Finite basis for analytic multiple gaps (Q2354707)

The notion of \(n\)-gaps was first introduced in the authors' earlier joint work [Fundam. Math. 213, No. 1, 15--42 (2011; Zbl 1258.03055)]. Fix a countable set \(N\), an \(n\)-gap consists of \(n\) orthogonal preideals \(\{\Gamma_i \mid i<n\}\) in \({\mathcal P}(N)\setminus \mathrm{Fin}\), which can not be separated in the sense that there is no \(n\)-partition \(\{a_i \mid i<n\}\) of \(N\) such that each restriction \(\Gamma_i | a_i = \Gamma_i \cap {\mathcal P}(a_i)\), \(i<n\), consists of only finite sets. The well known Hausdorff gaps are obtained in the case \(n=2\). As the axiom of choice produces non-constructive counterexamples, following the ideas of the second author on analytic Hausdorff gaps in [Fundam. Math. 150, No. 1, 55--66 (1996; Zbl 0851.04002)], this joint paper developes a structural theory of analytic \(n\)-gaps. The main result is the following theorem. Theorem. For every \(n \geq 2\), there exists a \textit{finite basis} of analytic \(n\)-gaps, so that for any analytic \(n\)-gap \(\{\Gamma_i \mid i<n\}\), there is an infinite \(M \subset N\) such that the restrictions \(\{\Gamma_i | M \mid i<n\}\) is isomorphic to an \(n\)-gap from the finite basis. For its proof, the authors investigate certain combinatorial problems on \(n\)-adic trees, in particular, they prove a new partition theorem for such trees. These results are obtained in the ZFC context, the possibility of getting analogous theories for more general projective \(n\)-gaps under determinacy assumption is discussed in Section 5. One thing worth mentioning is that the authors proved a similar theorem for so-called analytic strong \(n\)-gaps in a previous work [Combinatorica 33, No. 4, 375--393 (2013; Zbl 1299.05305)].