The representability number of a chain (Q1779520)

For each pair of linear orderings \((L, M)\), the representability number \(\text{repr}_M(L)\) of \(L\) in \(M\) is the least ordinal \(\alpha\) such that \(L\) can be order-embedded into the lexicographic power \(M^\alpha_{lex}\). The author proves: (i) If \(\kappa\) is a regular cardinal that is not order-embeddable in \(M\), then \(\text{repr}_M(\kappa)= \kappa\). (ii) If \(M\) is an uncountable linear ordering with the property that \(A\times_{lex} 2\) is not order-embeddable in \(M\) for each uncountable \(A\subseteq M\), then \(\text{repr}_M(M^\alpha_{lex})=\alpha\) for any ordinal \(\alpha\); in particular, \(\text{repr}_R(R^\alpha_{lex})= \alpha\). The author calls an uncountable chain \(L\) splittable if there exists an uncountable set \(A\subseteq L\) such that the chain \(A\times_{lex} 2\) embeds into \(L\). Several theorems on splittable respectively unsplittable chains and on Aronszajn respectively Suslin lines are established. Reviewer's remark: Theorem (i) is not new. See, e.g., \textit{F. Hausdorff}, ``Grundzüge einer Theorie der geordneten Mengen'' [Math. Ann. 65, 435--505 (1908; JFM 39.0099.01), Satz XIV], or the reviewer, ``Beiträge zur Theorie der Ordnungstypen, insbesondere der \(\eta_\alpha\)-Mengen'' [Math. Ann. 154, 116--134 (1964; Zbl 0192.04601), Hilfssatz 9].