Locally o-minimal structures and structures with locally o-minimal open core (Q1935863)

The paper studies local o-minimality in the framework of definably complete first-order expansions \(K\) of ordered fields. Recall that \(K\) is definably complete if and only if every definable subset has a (possibly infinite) supremum. Local o-minimality provides here a natural generalisation of o-minimality, asking that, for every definable \(X \subseteq K\) and for every \(x \in K\), there is \(y > x\) in \(X\) such that \((x, y)\) is either included into \(X\) or disjoint from \(X\). Moreover, the open core of \(K\) is the reduct of \(K\) generated by all the open subsets of \(K^n\) when \(n\) ranges over the positive integers. The main theorem of the paper characterizes the structures \(K\) with locally o-minimal open core as those where every definable discrete subset is bounded. Other equivalent characterizations are provided. As a consequence, \(K\) has o-minimal open core if and only if (for instance) every definable closed discrete subset of \(K\) is finite. It is also shown that, if \(K\) is locally o-minimal and \(A\) is a proper dense elementary substructure of \(K\), then \(K\) is the open core of \((K, A)\). Furthermore the theory of the pair \((K, A)\) is uniquely determined by that of \(K\). The proofs often rely on relevant topological notions and tools. In fact, it is underlined that all the involved structures \(K\) are definably Baire, that is, are not the union af a definable increasing family of nowhere dense subsets.