\(n\)-simple theories (Q705540)

The author develops a properly increasing hierarchy of conditions stronger than simplicity but weaker than stability, called strong \(n\)-simplicity in terms of \(n\)-dimensional local ranks, a strong \(n\)-dimensional tree property, and strong \(n\)-dividing; moreover he constructs examples for every level. In particular, the random graph is strongly \(n\)-simple for all \(n<\omega\). He proves that in a strongly \(2\)-simple theory a non-forking type-extension of a Lascar strong type is again Lascar strong, and relates strong \(n\)-simplicity to the strong \(n\)-amalgamation property. However, in the last section he gives an example by Wagner to show that \(n\)-simplicity is not preserved under interpretation, and in particular under passage to imaginaries. This leads to the (weaker) definition of \(n\)-simple and \(n\)-dimensional amalgamation, where all the variables are required to be boundedly closed; the author states the result that \(k\)-dimensional amalgamation for \(2\leq k\leq n+1\) implies \(n\)-simplicity; work on the converse is in progress.