Singular cardinal hypothesis

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In set theory, the singular cardinal hypothesis (SCH) arose from the question of whether the least cardinal number for which the generalized continuum hypothesis (GCH) might fail could be a singular cardinal.

According to Mitchell (1992), the Singular Cardinal Hypothesis is:

If κ is any singular strong limit cardinal, then 2^κ = κ⁺.

Here, κ⁺ denotes the successor cardinal of κ.

Since SCH is a consequence of GCH which is known to be consistent with ZFC, SCH is consistent with ZFC. The negation of SCH has also been shown to be consistent with ZFC, if one assumes the existence of a sufficiently large cardinal number. In fact, by results of Moti Gitik, ZFC + the negation of SCH is equiconsistent with ZFC + the existence of a measurable cardinal $κ$ of Mitchell order $κ + +$ .

According to Aubrey, SCH is:

2^cf(κ) < κ implies κ^cf(κ) = κ⁺,

where cf denotes the cofinality function. Since whenever $κ$ is a singular strong limit cardinal, $κ c f (κ) = 2 κ$ , this formulation is equivalent (over ZFC) to the formulation given above.

Silver proved that if κ is singular with uncountable cofinality and 2^λ = λ⁺ for all infinite cardinals λ < κ, then 2^κ = κ⁺. Silver's original proof used generic ultrapowers. The following important fact follows from an 'elementary' proof of Silver's theorem: if the Singular Cardinal Hypothesis holds for all singular cardinals of countable cofinality, then it holds for all singular cardinals. In particular, then, if $κ$ is a counterexample to the Singular Cardinal Hypothesis, then $c f (κ) = ω$ .

The negation of the Singular Cardinal Hypothesis is intimately related to violating the GCH at a measurable cardinal. A well-known result of Dana Scott is that if the GCH holds below a measurable cardinal $κ$ on a set of measure one--i.e., there is normal $κ$ -complete ultrafilter D on $\mathcal{P}(\kappa)$ such that $\{\alpha < \kappa: 2^{\alpha} = \alpha^+\}\in D$ , then $2 κ = κ +$ . Starting with $κ$ a supercompact cardinal, Silver was able to produce a model of set theory in which $κ$ is measurable and in which $2 κ > κ +$ . Then, by applying Prikry forcing to the measurable $κ$ , one gets a model of set theory in which $κ$ is a strong limit cardinal of countable cofinality and in which $2 κ > κ +$ --a violation of the SCH. Gitik, building on work of Woodin, was able to replace the supercompact in Silver's proof with a measurable of Mitchell order $κ + +$ . That established an upper bound for the consistency strength of the failure of the SCH. Gitik again, using results of Inner model theory, was able to show that a measurable of Mitchell order $κ + +$ is also the lower bound for the consistency strength of the failure of SCH.

A wide-variety of propositions imply SCH. As was noted above, GCH implies SCH. On the other hand, the Proper Forcing Axiom which implies $2^{\aleph_0} = \aleph_2$ and hence is incompatible with GCH also implies SCH. Solovay showed that large cardinals almost imply SCH--in particular, if $κ$ is strongly compact cardinal, then the SCH holds above $κ$ . On the other hand, the non-existence of (inner models for) various large cardinals (below a measurable of Mitchell order $κ + +$ ) also imply SCH.

[edit] References

William J. Mitchell, "On the singular cardinal hypothesis," Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., volume 329, number 2, pages 507–530, 1992.
Jason Aubrey, The Singular Cardinals Problem (PDF), VIGRE expository report, Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan.