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MA(aleph-one) eliminates Suslin trees
Statement
In ZFC, implies that no Suslin tree exists.
Facts & Assumptions
Given: ZFC and .
supplies a filter meeting any family of at most dense subsets of a nonempty ccc forcing partial order. Martin's Axiom at a cardinal and Martin's Axiom
The finite-specialization forcing consists of finite natural-valued partial maps separating comparable tree nodes, is ordered by reverse inclusion, and contains the empty condition. Finite specializing conditions
For every Aronszajn tree, is ccc. Finite specialization of an Aronszajn tree is ccc
Each node-domain set is dense in , and the union of a nonempty downward-directed family meeting every is a total specializing map . Dense domains and directed unions of specializing conditions
A Suslin tree is an Aronszajn tree of height with countable levels and no uncountable antichain; the fibers of a specializing map are antichains. Aronszajn, Suslin and special trees
A countable union of countable sets is countable under countable choice. Countable unions of at most countable sets, assuming
For an infinite cardinal and nonzero , the product cardinal equals . Absorption: for cardinals with infinite and , , and when
Injections both ways between two sets yield a bijection. The Schröder-Bernstein theorem
AC supplies simultaneous level enumerations and representatives and includes countable choice. The Axiom of Choice
Proof
Suppose toward a contradiction that is a Suslin tree. Every level is nonempty: height gives a node above any prescribed , and its predecessor well-order has a node of height . By AC choose and an injection for every . Then injects into , while injects into . F7 gives , and F8 applied to the two displayed injections gives .
Form . It is nonempty because it contains the empty condition by F2, and it is ccc by F3 because is Aronszajn. The family has size at most , and every member is dense by F4. Apply F1 to obtain a filter meeting every . Because and hence are nonempty, this filter is nonempty; its filter directedness has exactly the orientation required by F4.
By F4, is a total specializing function . For each , the fiber is a tree antichain by F5. Since is Suslin, each is countable, but would then be countable by F6 and A1. This contradicts from step 1.1, because is uncountable.
Therefore no Suslin tree can exist under . AC is spent at step 1.1 and through the ccc and countable-union suppliers; the dense-set union lemma itself makes no choice.
Depends on
- Martin's Axiom at a cardinal and Martin's Axiom
- Finite specializing conditions
- Finite specialization of an Aronszajn tree is ccc
- Dense domains and directed unions of specializing conditions
- Aronszajn, Suslin and special trees
- Countable unions of at most countable sets, assuming $\mathrm{AC}_\omega$
- Absorption: for cardinals $\kappa, \lambda$ with $\kappa$ infinite and $\lambda \le \kappa$, $\kappa \oplus \lambda = \kappa$, and $\kappa \otimes \lambda = \kappa$ when $\lambda \ne 0$
- The Schröder-Bernstein theorem
- The Axiom of Choice
Used by
- MA plus not CH implies SH Corollary
- PFA implies MA(aleph-one) and the Suslin Hypothesis Corollary
Dependency tree · two levels
38 results within two dependency steps of this one, each drawn at its shortest distance from it. An arrow runs from a result to what uses it, so the chart reads left to right and ends at this result, which carries a heavier outline. Every node is a link to that result. Click elsewhere on the chart to enlarge it.
Sources
- Karagila, Forcing & Symmetric Extensions, Proposition 7.4 and complete proof, printed p. 35 (standard reference, not scraped)
- Monk, Set theory following Jech, Theorem 16.38 and complete proof, printed p. 332 (standard reference, not scraped)