Evasion and prediction. IV. Strong forms of constant prediction (Q1407597)

A predictor is a function \(\pi : n^{<\omega}\rightarrow n\), where \(n\leq\omega\). The predictor \(\pi\) is said to \(k\)-constantly predict a real \(x\in n^\omega\) if for almost all intervals \(I\) of length \(k\), there is an \(i\in I\) such that \(x(i)=\pi(x\upharpoonright i)\). The cardinal invariant \(\mathfrak o_n^{\text{const}}\) is the smallest size of a set of predictors \(\Pi\) such that each \(x\in n^\omega\) is constantly predicted by some \(\pi\in\Pi\). It was introduced by S. Kamo who asked if \(\mathfrak o_2^{\text{const}}=\mathfrak o_n^{\text{const}}\) for all \(n\in\omega\). The authors consider the cardinal invariant \(\mathfrak o_n^{\text{const}}(k)\) that is the smallest size of a set \(\Pi\) such that all reals are \(k\)-constantly predicted by elements in \(\Pi\). They show that \(\mathfrak o_2^{\text{const}}(k)=\mathfrak o_n^{\text{const}}(k)\) for all \(k,n<\omega\). Using Sacks forcing, the authors show that for \(k<l\) it is possible that \(\mathfrak o_2^{\text{const}}(l)<\mathfrak o_2^{\text{const}}(k)\). They show that it is also possible for \(\mathfrak o_2^{\text{const}}\) to be strictly smaller than the minimum of all the \(\mathfrak o_2^{\text{const}}(k)\). In the final section, the authors produce a consistency result for evasion numbers and they establish a relationship between such numbers and Martin's axiom for \(\sigma\)-\(k\)-linked partial orders.