The weakly compact reflection principle need not imply a high order of weak compactness

The weakly compact reflection principle $\text{Refl}_{\text{wc}}(\kappa)$ states that $\kappa$ is a weakly compact cardinal and every weakly compact subset of $\kappa$ has a weakly compact proper initial segment. The weakly compact reflection principle at $\kappa$ implies that $\kappa$ is an $\omega$-weakly compact cardinal. In this article we show that the weakly compact reflection principle does not imply that $\kappa$ is $(\omega+1)$-weakly compact. Moreover, we show that if the weakly compact reflection principle holds at $\kappa$ then there is a forcing extension preserving this in which $\kappa$ is the least $\omega$-weakly compact cardinal. Along the way we generalize the well-known result which states that if $\kappa$ is a regular cardinal then in any forcing extension by $\kappa$-c.c. forcing the nonstationary ideal equals the ideal generated by the ground model nonstationary ideal; our generalization states that if $\kappa$ is a weakly compact cardinal then after forcing with a `typical' Easton-support iteration of length $\kappa$ the weakly compact ideal equals the ideal generated by the ground model weakly compact ideal

Forcing a □(κ)\square(\kappa)-like principle to hold at a weakly compact cardinal

Hellsten \cite{MR2026390} proved that when $\kappa$ is $\Pi^1_n$-indescribable, the \emph{$n$-club} subsets of $\kappa$ provide a filter base for the $\Pi^1_n$-indescribability ideal, and hence can also be used to give a characterization of $\Pi^1_n$-indescribable sets which resembles the definition of stationarity: a set $S\subseteq\kappa$ is $\Pi^1_n$-indescribable if and only if $S\cap C\neq\emptyset$ for every $n$-club $C\subseteq\kappa$. By replacing clubs with $n$-clubs in the definition of $\Box(\kappa)$, one obtains a $\Box(\kappa)$-like principle $\Box_n(\kappa)$, a version of which was first considered by Brickhill and Welch \cite{BrickhillWelch}. The principle $\Box_n(\kappa)$ is consistent with the $\Pi^1_n$-indescribability of $\kappa$ but inconsistent with the $\Pi^1_{n+1}$-indescribability of $\kappa$. By generalizing the standard forcing to add a $\Box(\kappa)$-sequence, we show that if $\kappa$ is $\kappa^+$-weakly compact and $\mathrm{GCH}$ holds then there is a cofinality-preserving forcing extension in which $\kappa$ remains $\kappa^+$-weakly compact and $\Box_1(\kappa)$ holds. If $\kappa$ is $\Pi^1_2$-indescribable and $\mathrm{GCH}$ holds then there is a cofinality-preserving forcing extension in which $\kappa$ is $\kappa^+$-weakly compact, $\Box_1(\kappa)$ holds and every weakly compact subset of $\kappa$ has a weakly compact proper initial segment. As an application, we prove that, relative to a $\Pi^1_2$-indescribable cardinal, it is consistent that $\kappa$ is $\kappa^+$-weakly compact, every weakly compact subset of $\kappa$ has a weakly compact proper initial segment, and there exist two weakly compact subsets $S^0$ and $S^1$ of $\kappa$ such that there is no $\beta<\kappa$ for which both $S^0\cap\beta$ and $S^1\cap\beta$ are weakly compact.Comment: Changed title and added citations to Brickhill-Welc