Boolean ultrapowers

The Boolean ultrapower construction is a generalisation of the ordinary ultrapower construction in that an arbitrary complete Boolean algebra replaces the customary powerset Boolean algebra. B. Koppelberg and S. Koppelberg [1976] show that the class of ordinary ultrapowers is properly contained in the class of Boolean ultrapowers thereby justifying the development of a theory for Boolean ultrapowers. This thesis is an exploration into the strategies whereby and the conditions under which aspects of the theory of ordinary ultrapowers can be extended to the theory of Boolean ultrapowers. Mansfield [1971] shows that a finitely iterated Boolean ultrapower is isomorphic to a single Boolean ultrapower under certain conditions. Using a different approach and under somewhat different conditions, Ouwehand and Rose [1998] show that the result also holds for K-bounded Boolean ultrapowers. Mansfield [1971] also proves a Boolean version of the Keisler-Shelah theorem. By redefining the notion of a K-good ultrafilter on a Boolean algebra, Benda [1974] obtains a complete generalisation of a theorem of Keisler which states that an ultrapower is K-saturated iff the ultrafilter is K-good. Potthoff [1974] defines the notion of a limit Boolean ultrapower and shows that, as is the case for ordinary ultrapowers, the complete extensions of a model are characterised by its limit Boolean ultrapowers. Upon the discovery by Frayne, Morel and Scott [1962] of an ultrapower of a simple group which is not simple, Burris and Jeffers [1978] investigate necessary and sufficient conditions for a Boolean ultrapower to be simple, or subdirectly irreducible, provided that the language is countable. Finally, Jipsen, Pinus and Rose [2000] extend the notion of the Rudin-Keisler ordering to ultrafilters on complete Boolean algebras, and prove that by using this definition, Blass' Characterisation Theorem can be generalised for Boolean ultrapowers.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics

Year dc:date.issued

2000

Author dc:creator

• Fish, Washiela

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Rose, Henry

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13892

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13892