Geometric Set Theory

HARVARD-MIT-BU-BRANDEIS-NORTHEASTERN, COLLOQUIUMS

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September 30, 2021 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Science Center Hall A
Address: 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Speaker:

Paul Larson - Miami University

The field of Geometric Set Theory studies structures on sets of countable objects (typically Polish spaces) by considering virtual objects, typically uncountable sets representing members of the space under consideration in some larger model of set theory. This approach can be used to study analytic equivalence relations on Polish spaces, where the virtual objects represent equivalence classes. The representatives of the virtual classes can be used for instance to prove non-reducibility results between such equivalence relations. Another set of applications involves separating forms of the Axiom of Choice, specifically forms asserting the existence of a set of reals with certain first order properties. Typical examples include Vitali sets, Hamel bases, discontinuous homomorphisms on the real line or countable colorings of various graphs on Euclidean space. We will give a brief tour of some of the landmarks in the area, and discuss some directions for further research.