Definable one dimensional structures in o-minimal theories (Q607861)

The paper is concerned with a project of classifying structures \({\mathcal N}\) definable in a given sufficiently saturated o-minimal structure \({\mathcal M}\) (with a dense underlying order). Here, the authors assume that the dimension of the domain \(N\) of \({\mathcal N}\) in \({\mathcal M}\) is 1, with the general purpose of showing in this setting a Zilber trichotomy principle for \({\mathcal N}\), that is, that \({\mathcal N}\) is either degenerate or linear or rich (and in the last case interprets a real closed field). The paper is a first step towards the proof of this statement. In fact it shows that, if \({\mathcal N}\) is stable, then it is 1-based and therefore cannot be rich. The proof uses a preliminary work developing a fine theory of tangency and transversality for curves in definable families. Another crucial tool is the theory of limit sets by Lou van den Dries.