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LemmaStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedPipeline-generatedaudited 2026-09-22
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Ladder separation from HYP

Statement

Let κ,(κn)nω,E satisfy HYP and fix ladders (δi)iω for δE (Fleissner's HYP covering interface). Then for every β<κ+ there is a function mβ:Eβω such that for all distinct δ,ηEβ, writing m:=max(mβ(δ),mβ(η)), one has δmηm; and in fact δiηifor every imax(mβ(δ),mβ(η)).

Facts & Assumptions

Given: Witnesses κ,(κn),E for HYP and ladders (δi) for δE; the induction is on β<κ+.

[F1]

For every limit β<κ+ there is a club Cβ disjoint from E. If cf(β)>ω, this is exactly HYP clause (3b). If cf(β)=ω, fix a strictly increasing cofinal sequence (bn) in β and take C={0}{bn+1:nω}. This set is unbounded; it has no limit point below β (every proper initial segment of an increasing ω-sequence is finite), hence is closed; and its nonzero members are successors, while every member of E has cofinality ω by clause (3a). These are all possible cofinalities of a nonzero limit ordinal in ZFC (Fleissner's HYP covering interface, Cardinal (initial ordinal) and cardinality).

[F2]

Every element of E has cofinality ω, so successor ordinals are not in E. If Cβ is club, 0C, and δ<β is not in C, then γ=sup(Cδ) belongs to C and is below δ, while min(Cδ) exists and is strictly between δ and β (Cardinal (initial ordinal) and cardinality).

[L1]

Each ladder (δi) is increasing and cofinal in δ, so for every γ<δ there is a least i with δi>γ, and δi>γ for all larger i (Fleissner's HYP covering interface, The natural numbers N (von Neumann)).

[L2]

Induction: if a statement about mβ is proved for β=0, for β=α+1 from mα, and for limit β from all mγ with γ<β, then it holds for every β<κ+ (Cardinal (initial ordinal) and cardinality).

Proof

technique · induction
1.1

We build mβ for all β<κ+ by induction, maintaining the strengthened property that for distinct δ,ηEβ one has δiηi for every imax(mβ(δ),mβ(η)).

givenL2
2.1

For β=0 take m0:=; the domain is empty and both properties are vacuous.

basestep 1.1
2.2

Successor case. Let β=α+1. If αE put mβ:=mα; this keeps the domain and the strengthened property. If αE, define, for δEα, mβ(δ):=max(mα(δ),j(δ,α)) where j(δ,α) is the least i with αi>δ, and put mβ(α):=0.

step 1.1F2L1
2.3

Limit case. Let β be a limit ordinal. By [F1] choose a club Cβ disjoint from E and containing 0. For δEβ, [F2] gives γ(δ):=sup(Cδ)C with γ(δ)<δ and γˉ(δ):=min(Cδ)C with δ<γˉ(δ)<β. Thus mγˉ(δ) is defined by induction and contains δ in its domain. Define mβ(δ):=max(mγˉ(δ)(δ),i(δ)), where i(δ) is the least i with δi>γ(δ).

step 1.1F1F2L1
3.1

In the successor case, pairs inside Eα keep the strengthened property because mβmα pointwise, so their separating level is not decreased. For δEα and the new point α: for imax(mβ(δ),mβ(α))=mβ(δ)j(δ,α) we have αiαj(δ,α)>δ>δi, so αiδi. Hence mβ works.

step 2.2F2L1
3.2

In the limit case let δ<η in Eβ. If γ(δ)=γ(η) then also γˉ(δ)=γˉ(η)=:γˉ, and mβmγˉ pointwise on {δ,η}, so the strengthened property for mγˉ, which is available by induction and holds at levels max(mγˉ(δ),mγˉ(η)), transfers to mβ.

step 2.3
3.3

In the limit case, if γ(δ)<γ(η) then γˉ(δ)γ(η): otherwise γ(η)<γˉ(δ) would put both δ and η in the same gap of C, forcing γ(δ)=γ(η). Then for imax(mβ(δ),mβ(η))max(i(δ),i(η)) we have δi<δ<γˉ(δ)γ(η)<ηi, so δiηi.

step 2.3F2L1
4.1

Steps 2.1, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 establish the strengthened property for mβ in all three cases of the induction, so by [L2] the functions mβ exist for every β<κ+ with the strengthened property. Since δmηm for the single level m=max(mβ(δ),mβ(η)) is the special case i=m, the asserted functions exist.

step 2.1step 3.1step 3.2step 3.3L2discharge-induction

Remarks

  • Where (3b) is needed. At limit stages of uncountable cofinality it supplies a club disjoint from E. At countable-cofinality stages such a club is automatic from clause (3a), by using a cofinal ω-sequence of successors. In either case the club gaps put each δE below a smaller ordinal γˉ(δ) where the induction hypothesis separates ladders.

  • The strengthened form is not needed elsewhere, but it is what makes both the same-gap and the different-gap cases work at once; the paper's Lemma 1 is the special case of the single level m.

Depends on

Used by

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Sources