Difference between revisions of "Stable"

Revision as of 10:39, 22 November 2017

Stability was developed as a large countable ordinal property in order to try to generalize the different strengthened variants of admissibility. More specifically, they capture the various assertions that $L_\alpha\models\text{KP}+A$ for different axioms $A$ by saying that $L_\alpha\models\text{KP}+A$ for many axioms $A$. One could also argue that stability is a weakening of $\Sigma_1$-correctness (which is trivial) to a nontrivial form.

Definition and Variants

Stability is defined using a reflection principle. The least countable stable ordinal $\beta$ will have an $\alpha<\beta$ such that $L_\alpha\models\text{ZFC}$, if such an $\alpha$ exists. [1]

A countable ordinal $\alpha$ is called stable iff $L_\alpha\prec_{\Sigma_1}L$; equivalently, $L_\alpha\prec_{\Sigma_1}L_{\omega_1}$. [1] If there is an ordinal $\eta$ such that $L_\eta\models\text{ZFC}$ (i.e. the minimal height of a model of $\text{ZFC}$) then it is smaller than the least stable ordinal.

Variants

There are quite a few (weakened) variants of stability:

• A countable ordinal $\alpha$ is called $(+\beta)$-stable iff $L_\alpha\prec_{\Sigma_1}L_{\alpha+\beta}$.
• A countable ordinal $\alpha$ is called $({}^+)$-stable iff $L_\alpha\prec_{\Sigma_1}L_{\beta}$ where $\beta$ is the least admissible ordinal larger than $\alpha$.
• A countable ordinal $\alpha$ is called $({}^{++})$-stable iff $L_\alpha\prec_{\Sigma_1}L_{\beta}$ where $\beta$ is the least admissible ordinal larger than an admissible ordinal larger than $\alpha$.
• A countable ordinal $\alpha$ is called inaccessibly-stable iff $L_\alpha\prec_{\Sigma_1}L_{\beta}$ where $\beta$ is the least computably inaccessible ordinal larger than $\alpha$.
• A countable ordinal $\alpha$ is called Mahlo-stable iff $L_\alpha\prec_{\Sigma_1}L_{\beta}$ where $\beta$ is the least computably Mahlo ordinal larger than $\alpha$; that is, the least $\beta$ such that any $\beta$-recursive function $f:\beta\rightarrow\beta$ has an admissible $\gamma<\beta$ which is closed under $f$.
• A countable ordinal $\alpha$ is called doubly $(+1)$-stable iff there is a $(+1)$-stable ordinal $\beta>\alpha$ such that $L_\alpha\prec_{\Sigma_1}L_\beta$.
• A countable ordinal $\alpha$ is called nonprojectible iff the set of all $\beta<\alpha$ such that $L_\beta\prec_{\Sigma_1}L_\alpha$ is unbounded in $\alpha$.

Properties

Any $L$-stable ordinal is stable. This is because $L_\alpha^L=L_\alpha$ and $L^L=L$. [2] Any $L$-countable stable ordinal is $L$-stable for the same reason. Therefore, an ordinal is $L$-stable iff it is $L$-countable and stable. This property is the same for all variants of stability.

The smallest stable ordinal is also the smallest ordinal $\alpha$ such that $L_\alpha\models\text{KP}+\Sigma_2^1\text{-reflection}$, which in turn is the smallest ordinal which is not the order-type of any $\Delta_2^1$-ordering of the natural numbers. The smallest stable ordinal $\sigma$ has the property that any $\Sigma_1(L_\sigma)$ subset of $\omega$ is $\omega$-finite. [1]