The lowest layer of the Constructible Universe which is a model of $ZFC-P$

logicmodel-theoryordinal-analysisordinalsset-theory

This answer says that the smallest ordinal $\lambda$ such that $L_\lambda$ is a model of $ZFC$ isn’t easy to describe, other than to say that $\omega_1^{CK}<\lambda<\omega_1$. But my question is, is it any easier to describe the least ordinal $\beta$ such that $L_\beta$ is a model of $ZFC-P$, where $P$ is the power set axiom?

I know we can say $\omega_1^{CK}\leq\beta<\lambda$, but can we say anymore about it? Can we say $\omega_1^{CK}<\beta$, and can we say anything beyond that?

Best Answer

EDIT: to my chagrin, the notion of "$n$-admissibility" is not what I thought it was! What I wanted was $\Sigma_n$-admissibility. You can find the definition of $n$-admissibles here; they are vastly smaller than their $\Sigma_n$ counterparts, and indeed for each $n$ the least $n$-admissible is less than the least $\Sigma_2$-admissible. Now $n$-admissibility is a rare notion these days and I've seen "$n$-admissible" used for "$\Sigma_n$-admissible before, but given the relevance of older papers to this topic it's probably a good idea for me to not butcher this distinction.


All limit levels of $L$ beyond $\omega$ satisfy the "basic" axioms (extensionality, foundation, pairing, union) plus choice trivially; once you drop powerset, you're really just talking about replacement/separation.

An infinite limit ordinal $\alpha$ is $\Sigma_n$-admissible if $L_\alpha$ satisfies $\Sigma_n$ replacement; $\Sigma_1$-admissibility is just normal admissibility, and one way to define $\omega_1^{CK}$ is as the smallest admissible ordinal $>\omega$.

So what you're looking for is just the smallest $\Sigma_\omega$-admissible ordinal, where an ordinal is $\Sigma_\omega$-admissible if it's $n$-admissible for each $n$.

Now it's worth stressing that the smallest $\Sigma_{n+1}$-admissible is much, much, much larger than the smallest $\Sigma_n$-admissible. The first admissible limit of admissibles is extremely large (much bigger than the first limit of admissibles) and is still drastically smaller than the first $\Sigma_2$-admissible.


Incidentally, note that ZFC proves that $L_{\omega_1}$ (exists and) is a model of all of ZFC except powerset. From this we get $\beta<\lambda$, and indeed $\beta<(\omega_1)^{L_\lambda}$ (inside $L_\lambda$, take the Mostowski collapse of a countable elementary submodel of $(L_{\omega_1})^{L_\lambda}$). Put another way:

Not only is $\beta<\lambda$, we have $L_\lambda\models$ "$\vert\beta\vert=\aleph_0$."

(Keep in mind that $L_\lambda\models$ "There is no largest cardinal," so this is really quite a size difference!)

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