The density of the low\(_ 2\) \(n\)-r.e. degrees (Q1179531)

Recall that for the degree \(\underset\tilde{} c\) to be low\(_ 2\) is to have \(\underset\tilde{} c'' = \underset\tilde{} 0''\). This paper's theorem proves that for any \(n \geq 1\), if \(\underset\tilde{} a\) and \(\underset\tilde{} b\) are low\(_ 2\) \(n\)-r.e. degrees with \(\underset\tilde{} b < \underset\tilde{} a\), then there are \(n\)- r.e. degrees \(\underset\tilde{} c\) and \(\underset\tilde{} d\) that lie properly between \(\underset\tilde{} b\) and \(\underset\tilde{} a\) and whose join is \(\underset\tilde{} a\). Since low\(_ 2\) degrees can have only low\(_ 2\) degrees between them, it follows immediately that, for each \(n \geq 1\), the low\(_ 2\) \(n\)-r.e. degrees are dense. For \(n=2\) this says that the low\(_ 2\) \(d\)-r.e. degrees are dense. A forthcoming paper by the author and others shows that density fails for the full family of d-r.e. degrees. The theorem is proved first for the case \(n=2\), adapting ideas due to Harrington. The full result follows by a straightforward induction.