-independent subsets; i_n, the minimum size of a maximal n-in…
We address a number of problems on Boolean Algebras. For example, we construct, in ZFC, for any BA B, and cardinal kappa BAs B_1,B_2 extending B such that the depth of the free product of B_1,B_2 over B is strictly larger than the depths of B_1 and of B_2 than kappa. We give a condition (for lambda, mu and theta) which implies that for some BA A_theta there are B_1=B^1_{lambda, mu, theta} and B_2B^2_{lambda, mu, theta} such that Depth (B_t) <= mu and Depth (B_1 oplus_{A_theta} B_1) >= lambda. We then investigate for a fixed A, the existence of such B_1,B_2 giving sufficient and necessary condi…
If $A$ is an infinite Boolean algebra the cardinal invariant $\mathfrak{a}(A)$ is defined as the smallest size of an infinite partition of $A$. The cardinal $\mathfrak{a}(A\oplus B)$, where $A\oplus B$ is the free product of the Boolean algebras $A$ and $B$ (whose dual topological space is the product of the dual topological spaces of $A$ and $B$), is below both $\mathfrak{a}(A)$ and $\mathfrak{a}(B)$. The equality $\mathfrak{a}(A\oplus B)=\min\lbrace\mathfrak{a}(A),\mathfrak{a}(B)\rbrace$ is not known to hold for all infinite Boolean algebras $A$ and $B$. Here some lower bounds of $\mathfrak{…
We give a simplified proof of a theorem of M. Rabus and S. Shelah claiming that for each cardinal mu there is a c.c.c Boolean algebra with topological density mu.
We investigate sigma-entangled linear orders and narrowness of Boolean algebras. We show existence of sigma-entangled linear orders in many cardinals, and we build Boolean algebras with neither large chains nor large pies. We study the behavior of these notions in ultraproducts.
We show that the Depth^+ of an ultraproduct of Boolean Algebras, can not jump over the Depth^+ of every component by more than one cardinality. We can have, consequently, similar results for the Depth invariant.
In [Sh:89] we, answering a question of Monk, have explicated the notion of ``a Boolean algebra with no endomorphisms except the ones induced by ultrafilters on it'' (see section 2 here) and proved the existence of one with character density aleph_0, assuming first diamondsuit_{aleph_1} and then only CH. The idea was that if h is an endomorphism of B, not among the ``trivial'' ones, then there are pairwise disjoint D_n in B with h(d_n) not subset d_n. Then we can, for some S subset omega, add an element x such that d <= x for n in S, x cap d_n=0 for n not in S while forbidding a solution for {y…
A subset $A$ of a Boolean algebra $B$ is said to be $(n,m)$-reaped if there is a partition of unity $P \subset B$ of size $n$ such that the cardinality of $\{b \in P: b \wedge a \neq \emptyset\}$ is greater than or equal to $m$ for all $a\in A$. The reaping number $r_{n,m}(B)$ of a Boolean algebra $B$ is the minimum cardinality of a set $A \subset B\setminus \{0\}$ such which cannot be $(n,m)$-reaped. It is shown that, for each $n \in ω$, there is a Boolean algebra $B$ such that $r_{n+1,2}(B) \neq r_{n,2}(B)$. Also, $\{r_{n,m}(B) : \{n,m\}\subseteqω\}$ consists of at most two consecutive integ…
We investigate reflection-type problems on the class SPM, of Boolean algebras carrying strictly positive finitely additive measures. We show, in particular, that in the constructible universe there is a Boolean algebra $\mathfrak A$ which is not in SPM but every subalgebra of $\mathfrak A$ of cardinality $\mathfrak c$ admits a strictly positive measure. This result is essentially due to Farah and Velickovic.
We give a unified treatment of the model theory of various enrichments of infinite atomic Boolean algebras, with special attention to quantifier-eliminations, complete axiomatizations and decidability. A classical example is the enrichment by a predicate for the ideal of finite sets, and a novel one involves predicates giving congruence conditions on the cardinality of finite sets. We focus on three examples, and classify them by expressive power.
