Members of countable \(\Pi ^ 0_ 1\) classes (Q1084100)

The Cantor-Bendixson theorem in topology states that any closed subset F of Cantor space \(2^{\omega}\) is the union of a perfect set K and a countable set S. Let the derived set D(F) be the set of non-isolated points of F and \(D^{\alpha}(F)\) be the \(\alpha\) th iterate of the derivation operator on F. The rank \(| x|_ F\) of an element x of F is that ordinal \(\alpha\) for which x is in \(D^{\alpha}(F)-D^{\alpha +1}(F)\). The perfect kernel K(F) is \(D^{| F|}(F)\), so the Cantor-Bendixson theorem states that any closed subset F of Cantor space can be decomposed as K(F)\(\cup (F-K(F))\). G. Kreisel had shown that any \(\Pi^ 0_ 1\) set F (F is closed with recursive code or equivalently F is the set [T] of all infinite branches of a recursive tree \(T\subset 2^{<\omega})\) has Cantor-Bendixson rank \(\leq \omega_ 1^{ck}\) and that \(\omega_ 1^{ck}\) can be attained. The principal results of the paper under review further refine this by showing (1) If F is a \(\Pi^ 0_ 1\) class and x in F has rank \(\lambda +n\) then \(x\leq_ T\emptyset^{\lambda +2n}\) with \(\lambda <\omega_ 1^{ck}\) and \(n\leq \omega\). (2) For \(\lambda <\omega_ 1^{ck}\) there exists a \(\Pi^ 0_ 1\) class F with \(D^{\lambda +n}([F])=\{x\}\) and \(x\equiv_ T\emptyset^{\lambda +2n}\). (3) (Inverting the derivative) For any finite n and tree S recursive in \(\emptyset^{3n}\) there is a recursive tree T on a homeomorphism H from [S] onto \(D^ n([T])\) such that for all x in [S] it is the case that \(x\leq_ TH(x)\leq_ T\emptyset^{2n-1}\). These results may have a possible application in recursive model theory because of J. Knight's result that any countable \(\Pi^ 0_ 1\) class is the Stone space of 1-types of a decidable \(\omega\)-stable theory. An element x of Cantor space is ranked if \(| x|_ F\) is defined for some \(\Pi^ 0_ 1\) set F. Further work by D. Cenzer and R. Smith shows that not all hyperarithmetic sets are Turing equivalent to ranked points.