Search

A ternary relation ${\hbox to 0pt{\hss\mid$\hss}\limits_\hbox to 0pt{\hss\smile$\hss}}$ between subsets of the big model of a complete first-order theory T is called an independence relation if it satisfies a certain set of axioms. The primary example is forking in a simple theory, but o-minimal theories are also known to have an interesting independence relation. Our approach in this paper is to treat independence relations as mathematical objects worth studying. The main application is a better understanding of thorn-forking, which turns out to be closely related to modular pairs in the lattice of algebraically closed sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce the notion of a preindependence relation between subsets of the big model of a complete first-order theory, an abstraction of the properties which numerous concrete notions such as forking, dividing, thorn-forking, thorn-dividing, splitting or finite satisfiability share in all complete theories. We examine the relation between four additional axioms (extension, local character, full existence and symmetry) that one expects of a good notion of independence. We show that thorn-forking can be described in terms of local forking if we localize the number k in Kim's notion of "dividing with respect to k" (using Ben-Yaacov's "k-inconsistency witnesses") rather than the forking formulas. It follows that every theory with an M-symmetric lattice of algebraically closed sets (in Teq) is rosy, with a simple lattice theoretical interpretation of thorn-forking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this note we will discuss a new reflection principle which follows from the Proper Forcing Axiom. The immediate purpose will be to prove that the bounded form of the Proper Forcing Axiom implies both that 2ω = ω2 and that $L({\mathscr{P}}(\omega_1))$ satisfies the Axiom of Choice. It will also be demonstrated that this reflection principle implies that □(κ) fails for all regular κ > ω1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]