We investigate the sequential topology $τ_s$ on a complete Boolean algebra $B$ determined by algebraically convergent sequences in $B$. We show the role of weak distributivity of $B$ in separation axioms for the sequential topology. The main result is that a necessary and sufficient condition for $B$ to carry a strictly positive Maharam submeasure is that $B$ is ccc and that the space $(B,τ_s)$ is Hausdorff. We also characterize sequential cardinals.
Let "ex" be the cardinality of the smallest independent family of subsets of omega (independent means that all nontrivial Boolean combinations are infinite) which cannot be extended to a homogeneous independent family. "Homogeneous" means that every finite partial map (points to points, sets to sets) that is compatible with the family is induced by a permutation of omega. Despite its apparently ``complex'' (second order) definition, this cardinal is equal to a well-known ``simple'' cardinal invariant from Cichon's diagram.
We study the question which Boolean algebras have the property that for every generating set there is an ultrafilter selecting maximal number of its elements. We call it the ultrafilter selection property. For cardinality aleph-one the property is equivalent to the fact that the space of ultrafilters is not Corson compact. We also consider the pointwise topology on a Boolean algebra, proving a result on the Lindelöf number in the context of the ultrafilter selection property. Finally, we discuss poset Boolean algebras, interval algebras, and semilattices in the context of ultrafilter selection…
This paper deals with variety of problems in pcf theory and infinitary combinatorics. We look at normal filters and prc, measures of the size of [lambda]^{<kappa}, pcf-inaccessibility, entangled orders (and narrow Boolean Algebras), measuring prod_{i<kappa}f(i) by a family of ideals and a family of sequences <B_i:i<kappa> with |B_i|<mu_i, and finally we deal with the existence of strongly almost disjoint families.
Given a Boolean algebra $A$, we construct another Boolean algebra $B$ with no uncountable well-ordered chains such that the Banach space of real valued continuous functions $C(K_A)$ embeds isometrically into $C(K_B)$, where $K_A$ and $K_B$ are the Stone spaces of $A$ and $B$ respectively. As a consequence we obtain the following: If there exists an isometrically universal Banach space for the class of Banach spaces of a given uncountable density $κ$, then there is another such space which is induced by a Boolean algebra which is not universal for Boolean algebras of cardinality $κ$. Such a phe…
We prove the consistency of irr(prod limits_{i<kappa}B_i/D)< prod limits_{i<kappa}irr(B_i)/D, where D is an ultrafilter on kappa and each B_i is a Boolean Algebra. This solves the last problem of this form from the Monk's list of problems, that is number 35. The solution applies to many other properties, e.g., Souslinity. Next, we get similar results with kappa = aleph_1 (easily we cannot have it for kappa=aleph_0) and Boolean Algebras B_i (i< kappa) of cardinality < beth_{omega_1}.
Under the assumption that the continuum c is a regular cardinal, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a Boolean algebra B of size c defined by sharing the main structural properties that P(N)/fin has under CH and in the aleph2-Cohen model. We prove a similar result in the category of Banach spaces.
An interval algebra is a Boolean algebra which is isomorphic to the algebra of finite unions of half-open intervals, of a linearly ordered set. An interval algebra is hereditary if every subalgebra is an interval algebra. We answer a question of M. Bekkali and S. Todorčević, by showing that it is consistent that every $σ$-centered interval algebra of size $\mathfrak{b}$ is hereditary. We also show that there is, in ZFC, an hereditary interval algebra of cardinality $\aleph_1.$
We prove that for every singular cardinal mu of cofinality omega, the complete Boolean algebra compP_mu(mu) contains as a complete subalgebra an isomorphic copy of the collapse algebra Comp Col(omega_1,mu^{aleph_0}). Consequently, adding a generic filter to the quotient algebra P_mu(mu)=P(mu)/[mu]^{<mu} collapses mu^{aleph_0} to aleph_1. Another corollary is that the Baire number of the space U(mu) of all uniform ultrafilters over mu is equal to omega_2. The corollaries affirm two conjectures by Balcar and Simon. The proof uses pcf theory.
