Compact spaces, elementary submodels, and the countable chain condition (Q861821)

Given an elementary submodel \(M\) of some \(H(\theta)\), and a topological space \((X,\tau)\in M\), one can define a topology on \(X\cap M\) by taking \(\tau\cap M\) as a base. This space is denoted by \(X_M\). This paper considers the notion of a compact space \(X\) being ``squashable'', i.e., \(X_M\) is compact and \(X\not=X_M\) for some \(M\). In previous papers, the first and third author established a number of results related to squashability under the assumption ``\(0^\#\) doesn't exist.'' In section 1 of the paper the authors consider a strictly weaker assumption they call Axiom (B) which states: ``If \(\theta\) is a regular cardinal, \(M\prec H(\theta)\), and \(\gamma\in M\) a cardinal such that \(2^\gamma\in M\), then \(| M\cap \gamma| \subseteq M\)''. Axiom (B) is shown to suffice in a number of arguments considered in the earlier papers including the following: 1) Assuming Axiom (B) any power \(D^\kappa\) of the 2 point discrete space \(D\) is not squashable. 2) Assuming Axiom (B)+CH+SCH, if \(X_M\) is uncountable and compact, \(\chi(X_M)\in M\) and \(X_M\) is ccc, then \(X_M=X\). 3) Assuming Axiom (B) or that \(\kappa\) is less than the first inaccessible, if \(X_M\) is coabsolute to a dyadic compactum and \(\pi w (X_M)=\kappa\in M\) then \(X=X_M\). 4) Assuming Axiom (B)+CH+SCH if \(C\) is a Boolean algebra whose Stone space \(X=S(C)\) is such that \(X_M\) is compact and ccc, then \(C=C\cap M\). In addition some examples are presented, for example, a compact space \(X\) and two elementary submodels \(M\) and \(N\) of the same cardinality such that \(X_M\) is compact but \(X_N\) is not. Some earlier results on scattered spaces are generalized by showing that if an elementary submodel is suitably closed, and \(X\) has some generalized scattered property, then \(X_M\) is compact. E.g., if \(M\) is \(\kappa\)-closed and \(X\) is compact with the property that every closed subset has a point with a relative neighborhood of cardinality \(<\kappa^+\) , then \(X_M\) is compact.