Narrow coverings of omega-product spaces

Results of Sierpinski and others have shown that certain finite-dimensional product sets can be written as unions of subsets, each of which is "narrow" in a corresponding direction; that is, each line in that direction intersects the subset in a small set. For example, if the set (omega \times omega) is partitioned into two pieces along the diagonal, then one piece meets every horizontal line in a finite set, and the other piece meets each vertical line in a finite set. Such partitions or coverings can exist only when the sets forming the product are of limited size. This paper considers such coverings for products of infinitely many sets (usually a product of omega copies of the same cardinal kappa). In this case, a covering of the product by narrow sets, one for each coordinate direction, will exist no matter how large the factor sets are. But if one restricts the sets used in the covering (for instance, requiring them to be Borel in a product topology), then the existence of narrow coverings is related to a number of large cardinal properties: partition cardinals, the free subset problem, nonregular ultrafilters, and so on. One result given here is a relative consistency proof for a hypothesis used by S. Mrowka to construct a counterexample in the dimension theory of metric spaces

Embeddings into outer models

We explore the possibilities for elementary embeddings $j : M \to N$, where $M$ and $N$ are models of ZFC with the same ordinals, $M \subseteq N$, and $N$ has access to large pieces of $j$. We construct commuting systems of such maps between countable transitive models that are isomorphic to various canonical linear and partial orders, including the real line $\mathbb R$

Capturing sets of ordinals by normal ultrapowers

We investigate the extent to which ultrapowers by normal measures on $\kappa$ can be correct about powersets $\mathcal{P}(\lambda)$ for $\lambda>\kappa$. We consider two versions of this questions, the capturing property $\mathrm{CP}(\kappa,\lambda)$ and the local capturing property $\mathrm{LCP}(\kappa,\lambda)$. $\mathrm{CP}(\kappa,\lambda)$ holds if there is an ultrapower by a normal measure on $\kappa$ which correctly computes $\mathcal{P}(\lambda)$. $\mathrm{LCP}(\kappa,\lambda)$ is a weakening of $\mathrm{CP}(\kappa,\lambda)$ which holds if every subset of $\lambda$ is contained in some ultrapower by a normal measure on $\kappa$. After examining the basic properties of these two notions, we identify the exact consistency strength of $\mathrm{LCP}(\kappa,\kappa^+)$. Building on results of Cummings, who determined the exact consistency strength of $\mathrm{CP}(\kappa,\kappa^+)$, and using a forcing due to Apter and Shelah, we show that $\mathrm{CP}(\kappa,\lambda)$ can hold at the least measurable cardinal.Comment: 20 page