Some compact logics -- results in ZFC (Q2366456): Difference between revisions

While first-order logic has many nice properties, it lacks expressive power. On the other hand, second-order logic is so strong that it fails to have nice model-theoretic properties such as compactness. It is desirable to find natural logics which are stronger than first-order logic, but which still satisfy the compactness theorem. Particularly attractive are those logics that allow quantification over natural algebraic objects. One of the most natural choices is to quantify over automorphisms of a structure (or isomorphisms between substructures). Generally compactness fails badly [the second author, Isr. J. Math. 25, 273-286 (1976; Zbl 0359.02053)], but if we restrict ourselves to certain concrete classes, then we may be able to retain compactness. In this article we show that if we enrich first-order logic by allowing quantification over isomorphisms between definable ordered fields, the resulting logic, \(L (Q_{\text{Of}})\), is fully compact. In this logic we can give standard compactness proofs of various results.