There are many results in the literature where superstablity-like independence notions, without any categoricity assumptions, have been used to show the existence of larger models. In this paper we show that stability is enough to construct larger models for small cardinals assuming a mild locality condition for Galois types.Theorem 0.1.

Suppose $\lambda <2^{\aleph _0}$. Let ${\mathbf {K}}$ be an abstract elementary class with $\lambda \geq {\operatorname {LS}}({\mathbf {K}})$. Assume ${\mathbf {K}}$ has amalgamation in $\lambda $, no maximal model in $\lambda $, and is stable in $\lambda $. If ${\mathbf {K}}$ is $(<\lambda ^+, \lambda )$-local, then ${\mathbf {K}}$ has a model of cardinality $\lambda ^{++}$.

The set theoretic assumption that $\lambda <2^{\aleph _0}$ and model theoretic assumption of stability in $\lambda $ can be weakened to the model theoretic assumptions that $|{\mathbf {S}}^{na}(M)|< 2^{\aleph _0}$ for every $M \in {\mathbf {K}}_\lambda $ and stability for $\lambda $-algebraic types in $\lambda $. This is a significant improvement of Theorem 0.1, as the result holds on some unstable abstract elementary classes.

Assuming the existence of a monster model, tameness, and continuity of nonsplitting in an abstract elementary class (AEC), we extend known superstability results: let $\mu>\operatorname {LS}(\mathbf {K})$ be a regular stability cardinal and let $\chi $ be the local character of $\mu $-nonsplitting. The following holds:

1. 1. When $\mu $-nonforking is restricted to $(\mu ,\geq \chi )$-limit models ordered by universal extensions, it enjoys invariance, monotonicity, uniqueness, existence, extension, and continuity. It also has local character $\chi $. This generalizes Vasey’s result [37, Corollary 13.16] which assumed $\mu $-superstability to obtain same properties but with local character $\aleph _0$.

2. 2. There is $\lambda \in [\mu ,h(\mu ))$ such that if $\mathbf {K}$ is stable in every cardinal between $\mu $ and $\lambda $, then $\mathbf {K}$ has $\mu $-symmetry while $\mu $-nonforking in (1) has symmetry. In this case:

   1. (a) $\mathbf {K}$ has the uniqueness of $(\mu ,\geq \chi )$-limit models: if $M_1,M_2$ are both $(\mu ,\geq \chi )$-limit over some $M_0\in K_{\mu }$, then $M_1\cong _{M_0}M_2$;

   2. (b) any increasing chain of $\mu ^+$-saturated models of length $\geq \chi $ has a $\mu ^+$-saturated union. These generalize [31] and remove the symmetry assumption in [10, 38] .

Under $(<\mu )$-tameness, the conclusions of (1), (2)(a)(b) are equivalent to $\mathbf {K}$ having the $\chi $-local character of $\mu $-nonsplitting.

Grossberg and Vasey [18, 38] gave eventual superstability criteria for tame AECs with a monster model. We remove the high cardinal threshold and reduce the cardinal jump between equivalent superstability criteria. We also add two new superstability criteria to the list: a weaker version of solvability and the boundedness of the U-rank.

The cofinality quantifiers were introduced by Shelah as an example of a compact logic stronger than first-order logic. We show that the classes of models axiomatized by these quantifiers can be turned into an Abstract Elementary Class by restricting to positive and deliberate uses. Rather than using an ad hoc proof, we give a general framework of abstract Skolemizations. This method gives a uniform proof that a wide rang of classes are Abstract Elementary Classes.

The classes stable, simple, and NSOP$_1$ in the stability hierarchy for first-order theories can be characterised by the existence of a certain independence relation. For each of them there is a canonicity theorem: there can be at most one nice independence relation. Independence in stable and simple first-order theories must come from forking and dividing (which then coincide), and for NSOP$_1$ theories it must come from Kim-dividing. We generalise this work to the framework of Abstract Elementary Categories (AECats) with the amalgamation property. These are a certain kind of accessible category generalising the category of (subsets of) models of some theory. We prove canonicity theorems for stable, simple, and NSOP$_1$-like independence relations. The stable and simple cases have been done before in slightly different setups, but we provide them here as well so that we can recover part of the original stability hierarchy. We also provide abstract definitions for each of these independence relations as what we call isi-dividing, isi-forking, and long Kim-dividing.

