A combinatorial principle and endomorphism rings. I: On \(p\)-groups (Q2266127)

This paper extends investigations of the author from [Lect. Notes Math. 498, 384-402 (1975; Zbl 0329.20037)]. The paper provides the combinatorial tools now called ``Shelah's Black Box'' for the construction of indecomposable modules and similar objects. While loc. cit. allows constructions on a proper class of quite large cardinals, the new tree-methods lead to investigations on ``reasonable cardinals as \(2^{\aleph_ 0}\)''. The author applies his combinatorial tools for abelian \(p\)-groups and fills in many of the missing cardinals \(|G|\) in a theorem of M. Dugas and R. Göbel: The ring \(R\) can be realized as endomorphism ring of an abelian \(p\)-group \(G\) modulo small endomorphisms iff \(R^+\) is the \(p\)-adic completion of a direct sum of copies of the additive group of rings of \(p\)-adic integers. This leads to new examples for Kaplansky's test problems. More recent applications of the Black Box can be found in the References as well as in papers of \textit{S. Shelah, A. L. S. Corner} and \textit{R. Göbel} [in ``Abelian groups and modules'', Proc. Conf. Udine/Italy 1984, CISM Courses Lect. 287, ed. R. Göbel, C. Metelli, A. Orsatti and L. Salce (1984), \textit{A. L. S. Corner} and the reviewer, Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 50, 447-479 (1985; Zbl 0562.20030)].