Generic expansions of countable models

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Abstract: We compare two different notions of generic expansions of countable saturated structures. One kind of genericity is related to model-companions and to amalgamation constructions 'a la Hrushovski-Fra"iss'e. Another notion of generic expansion is defined via topological properties and Baire category theory. The second type of genericity was first formulated by Truss for automorphisms. We work with a later generalization, due to Ivanov, to finite tuples of predicates and functions.


There are two ways to measure the genericity of expansions: the first is via existential closures (Lascar's way) and the other via Baire categoricity (Truss). The authors' work here is more in the second way, but also relates both ways to each other. Let \(T\) be a theory in \(L\) and let \(N\) be a countable model of \(T\). Further let: \(L_0\supseteq L\) contain finitely many new functions and relations, \(T_0\) be a theory in \(L_0\), and \((N,\sigma)\) be an expansion of \(N\) where \(\sigma\) is a finite sequence of interpretations of the new symbols. The set of all these \(\sigma\)s is topologized by taking \(\{\sigma\mid(N, \sigma)\models\varphi\}\) as a basic open set, \(\varphi\) being a sentence with parameters from \(N\). This topology is also induced by the following metric: since \(N\) is countable, enumerate it, and define \(\text{dist}(\sigma,\tau)\) by means of the first element where \(\sigma\) and \(\tau\) differ. This metric is complete and so the Baire category theorem holds. By definition, \(\sigma\) is Truss generic when \(\{\sigma^g\mid g\in \Aut(N)\}\) is comeager in \(\{\tau\mid (N,\tau)\models T_0\}\). To relate this genericity to existential closures etc., another topology is called for. Let \(Y\) be the set of existentially closed and smooth expansions. Here, the smoothness of \(\sigma\) is defined by: \((N,\sigma)\) realizes all possible types of the form \(p(x)\wedge\psi(x)\) where \(p(x)\) is a type \(\subseteq L\) and \(\psi(x)\in L_0\) is quantifier-free. For a finite tuple of elements of \(N\), \(b\), and \(\sigma\in Y\), define the 1-diagram of \(\sigma\) at \(b\), \(\text{diag}(\sigma,b)\), to be \(\{\varphi(b)\mid q(x)\) is universal or existential and \((N,\sigma)\models\varphi(b)\}\), and let \(D_b\) be the set of all 1-diagrams at \(b\). Further, let \(\pi(b)\) be an infinitary formula \(\exists y[p(x,y)\wedge\psi(x, y)]\), where \(p(x,y)\subseteq L\) is a type and \(\psi(x,y)\in L_0\) is quantifier-free. Topologize \(D_b\) by taking \(\{\text{diag}(\sigma,b)\mid (N,\sigma)\models\pi(b)\}\) as a basic open set. Define \(\sigma\) to be e-atomic when \(\text{diag}(\sigma,b)\) is an isolated point in \(D_b\) for each \(b\). Main results: Assume that \(N\models T\) is saturated and all existentially closed models of \(T_0\) have the same existential theory. Then, a Truss generic exists iff the set of isolated points is dense in \(D_b\) for each \(b\), and \(\sigma\) is Truss generic iff it is e-atomic. When \(T\) is \(\omega\)-categorical and \(T_0\) has a model companion \(T_{\mathrm{mc}}\), \((N,\sigma)\) is an atomic model of \(T_{\mathrm{mc}}\) exactly when \(\sigma\) is Truss generic. Throughout the paper, the authors give a few examples showing existence/non-existence of generics, etc.











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