The structure of \(\text{Ext}(A,\mathbb{Z})\) and GCH: possible co-Moore spaces (Q5957311)

The authors study the structure of \(\text{Ext}(A,\mathbb{Z})\) for torsion-free Abelian groups \(A\) assuming that \(A\) has trivial dual, which is to say that \(\Hom(A,\mathbb{Z})=0\). Since \(A\) is torsion-free, \(\text{Ext}(A,\mathbb{Z})\) is divisible and hence a direct sum of \(\nu_0(A)\) copies of the rational numbers \(\mathbb{Q}\) and \(\nu_p(A)\) copies of the Prüfer group \(\mathbb{Z}(p^\infty)\) where \(\nu_0(A)\) and \(\nu_p(A)\) are cardinals and \(p\) ranges over the set of primes. Results by Hiller-Huber-Shelah say that for every prime \(p\), \(\nu_p(A)\) must be finite or of the form \(2^{\mu_p}\) for some infinite cardinal \(\mu_p\). Moreover, assuming \(V=L\), \(\nu_0(A)=2^{|A|}\). On the other hand, Hiller-Huber-Shelah proved that in ZFC any cardinals \(\nu_0\), \(\nu_p\) satisfying \(\nu_p\leq\nu_0\) with \(\nu_0=2^{\mu_0}\) and \(\nu_p\) either finite or of the form \(2^{\mu_p}\) for some infinite cardinals \(\mu_0\), \(\mu_p\) can be realized as \(\nu_0=\nu_0(A)\), \(\nu_p=\nu_p(A)\) for some torsion-free Abelian group \(A\) (with trivial dual). This solves the structure problem of \(\text{Ext}(A,\mathbb{Z})\) completely under the assumption of \(V=L\). The authors restrict themselves to the weaker assumption of GCH, the generalized continuum hypothesis. They prove that under GCH for any torsion-free Abelian group \(A\) of uncountable cardinality satisfying \(\Hom(A,\mathbb{Z})=0\) and \(\nu_0(A)<2^{|A|}\) necessarily \(\nu_p(A)=2^{|A|}\) for all primes \(p\). Secondly, they show that it is consistent with GCH that for any \(\rho\leq\aleph_1\) there is a strongly \(\aleph_1\)-free group \(A\) of cardinality \(\aleph_1\) with trivial dual and \(\nu_0(A)=\rho\), \(\nu_p(A)=2^{\aleph_1}\). Putting all those results together the authors obtain a complete characterization of the divisible groups of cardinality \(\leq\aleph_2\) which are of the form \(\text{Ext}(A,\mathbb{Z})\) for some torsion-free \(A\) with \(\Hom(A,\mathbb{Z})=0\). This solves a problem on co-Moore spaces.