Separating ultrafilters on uncountable cardinals (Q794643)

A uniform ultrafilter U on \(\kappa\) is said to be \(\lambda\)-separating if distinct elements of the ultrapower never project U to the same uniform ultrafilter on \(\lambda\). This notion emanates from a lemma of Shelah concerning stationary sets. It is shown that separating is a strong hypothesis on ultrafilters. For example, in the presence of CH, an \(\omega\)-separating ultrafilter is \(non\)-(\(\omega\),\(\omega {}_ 1)\)- regular, and by citing known results, this sort of result shows that separating ultrafilters have at least the consistency strength of measurability. It is also shown that the existence of a separating ultrafilter on an inaccessible cardinal has direct large cardinal consequences for that cardinal, reminiscent of indecomposable ultrafilters. Finally, in continuing analogy to those ultrafilters, a stepping-up theorem is established which shows for example that if uniform U on \(\kappa\) is \(\omega\)-separating, then it is \(\omega_ 1\)- separating, and if \(\kappa<\omega\), \(\lambda\)-separating for all \(\lambda\). As with irregular and indecomposable ultrafilters, less is known about how to procure non-trivial separating ultrafilters from large cardinal axioms. Hence, various questions about possible equiconsistencies remain.