We study a two-parameter generalization of the Freese-Nation Property of boolean algebras and its order-theoretic and topological consequences. For every regular infinite κ, the (κ,κ)-FN, the (κ^+,κ)-FN, and the κ-FN are known to be equivalent; we show that the family of properties (λ,μ)-FN for λ>μform a true two-dimensional hierarchy that is robust with respect to coproducts, retracts, and the exponential operation. The (κ,\aleph_0)-FN in particular has strong consequences for base properties of compacta (stronger still for homogeneous compacta), and these consequences have natural duals in t…
We show that it is consistent with ZFC (relative to large cardinals) that every infinite Boolean algebra B has an irredundant subset A such that 2^{|A|} = 2^{|B|}. This implies in particular that B has 2^{|B|} subalgebras. We also discuss some more general problems about subalgebras and free subsets of an algebra. The result on the number of subalgebras in a Boolean algebra solves a question of Monk. The paper is intended to be accessible as far as possible to a general audience, in particular we have confined the more technical material to a ``black box'' at the end. The proof involves a vari…
We deal with several pcf problems; we characterize another version of exponentiation: number of kappa-branches in a tree with lambda nodes, deal with existence of independent sets in stable theories, possible cardinality of ultraproduct, the depth of ultraproducts of Boolean Algebras. Also we give cardinal invariant for each lambda with pcf restriction and investigate further T_D(f) .
We prove a compactness theorem for full Boolean-valued models. As an application, we show that if $T$ is a complete countable theory and $\mathcal{B}$ is a complete Boolean algebra, then $λ^+$-saturated $\mathcal{B}$-valued models of $T$ exist. Moreover, if $\mathcal{U}$ is an ultrafilter on $T$ and $\mathbf{M}$ is a $λ^+$-saturated $\mathcal{B}$-valued model of $T$, then whether or not $\mathbf{M}/\mathcal{U}$ is $λ^+$-saturated just depends on $\mathcal{U}$ and $T$; we say that $\mathcal{U}$ $λ^+$-saturates $T$ in this case. We show that Keisler's order can be formulated as follows: $T_0 \tr…
The structure of quotient Boolean algebras in terms of cardinal invariants is investigated. Some results of Gitik and Shelah regarding atomless ideals are reproved and proofs are significantly simplified.
Monk asks (problems 13, 15 in his list; pi is the algebraic density):''For a Boolean algebra B, aleph_0 <= theta <= pi (B), does B have a subalgebra B' with pi (B')= theta ?'' If theta is regular the answer is easily positive, we show that in general it may be negative, but for quite many singular cardinals - it is positive; the theorems are quite complementary. Next we deal with pi-chi and we show that the pi-chi of an ultraproduct of Boolean algebras is not necessarily the ultraproduct of the pi-chi 's. We also prove that for infinite Boolean algebras A_i (i< kappa) and a non-principal ultra…
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.
The following results are proved: (a) In a model obtained by adding aleph_2 Cohen reals, there is always a c.c.c. complete Boolean algebra without the weak Freese-Nation property. (b) Modulo the consistency strength of a supercompact cardinal, the existence of a c.c.c. complete Boolean algebras without the weak Freese-Nation property consistent with GCH. (c) Under some consequences of the negation of 0^#, the weak Freese-Nation property of (P(omega),subseteq) is equivalent to the weak Freese-Nation property of any of C(kappa) or R(kappa) for uncountable kappa. (d) Modulo consistency of (aleph_…
We establish some similarities/analogies between uncountable cardinals or powersets and the class $V$ of all sets. They concern mainly the Boolean algebras ${\cal P}(κ)$, for a regular cardinal $κ$, and ${\cal C}(V)$ (the class of subclasses of the universe $V$), endowed with some ideals, especially the ideal $[κ]^{<κ}$ for ${\cal P}(κ)$, and the ideal of sets $V$ for ${\cal C}(V)$.
