Inner mantle non-stabilization conjecture

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Let VV be a model of ZFC{\rm ZFC}, and let Mα\mathord{\rm M}^\alpha denote the α\alphath inner mantle obtained by starting with VV, taking the mantle at successor stages, and intersecting the earlier inner mantles at limit stages. The sequence stabilizes at α\alpha if Mα=Mβ\mathord{\rm M}^\alpha=\mathord{\rm M}^\beta for every β>α\beta>\alpha. Inner mantle non-stabilization conjecture. Every model of ZFC{\rm ZFC} is the MORD\mathord{\rm M}^{\mathop{\rm ORD}} of another model of ZFC{\rm ZFC} in which the sequence of inner mantles does not stabilize. More generally, every model of ZFC{\rm ZFC} is the Mα\mathord{\rm M}^\alpha of another model of ZFC{\rm ZFC}, for any desired α≤ORD\alpha\leq\mathop{\rm ORD}, in which the sequence of inner mantles does not stabilize before α\alpha. This would show that models of set theory can have no outer core, and that stripping away forcing layers need not terminate after iterating through all ordinals; the conjecture leaves open whether the inner mantle process can be carried out uniformly through these stages.

References

Primary source

Gunter Fuchs, Joel David Hamkins and Jonas Reitz, “Set-Theoretic Geology”, arXiv:1107.4776 (2014).

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