In model theory, a branch of mathematical logic, we can classify mathematical structures based on their logical complexity. This yields the so-called stability hierarchy. Independence relations play an important role in this stability hierarchy. An independence relation tells us which subsets of a structure contain information about each other, for example, linear independence in vector spaces yields such a relation.

Some important classes in the stability hierarchy are stable, simple, and NSOP $_1$ , each being contained in the next. For each of these classes there exists a so-called Kim-Pillay style theorem. Such a theorem describes the interaction between independence relations and the stability hierarchy. For example, simplicity is equivalent to admitting a certain independence relation, which must then be unique.

All of the above classically takes place in full first-order logic. Parts of it have already been generalised to other frameworks, such as continuous logic, positive logic, and even a very general category-theoretic framework. In this thesis we continue this work.

We introduce the framework of AECats, which are a specific kind of accessible category. We prove that there can be at most one stable, simple, or NSOP $_1$ -like independence relation in an AECat. We thus recover (part of) the original stability hierarchy. For this we introduce the notions of long dividing, isi-dividing, and long Kim-dividing, which are based on the classical notions of dividing and Kim-dividing but are such that they work well without compactness.

Switching frameworks, we generalise Kim-dividing in NSOP $_1$ theories to positive logic. We prove that Kim-dividing over existentially closed models has all the nice properties that it is known to have in full first-order logic. We also provide a full Kim-Pillay style theorem: a positive theory is NSOP $_1$ if and only if there is a nice enough independence relation, which then must be given by Kim-dividing.

Abstract prepared by Mark Kamsma.

E-mail: [email protected].

URL: https://markkamsma.nl/phd-thesis.

We exhibit a bridge between the theory of cellular categories, used in algebraic topology and homological algebra, and the model-theoretic notion of stable independence. Roughly speaking, we show that the combinatorial cellular categories (those where, in a precise sense, the cellular morphisms are generated by a set) are exactly those that give rise to stable independence notions. We give two applications: on the one hand, we show that the abstract elementary classes of roots of Ext studied by Baldwin–Eklof–Trlifaj are stable and tame. On the other hand, we give a simpler proof (in a special case) that combinatorial categories are closed under 2-limits, a theorem of Makkai and Rosický.

We show that the Lascar group $\operatorname {Gal}_L(T)$ of a first-order theory T is naturally isomorphic to the fundamental group $\pi _1(|\mathrm {Mod}(T)|)$ of the classifying space of the category of models of T and elementary embeddings. We use this identification to compute the Lascar groups of several example theories via homotopy-theoretic methods, and in fact completely characterize the homotopy type of $|\mathrm {Mod}(T)|$ for these theories T. It turns out that in each of these cases, $|\operatorname {Mod}(T)|$ is aspherical, i.e., its higher homotopy groups vanish. This raises the question of which homotopy types are of the form $|\mathrm {Mod}(T)|$ in general. As a preliminary step towards answering this question, we show that every homotopy type is of the form $|\mathcal {C}|$ where $\mathcal {C}$ is an Abstract Elementary Class with amalgamation for $\kappa $ -small objects, where $\kappa $ may be taken arbitrarily large. This result is improved in another paper.

Fisher [10] and Baur [6] showed independently in the seventies that if T is a complete first-order theory extending the theory of modules, then the class of models of T with pure embeddings is stable. In [25, 2.12], it is asked if the same is true for any abstract elementary class $(K, \leq _p)$ such that K is a class of modules and $\leq _p$ is the pure submodule relation. In this paper we give some instances where this is true:Theorem.

Assume R is an associative ring with unity. Let $(K, \leq _p)$ be an AEC such that $K \subseteq R\text {-Mod}$

and K is closed under finite direct sums, then:

• • If K is closed under pure-injective envelopes, then $\mathbf {K}$ is $\lambda $ -stable for every $\lambda \geq \operatorname {LS}(\mathbf {K})$ such that $\lambda ^{|R| + \aleph _0}= \lambda $ .

• • If K is closed under pure submodules and pure epimorphic images, then $\mathbf {K}$ is $\lambda $ -stable for every $\lambda $ such that $\lambda ^{|R| + \aleph _0}= \lambda $ .

