Related papers: The covering lemma up to a Woodin cardinal

The current paper answers an open question of abs/1007.2426 We say that a countable model M characterizes an infinite cardinal kappa, if the Scott sentence of M has a model in cardinality kappa, but no models in cardinality kappa plus. If M…

Suppose that kappa is a singular cardinal of cofinality omega and GCH holds. Assume that for every n<omega the set of alphas with o(alpha)>= alpha^{+n} is unbounded in kappa.Then there is a cardinal preserving extension satisfying…

This paper makes significant progress towards resolving a conjecture relating strong forcing axioms like $PFA$ and the derived model at a limit of Woodin cardinals $\kappa$. In particular, using a concept called Covering Matrices, we show…

The {\em Singular Cardinal Hypothesis} (SCH) is one of the most classical combinatorial principles in set theory. It says that if $\kappa$ is singular strong limit, then $2^{\kappa}=\kappa^+$. We prove that given a singular cardinal…

Let $\kappa$,$\lambda$ be regular uncountable cardinals such that $\lambda > \kappa^+$ is not a successor of a singular cardinal of low cofinality. We construct a generic extension with $s(\kappa) = \lambda$ starting from a ground model in…

This is part I of a study on cardinals that are characterizable by Scott sentences. Building on [3], [6] and [1] we study which cardinals are characterizable by a Scott sentence $\phi$, in the sense that $\phi$ characterizes $\kappa$, if…

W.H. Woodin showed that if $\kappa_1 < \cdots < \kappa_n$ are strong cardinals then two-step ${\bf\Sigma}^1_{n+3}$ generic absoluteness holds after collapsing $2^{2^{\kappa_n}}$ to be countable. We show that this number can be reduced to…

Given an uncountable regular cardinal $\kappa$, a partial order is $\kappa$-stationarily layered if the collection of regular suborders of $\mathbb{P}$ of cardinality less than $\kappa$ is stationary in $\mathcal{P}_\kappa(\mathbb{P})$. We…

We use the core model for sequences of measures to prove a new lower bound for the consistency strength of the failure of the SCH: THEOREM (i) If there is a singular strong limit cardinal $\kappa$ such that $2^\kappa > kappa^+$ then there…

We continue [Sh:b, Ch XIII] and [Sh:410]. Let W be an inner model of ZFC. Let kappa be a cardinal in V. We say that kappa-covering holds between V and W iff for all X in V with X subseteq ON and V models |X|< kappa, there exists Y in W such…

We prove several results giving lower bounds for the large cardinal strength of a failure of the singular cardinal hypothesis. The main result is the following theorem: Theorem: Suppose $\kappa$ is a singular strong limit cardinal and…

If T is an iteration tree on K and F is a countably certified extender that coheres with the final model of T, then F is on the extender sequence of the final model of T. Several applications of maximality are proved, including: o K…

Suppose that there is a measurable cardinal. If \aleph_\omega is a strong limit cardinal, but the power of \aleph_\omega is bigger than \aleph_{\omega_1}, then there is an inner model with a Woodin cardinal. Modulo the need of the…

Assuming 0^sharp does not exist, kappa is an uncountable cardinal and for all cardinals lambda with kappa <= lambda < kappa^{+ omega}, 2^lambda = lambda^+, we present a ``mini-coding'' between kappa and kappa^{+ omega}. This allows us to…

Assuming that there is no inner model with a Woodin cardinal, we obtain a characterization of $\lambda$-tall cardinals in extender models that are iterable. In particular we prove that in such extender models, a cardinal $\kappa$ is a tall…

We show, assuming the consistency of one measurable cardinal, that it is consistent for there to be exactly kappa+ many normal measures on the least measurable cardinal kappa. This answers a question of Stewart Baldwin. The methods…

Suppose that lambda is the successor of a singular cardinal mu whose cofinality is an uncountable cardinal kappa. We give a sufficient condition that the club filter of lambda concentrating on the points of cofinality kappa is not…

The following pcf results are proved: 1. Assume that kappa > aleph_0 is a weakly compact cardinal. Let mu > 2^kappa be a singular cardinal of cofinality kappa. Then for every regular lambda < pp^+_{Gamma(kappa)} (mu) there is an increasing…

An inaccessible cardinal kappa is supercompact when (kappa, lambda)-ITP holds for all lambda greater than or equal to kappa. We prove that if there is a model of ZFC with infinitely many supercompact cardinals, then there is a model of ZFC…

Let kappa a regular uncountable cardinal and lambda a cardinal >kappa, and suppose lambda^{<kappa} is less than the covering number for category cov(M_{kappa,kappa}). Then (a) I_{kappa,lambda}^+ -->^kappa (I_{kappa, lambda}^+,omega +1)^2,…