Set functors and filters (Q2350316)

The paper continues the study of its authors on the properties of functors on the category of sets and maps (set functors). Let Card denote the class of all cardinals. A map from \(\text{Card}\) into itself is called a \textit{cardinal function}. Since set functors preserve bijections, then \(\text{card}(X)=\text{card}(X)\) implies \(\text{card}(FX)=\text{card}(FY)\) for every set functor \(F\). The \textit{cardinal set functor function} \(\mathfrak{b}_F\) of a set functor \(F\) (\(CSF\)-function) is defined by \(\mathfrak{b}_F(\text{card}(X))=\text{card}(FX)\). The paper continues the study on characterizing cardinal functions, which occur as the \(CSF\)-function of some set functor \(F\). In particular, it provides a characterization of \(CSF\)-functions, which depends on the axioms of the employed set theory. Given a filter \(\mathcal{F}\), one defines \(\|\mathcal{F}\|=\text{min}\{\text{card}(U)\mid U\in\mathcal{F}\}\). If \(\mathcal{F}\) is a filter on a set \(X\), and \(f:X\rightarrow Y\) is a map, then \(f(\mathcal{F})=\{U\subseteq Y\mid\text{there exists }Z\in\mathcal{F}\text{ such that }f(Z)\subseteq U\}\) is a filter on \(Y\). If \(\mathcal{F}\) is a filter on a set \(X\), and \(\mathcal{G}\) is a filter on a set \(Y\), then \(\mathcal{F}\cong\mathcal{G}\) means that there exists a map \(f:X\rightarrow Y\) with \(f(\mathcal{F})=\mathcal{G}\), and a set \(Z\in\mathcal{F}\) such that \(f\) is injective on \(Z\). \(\cong\) is then an equivalence relation on the class of all filters. Moreover, \(\mathcal{F}\cong\mathcal{G}\) implies \(\|\mathcal{F}\|=\|\mathcal{G}\|\). For a set \(U\), one defines \(\mathcal{F}(U)=\{\mathcal{G}\text{ is a filter on }U\mid\mathcal{F}\cong\mathcal{G}\}\). If \(X\), \(Y\) are sets with \(\text{card}(X)=\text{card}(Y)\), and \(\mathcal{F}\) is a filter, then \(\text{card}(\mathcal{F}(X))=\text{card}(\mathcal{F}(Y))\), and thus, one can define the \textit{cardinal filter function} \(\mathfrak{c}_{\mathcal{F}}\), given by \(\mathfrak{c}_{\mathcal{F}}(\alpha)=\text{card}(\mathcal{F}(\alpha))\) for every cardinal \(\alpha\). The authors then prove several formulas for cardinal functions \(\mathfrak{c}_{\mathcal{F}}\), which are similar to the formulas of cardinal arithmetic. In particular, they show that: if GCH holds, then for every filter \(\mathcal{F}\), the function \(\mathfrak{c}_{\mathcal{F}}\) is uniquely determined by \(\{\|f(\mathcal{F})\|\mid f\text{ is a map}\}\); if the Singular Cardinal Hypothesis (page~345) holds, then for all cardinals \(\alpha\) with \(\alpha\geqslant\|\mathcal{F}\|^{\|\mathcal{F}\|}\), \(\mathfrak{c}_{\mathcal{F}}(\alpha)\) is uniquely determined by \(\{\|f(\mathcal{F})\|\mid f\text{ is a map}\}\); in general, for a filter \(\mathcal{F}\), \(\mathfrak{b}_{\mathcal{F}}\) is uniquely determined by the values \(\mathfrak{c}_{\mathcal{F}}(\alpha)\) on the cardinals \(\alpha\) whose cofinality is at most \(\|\mathcal{F}\|\) (e.g., Theorem 3.2 on page 347 and Theorem 3.11 on page 351). A cardinal \(\alpha\) is called a \textit{fixed point} of a set functor \(F\) provided that \(\mathfrak{b}_{\mathcal{F}}(\alpha)=\alpha\). The authors then show that a set functor \(F\) is a quotient of a union of finite hom-functors (\(F\) is then \textit{finitary}) if an and only if either \(F\) is constant or there exists a cardinal \(\alpha\) such that every cardinal \(\beta\) greater than \(\alpha\) is a fixed point of \(F\) (e.g., Theorem 4.1 on page 356).