• • Assume R is Von Neumann regular. If $\mathbf {K}$ is closed under submodules and has arbitrarily large models, then $\mathbf {K}$ is $\lambda $ -stable for every $\lambda $ such that $\lambda ^{|R| + \aleph _0}= \lambda $ .

As an application of these results we give new characterizations of noetherian rings, pure-semisimple rings, Dedekind domains, and fields via superstability. Moreover, we show how these results can be used to show a link between being good in the stability hierarchy and being good in the axiomatizability hierarchy.

Another application is the existence of universal models with respect to pure embeddings in several classes of modules. Among them, the class of flat modules and the class of $\mathfrak {s}$ -torsion modules.

We introduce the framework of AECats (abstract elementary categories), generalizing both the category of models of some first-order theory and the category of subsets of models. Any AEC and any compact abstract theory (“cat”, as introduced by Ben-Yaacov) forms an AECat. In particular, we find applications in positive logic and continuous logic: the category of (subsets of) models of a positive or continuous theory is an AECat. The Kim–Pillay theorem for first-order logic characterizes simple theories by the properties dividing independence has. We prove a version of the Kim–Pillay theorem for AECats with the amalgamation property, generalizing the first-order version and existing versions for positive logic.

We investigate, in ZFC, the behavior of abstract elementary classes (AECs) categorical in many successive small cardinals. We prove for example that a universal $\mathbb {L}_{\omega _1, \omega }$ sentence categorical on an end segment of cardinals below $\beth _\omega $ must be categorical also everywhere above $\beth _\omega $ . This is done without any additional model-theoretic hypotheses (such as amalgamation or arbitrarily large models) and generalizes to the much broader framework of tame AECs with weak amalgamation and coherent sequences.

We show that for any uncountable cardinal λ, the category of sets of cardinality at least λ and monomorphisms between them cannot appear as the category of points of a topos, in particular is not the category of models of a ${L_{\infty ,\omega }}$-theory. More generally we show that for any regular cardinal $\kappa < \lambda$ it is neither the category of κ-points of a κ-topos, in particular, nor the category of models of a ${L_{\infty ,\kappa }}$-theory.

The proof relies on the construction of a categorified version of the Scott topology, which constitute a left adjoint to the functor sending any topos to its category of points and the computation of this left adjoint evaluated on the category of sets of cardinality at least λ and monomorphisms between them. The same techniques also apply to a few other categories. At least to the category of vector spaces of with bounded below dimension and the category of algebraic closed fields of fixed characteristic with bounded below transcendence degree.

We show that metric abstract elementary classes (mAECs) are, in the sense of [15], coherent accessible categories with directed colimits, with concrete ℵ1-directed colimits and concrete monomorphisms. More broadly, we define a notion of κ-concrete AEC—an AEC-like category in which only the κ-directed colimits need be concrete—and develop the theory of such categories, beginning with a category-theoretic analogue of Shelah’s Presentation Theorem and a proof of the existence of an Ehrenfeucht–Mostowski functor in case the category is large. For mAECs in particular, arguments refining those in [15] yield a proof that any categorical mAEC is μ-d-stable in many cardinals below the categoricity cardinal.

We introduce the concept of a locally finite abstract elementary class and develop the theory of disjoint$\left( { \le \lambda ,k} \right)$-amalgamation) for such classes. From this we find a family of complete ${L_{{\omega _1},\omega }}$ sentences ${\phi _r}$ that a) homogeneously characterizes ${\aleph _r}$ (improving results of Hjorth [11] and Laskowski–Shelah [13] and answering a question of [21]), while b) the ${\phi _r}$ provide the first examples of a class of models of a complete sentence in ${L_{{\omega _1},\omega }}$ where the spectrum of cardinals in which amalgamation holds is other that none or all.

Theorem. Suppose that k = (K, $$\prec_k$$) is an ℵ0-presentable abstract elementary class with Löwenheim–Skolem number ℵ0, satisfying the joint embedding and amalgamation properties in ℵ0. If K has only countably many models in ℵ1, then all are small. If, in addition, k is almost Galois ω-stable then k is Galois ω-stable. Suppose that k = (K, $$\prec_k$$) is an ℵ0-presented almost Galois ω-stable AEC satisfying amalgamation for countable models, and having a model of cardinality ℵ1. The assertion that K is ℵ1-categorical is then absolute.