Let $\mathbb{B}$ be a complete Boolean algebra. We show, as an application of a previous result of the author, that if $λ$ is an infinite cardinal and $\mathbb{B}$ is weakly $(λ^ω, ω)$-distributive, then $\mathbb{B}$ is $(λ, 2)$-distributive. Using a parallel result, we show that if $κ$ is a weakly compact cardinal such that $\mathbb{B}$ is weakly $(2^κ, κ)$-distributive and $\mathbb{B}$ is $(α, 2)$-distributive for each $α< κ$, then $\mathbb{B}$ is $(κ, 2)$-distributive.
We show that, consistently, for some regular cardinals theta<lambda, there exists a Boolean algebra B such that B=lambda^+ and for every subalgebra B' of B of size lambda^+ we have Depth(B')=theta.
The present paper addresses the problem of attainment of the supremums in various equivalent definitions of hereditary density hd and hereditary Lindelof degree hL of Boolean algebras. We partially answer two problems of J. Donald Monk (Problems 50 and 54 in his book "Cardinal Invariants on Boolean Algebras), showing consistency of different attainment behaviour and proving that (for the considered variants) this is the best result we can expect.
A charge (finitely additive measure) defined on a Boolean algebra of sets taking values in a group $G$ is called a strictly nonzero (SNZ) charge if it takes the identity value in $G$ only for the zero element of the Boolean algebra. A study of such charges was initiated by Rudiger Göbel and K.P.S. Bhaskara Rao in 2002. Our main result is a solution to one of the questions posed in that paper: we show that for every cardinal $\aleph$, the Boolean algebra of clopen sets of $\{0,1\}^\aleph$ has a strictly nonzero integer-valued charge. The key lemma that we prove is that there exists a strictly n…
Complete Boolean algebras proved to be an important tool in topology and set theory. Two of the most prominent examples are B(kappa), the algebra of Borel sets modulo measure zero ideal in the generalized Cantor space {0,1}^kappa equipped with product measure, and C(kappa), the algebra of regular open sets in the space {0,1}^kappa, for kappa an infinite cardinal. C(kappa) is much easier to analyse than B(kappa) : C(kappa) has a dense subset of size kappa, while the density of B(kappa) depends on the cardinal characteristics of the real line; and the definition of C(kappa) is simpler. Indeed, C…
This is the ninth issue of this bulletin. CONTENTS: Proceedings of SPM Workshop; A brief remark on van der Waerden spaces; Complete ccc Boolean algebras, the order sequential topology, and a problem of von Neumann; Cardinal invariants p, t and h and real functions; A comment on p<t; On squares of spaces and F_sigma-sets; Comparing the uniformity invariants of null sets for different measures; Maximal functions and the additivity of various families of null sets; How many miles to beta(omega)? -- Approximating beta(omega) by metric-dependent compactifications; The cardinal characteristic for re…
We prove that if $\mathcal{A}$ is a $σ$-complete Boolean algebra in a model $V$ of set theory and $\mathbb{P}\in V$ is a proper forcing with the Laver property preserving the ground model reals non-meager, then every pointwise convergent sequence of measures on $\mathcal{A}$ in a $\mathbb{P}$-generic extension $V[G]$ is weakly convergent, i.e. $\mathcal{A}$ has the Vitali--Hahn--Saks property in $V[G]$. This yields a consistent example of a whole class of infinite Boolean algebras with this property and of cardinality strictly smaller than the dominating number $\mathfrak{d}$. We also obtain a…
We give the first (ZFC) dividing line in Keisler's order among the unstable theories, specifically among the simple unstable theories. That is, for any infinite cardinal $λ$ for which there is $μ< λ\leq 2^μ$, we construct a regular ultrafilter D on $λ$ such that (i) for any model $M$ of a stable theory or of the random graph, $M^λ/D$ is $λ^+$-saturated but (ii) if $Th(N)$ is not simple or not low then $N^λ/D$ is not $λ^+$-saturated. The non-saturation result relies on the notion of flexible ultrafilters. To prove the saturation result we develop a property of a class of simple theories, called…