A new characterization of supercompactness and applications (Q2271989)

The author defines a \(\langle\kappa,\lambda\rangle\)-Solovay pair to be an ordered pair \(\langle S,D\rangle\), where \(D\)~is an ultrafilter on~\(\lambda\) and \(S\)~is a function with \(\text{dom}S\in D\) such that 1)~\(D\)~is \(\kappa\)-complete; \ 2)~if \(\alpha\in\text{dom}S\) then \(S(\alpha)\)~is a cofinal subset of~\(\alpha\) of type~\(\text{cf}\alpha\) that is also relatively \(\kappa\)-closed, which means that \(\mu=S(\alpha)\cap\kappa\) is a regular uncountable cardinal, \(S(\alpha)\)~is \(<\mu\)-closed and if \(\beta\in S(\alpha)\) then \([\beta^*,\beta^*+\mu)\subseteq S(\alpha)\), where \(\beta^*\)~is the largest limit below~\(\beta+1\); \ 3)~\(D\)~is \(S\)-fine: for all \(\beta\in\lambda\) the set \(\{\alpha:\beta\in S(\alpha)\}\) belongs to~\(D\); \ 4)~\(D\)~is \(S\)-normal: if \(X\in D\) and if \(F:X\to\lambda\) is such that \(f(\alpha )\in S(\alpha)\) for \(\alpha\in X\cap\text{dom} S\) then \(f\)~is constant on a member of~\(D\). The first principal result says that if \(\lambda\geq\kappa>\omega\) and \(\kappa\) and~\(\lambda\) are regular then \(\kappa\)~is \(\lambda\)-supercompact if and only if there is a \(\langle\kappa,\lambda\rangle\)-Solovay pair. The proof exhibits a canonical correspondence between \(\langle\kappa,\lambda\rangle\)-Solovay pairs and normal fine ultrafilters on~\(\mathcal{P}_\kappa\lambda\). This correspondence extends to the Magidor-Prikry-type forcings associated to the pairs and ultrafilters. The author also uses Solovay pairs to show that after Levy-collapsing a supercompact~\(\kappa\) to~\(\aleph_2\), with countable conditions, all regular uncountable cardinals carry precipitous ideals.