On definable filters in computably enumerable degrees (Q2370372)

Shore had posed the problem of the existence of (naturally) definable filters in the structure of c.e. degrees, other than the known example of \textbf{NC}, the set of noncappable c.e. degrees. He also posed a parallel question regarding ideals, which Nies subsequently addressed. The present paper adapts Nies' results to show that filters generated by definable sets are themselves definable. In particular, let \({\mathcal F}_1\) denote the filter generated by the set of c.e. degrees that can be cupped to \({\mathbf 0'}\) by a cappable degree, and let \({\mathcal F}_2\) denote the filter generated by the set of Lachlan-Harrington nonsplitting bases. Then \({\mathcal F}_1\) and \({\mathcal F}_2\) are definable. The authors prove that \({\mathcal F}_1\), \({\mathcal F}_2\), and indeed the filter generated by their union are proper subfilters of~\textbf{NC}. They further show that \({\mathcal F}_1\not\subseteq{\mathcal F}_2\), leaving the possibility of \({\mathcal F}_2\subset{\mathcal F}_1\) as an open question.