On the existence of towers in pseudo-tree algebras (Q2390981)

A tower in a Boolean algebra \(B\) is a strictly increasing sequence \(\{a_{\alpha}: \alpha < \kappa\} \subset B\) where \(\kappa\) is regular infinite and \(\Sigma_{\alpha < \kappa}a_{\alpha} = 1\). A pseudo-tree is a partially ordered set \((T, \leq)\) where each \(T{\downarrow}t = \{s \in T: s \leq t\}\) is linearly ordered. A tree is a pseudo-tree where each \(T {\downarrow} t\) is well-ordered. In either case, the pseudo-tree or tree algebra Treealg(\(T\)) is the algebra of subsets of \(T\) generated by \(\{T{\uparrow}t: t \in T\}\) where \(T{\uparrow}t = \{s \in T: s \geq t\}\). Pseudo-tree algebras are exactly the subalgebras of interval algebras on linear orders. This paper basically asks when pseudo-tree and tree algebras have towers, and what size towers they can have. The main result is a long and complicated combinatorial characterization of when a pseudo-tree algebra has a tower. It generalizes the following simple theorem: Theorem. An interval algebra has a tower of type \(\kappa\) iff one of the following holds: {\parindent6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(a)] Some element is the least upper bound of a strictly increasing sequence of length \(\kappa\). \item[(b)] Some element is the greatest lower bound of a strictly decreasing sequence of length \(\kappa\). \item[(c)] There is a \(\kappa\)-gap, i.e., a strictly increasing sequence \(\{b_{\alpha}: \alpha < \kappa\}\) and a strictly decreasing sequence \(\{c_{\alpha}: \alpha < \kappa\}\) with each \(b_{\alpha} < c_{\beta}\) but no \(d\) with each \(b_{\alpha} < d < c_{\alpha}\). \end{itemize}} The characterization for pseudo-tree algebras is a more complicated version of this in which you consider conditions in which a non-decreasing \(\kappa\)-sequence can be bounded from above. 12 of these conditions (two with sub-categories) imply the existence of a tower, nine for when the tower is uncountable, and three for when the tower is countable; and if a tower exists, one of the 12 conditions holds. Immediate (or almost immediate) corollaries include: Corollary. If \(T\) is an infinite tree then Treealg(\(T\)) has a tower iff either (a) \(T\) has an element with exactly \(\omega\) many immediate successors; or (b) \(T\) has a countable chain with at most \(\omega\) immediate successors; or (c) \(T\) has an uncountable chain of regular order type with only finitely many immediate successors. Theorem. For every nonempty set \(K\) of regular cardinals, there is an atomless tree algebra \(A\) so that the lengths of towers in \(A\) are exactly the cardinals in \(K\).