This paper ties together much of the model theory of the last 50 years. Shelah's attempts to generalize the Morley theorem beyond first order logic led to the notion of excellence, which is a key to the structure theory of uncountable models. The notion of Abstract Elementary Class arose naturally in attempting to prove the categoricity theorem for L ω 1 ,ω (Q). More recently, Zilber has attempted to identify canonical mathematical structures as those whose theory (in an appropriate logic) (...) is categorical in all powers. Zilber's trichotomy conjecture for first order categorical structures was refuted by Hrushovski, by the introducion of a special kind of Abstract Elementary Class. Zilber uses a powerful and essentailly infinitary variant on these techniques to investigate complex exponentiation. This not only demonstrates the relevance of Shelah's model theoretic investigations to mainstream mathematics but produces new results and conjectures in algebraic geometry. (shrink)

We study when a union of saturated models is saturated in the framework of tame abstract elementary classes with amalgamation. We prove:Theorem 0.1.IfKis a tame AEC with amalgamation satisfying a natural definition of superstability, then for all high-enoughλ:\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\lambda {:}$$\end{document}The union of an increasing chain ofλ\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\lambda $$\end{document}-saturated models isλ\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\lambda $$\end{document}-saturated.There exists a type-full goodλ\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} (...) \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\lambda $$\end{document}-frame with underlying class the saturated models of sizeλ\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\lambda $$\end{document}.There exists a unique limit model of sizeλ\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\lambda $$\end{document}. Our proofs use independence calculus and a generalization of averages to this non first-order context. (shrink)

We study versions of limit models adapted to the context of metric abstract elementary classes. Under categoricity and superstability-like assumptions, we generalize some theorems from 7, 15-17. We prove criteria for existence and uniqueness of limit models in the metric context.

The classes stable, simple, and NSOP $_1$ in the stability hierarchy for first-order theories can be characterised by the existence of a certain independence relation. For each of them there is a canonicity theorem: there can be at most one nice independence relation. Independence in stable and simple first-order theories must come from forking and dividing (which then coincide), and for NSOP $_1$ theories it must come from Kim-dividing. We generalise this work to the framework of Abstract Elementary Categories (AECats) (...) with the amalgamation property. These are a certain kind of accessible category generalising the category of (subsets of) models of some theory. We prove canonicity theorems for stable, simple, and NSOP $_1$ -like independence relations. The stable and simple cases have been done before in slightly different setups, but we provide them here as well so that we can recover part of the original stability hierarchy. We also provide abstract definitions for each of these independence relations as what we call isi-dividing, isi-forking, and long Kim-dividing. (shrink)

We prove that the definition of supersimplicity in metric structures from [7] is equivalent to an a priori stronger variant. This stronger variant is then used to prove that if T is a supersimple Hausdorff cat then so is its theory of lovely pairs.

We prove that under reasonable assumptions, every cat (compact abstract theory) is metric, and develop some of the theory of metric cats. We generalise Morley's theorem: if a countable Hausdorff cat T has a unique complete model of density character Λ ≥ ω₁, then it has a unique complete model of density character Λ for every Λ ≥ ω₁.

We prove a categoricity transfer theorem for tame abstract elementary classes. Theorem 0.1. Suppose that K is a χ-tame abstract elementary class and satisfies the amalgamation and joint embedding properties and has arbitrarily large models. Let λ ≥ Max{χ.LS(K)⁺}. If K is categorical in λ and λ⁺, then K is categorical in λ⁺⁺. Combining this theorem with some results from [37], we derive a form of Shelah's Categoricity Conjecture for tame abstract elementary classes: Corollary 0.2. Suppose K is a χ-tame (...) abstract elementary class satisfying the amalgamation and joint embedding properties. Let μ₀:= Hanf(K). If χ ≤ ‮ב‬(2μ0)+ and K is categorical in some λ⁺ > ‮ב‬(2μ0)+, then K is categorical in μ for all μ > ‮ב‬(2μ0)+. (shrink)

We define a formula φ in a first-order language L , to be an equation in a category of L -structures K if for any H in K , and set p = {φ;i ϵI, a i ϵ H} there is a finite set I 0 ⊂ I such that for any f : H → F in K , ▪. We say that an elementary first-order theory T which has the amalgamation property over substructures is equational if every quantifier-free (...) formula is equivalent in T to a boolean combination of equations in Mod, the category of models of T with embeddings for morphisms. Thus, we develop a theory of independence with respect to equations in general categories of structures, which is similar to the one introduced in stability but which, in our context, has an algebraic character. (shrink)

We generalise the properties $\mathsf {OP}$, $\mathsf {IP}$, k- $\mathsf {TP}$, $\mathsf {TP}_{1}$, k- $\mathsf {TP}_{2}$, $\mathsf {SOP}_{1}$, $\mathsf {SOP}_{2}$, and $\mathsf {SOP}_{3}$ to positive logic, and prove various implications and equivalences between them. We also provide a characterisation of stability in positive logic in analogy with the one in full first-order logic, both on the level of formulas and on the level of theories. For simple theories there are the classically equivalent definitions of not having $\mathsf {TP}$ and dividing (...) having local character, which we prove to be equivalent in positive logic as well. Finally, we show that a thick theory T has $\mathsf {OP}$ iff it has $\mathsf {IP}$ or $\mathsf {SOP}_{1}$ and that T has $\mathsf {TP}$ iff it has $\mathsf {SOP}_{1}$ or $\mathsf {TP}_{2}$, analogous to the well-known results in full first-order logic where $\mathsf {SOP}_{1}$ is replaced by $\mathsf {SOP}$ in the former and by $\mathsf {TP}_{1}$ in the latter. Our proofs of these final two theorems are new and make use of Kim-independence. (shrink)