We propose the notion of a quasiminimal abstract elementary class. This is an AEC satisfying four semantic conditions: countable Löwenheim–Skolem–Tarski number, existence of a prime model, closure under intersections, and uniqueness of the generic orbital type over every countable model. We exhibit a correspondence between Zilber’s quasiminimal pregeometry classes and quasiminimal AECs: any quasiminimal pregeometry class induces a quasiminimal AEC, and for any quasiminimal AEC there is a natural functorial expansion that induces a quasiminimal pregeometry class. We show in particular (...) that the exchange axiom is redundant in Zilber’s definition of a quasiminimal pregeometry class. (shrink)

We provide a first order axiomatization of the expansion of the complex field by the exponential function restricted to the subring of integers modulo the first order theory of (Z, +, ·).

In this paper, we prove that a pseudo-exponential field has continuum many nonisomorphic countable real closed exponential subfields, each with an order-preserving exponential map which is surjective onto the nonnegative elements. Indeed, this is true of any algebraically closed exponential field satisfying Schanuel’s conjecture.

In 1984, Henson and Rubel [2] proved the following theorem: If p(x₁, ..., x n ) is an exponential polynomial with coefficients in with no zeroes in ℂ, then $p({x_1},...,{x_n}) = {e^{g({x_{1......}}{x_n})}}$ where g(x₁......x n ) is some exponential polynomial over ℂ. In this paper, I will prove the analog of this theorem for Zilber's Pseudoexponential fields directly from the axioms. Furthermore, this proof relies only on the existential closedness axiom without any reference to Schanuel's conjecture.

We highlight connections between accessible categories and abstract elementary classes , and provide a dictionary for translating properties and results between the two contexts. We also illustrate a few applications of purely category-theoretic methods to the study of AECs, with model-theoretically novel results. In particular, the category-theoretic approach yields two surprising consequences: a structure theorem for categorical AECs, and a partial stability spectrum for weakly tame AECs.

We give an axiomatization of the class ECF of exponentially closed fields, which includes the pseudo-exponential fields previously introduced by the second author, and show that it is superstable over its interpretation of arithmetic. Furthermore, ECF is exactly the elementary class of the pseudo-exponential fields if and only if the Diophantine conjecture CIT on atypical intersections of tori with subvarieties is true.

We show that Zilber’s conjecture that complex exponentiation is isomorphic to his pseudo-exponentiation follows from the a priori simpler conjecture that they are elementarily equivalent. An analysis of the first-order types in pseudo-exponentiation leads to a description of the elementary embeddings, and the result that pseudo-exponential fields are precisely the models of their common first-order theory which are atomic over exponential transcendence bases. We also show that the class of all pseudo-exponential fields is an example of a nonfinitary abstract elementary (...) class, answering a question of Kesälä and Baldwin. (shrink)

We use some notions from computability in an uncountable setting to describe a difference between the “Zilber field” of size ℵ1ℵ1 and the “Zilber cover” of size ℵ1ℵ1.

We show that any (atomic) excellent class K can be expanded with hyperimaginaries to form an (atomic) excellent class Keq which has canonical bases. When K is, in addition, of finite U-rank, then Keq is also simple and has a full canonical bases theorem. This positive situation contrasts starkly with homogeneous model theory for example, where the eq-expansion may fail to be homogeneous. However, this paper shows that expanding an ω-stable, homogeneous class K gives rise to an excellent class, which (...) is simple if K is of finite U-rank. (shrink)

Quasiminimal structures play an important role in non-elementary categoricity. In this paper we explore possibilities of constructing quasiminimal models of a given first-order theory. We present several constructions with increasing control of the properties of the outcome using increasingly stronger assumptions on the theory. We also establish an upper bound on the Hanf number of the existence of arbitrarily large quasiminimal models.

Model theorists have been studying analytic functions since the late 1970s. Highlights include the seminal work of Denef and van den Dries on the theory of the p-adics with restricted analytic functions, Wilkie's proof of o-minimality of the theory of the reals with the exponential function, and the formulation of Zilber's conjecture for the complex exponential. My goal in this talk is to survey these main developments and to reflect on today's open problems, in particular for theories of valued fields.

Regular groups and fields are common generalizations of minimal and quasi-minimal groups and fields, so the conjectures that minimal or quasi-minimal fields are algebraically closed have their common generalization to the conjecture that each regular field is algebraically closed. Standard arguments show that a generically stable regular field is algebraically closed. LetKbe a regular field which is not generically stable and letpbe its global generic type. We observe that ifKhas a finite extensionLof degreen, thenPhas unbounded orbit under the action of (...) the multiplicative group ofL.Known to be true in the minimal context, it remains wide open whether regular, or even quasi-minimal, groups are abelian. We show that if it is not the case, then there is a counter-example with a unique nontrivial conjugacy class, and we notice that a classical group with one nontrivial conjugacy class is not quasi-minimal, because the centralizers of all elements are uncountable. Then, we construct a group of cardinality ω1with only one nontrivial conjugacy class and such that the centralizers of all nontrivial elements are countable. (shrink)

We prove a version of a small index property theorem for strong amalgamation classes. Our result builds on an earlier theorem by Lascar and Shelah. We then study versions of the small index property for various non-elementary classes. In particular, we obtain the small index property for quasiminimal pregeometry structures.

We propose a criterion to regard a property of a theory (in first or second order logic) as virtuous: the property must have significant mathematical consequences for the theory (or its models). We then rehearse results of Ajtai, Marek, Magidor, H. Friedman and Solovay to argue that for second order logic, ‘categoricity’ has little virtue. For first order logic, categoricity is trivial; but ‘categoricity in power’ has enormous structural consequences for any of the theories satisfying it. The stability hierarchy extends (...) this virtue to other complete theories. The interaction of model theory and traditional mathematics is examined by considering the views of such as Bourbaki, Hrushovski, Kazhdan, and Shelah to flesh out the argument that the main impact of formal methods on mathematics is using formal definability to obtain results in ‘mainstream’ mathematics. Moreover, these methods (e.g., the stability hierarchy) provide an organization for much mathematics which gives specific content to dreams of Bourbaki about the architecture of mathematics. (shrink)

We generalise the exponential Ax–Schanuel theorem to arbitrary linear differential equations with constant coefficients. Using the analysis of the exponential differential equation by Kirby :445–486, 2009) and Crampin we give a complete axiomatisation of the first order theories of linear differential equations and show that the generalised Ax–Schanuel inequalities are adequate for them.

In this paper we study predimension inequalities in differential fields and define what it means for such an inequality to be adequate. Adequacy was informally introduced by Zilber, and here we give a precise definition in a quite general context. We also discuss the connection of this problem to definability of derivations in the reducts of differentially closed fields. The Ax-Schanuel inequality for the exponential differential equation (proved by Ax) and its analogue for the differential equation of the j-function (established (...) by Pila and Tsimerman) are our main examples of predimensions. We carry out a Hrushovski construction with the latter predimension and obtain a natural candidate for the first-order theory of the differential equation of the j-function. It is analogous to Kirby's axiomatisation of the theory of the exponential differential equation (which in turn is based on the axioms of Zilber's pseudo-exponentiation), although there are many significant differences. In joint work with Sebastian Eterović and Jonathan Kirby we have recently proven that the axiomatisation obtained in this paper is indeed an axiomatisation of the theory of the differential equation of the j-function, that is, the Ax-Schanuel inequality for the j-function is adequate. (shrink)