Descending sequences in reflection hierarchies
Logic
2025-12-08 v1
Abstract
There is no recursively enumerable sequence of sufficiently strong 2-consistent r.e. theories such that each proves the -consistency of the next. Montalb\'an and Shavrukov independently asked whether this result generalizes to -recursive sequences. We consider a general version of this problem: For arbitrary , for which complexity classes are there -definable sequences of -consistent r.e. theories each of which proves the -consistency of the next? The answer to this question depends not only on and but also on the manner in which sequences are encoded in arithmetic. We provide positive answers for certain encodings and negative answers for others.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2512.05263,
title = {Descending sequences in reflection hierarchies},
author = {Mateusz Łełyk and James Walsh},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.05263},
year = {2025}
}