From well-quasi-ordered sets to better-quasi-ordered sets (Q870020)

Summary: We consider conditions which force a well-quasi-ordered poset (wqo) to be better-quasi-ordered (bqo). In particular we obtain that if a poset \(P\) is wqo and the set \(S_{\omega}(P)\) of strictly increasing sequences of elements of \(P\) is bqo under domination, then \(P\) is bqo. As a consequence, we get the same conclusion if \(S_{\omega} (P)\) is replaced by \({\mathcal J}^{\neg \downarrow}(P)\), the collection of non-principal ideals of \(P\), or by \(\text{AM}(P)\), the collection of maximal antichains of \(P\) ordered by domination. It then follows that an interval order which is wqo is in fact bqo.