Infinite saturated orders (Q634735)

Saturated orders are a generalization of interval orders, which are partial orders that are of particular interest for researchers in measurement, utility, psychophysics, and mathematical psychology. This paper extends work on finite partial orders by \textit{R. Suck} [Discrete Appl. Math. 127, No.~2, 373--386 (2003; Zbl 1036.68111)] to infinite partial orders. The extension requires significant modification to the finite-case definition, together with a proof that the new formulation is equivalent to the original for finite partial orders. The author proves a characterization theorem for saturated orders, and then formalizes the definitions in second-order arithmetic and analyzes the results in the framework of reverse mathematics. This connects the work with results on the reverse mathematics of interval orders by \textit{A. Marcone} [Notre Dame J. Formal Logic 48, No.~3, 425--448 (2007; Zbl 1135.03005)].