Classifying the provably total set functions of KP and KP(P)

TL;DR

This paper classifies the provably total set functions of KP and KP(P) set theories using relativised hierarchy techniques, establishing conservativity results and characterising functions up to the Bachmann-Howard ordinal.

Contribution

It provides a novel hierarchy-based characterisation of provably total set functions in KP and KP(P), extending ordinal analysis techniques to these theories.

Findings

Provably total functions of KP are characterised by a hierarchy up to the Bachmann-Howard ordinal.

KP(P) proves totality of functions within a hierarchy based on the relativised von Neumann hierarchy.

Conservativity results are established for KP variants with choice and other axioms.

Abstract

This article is concerned with classifying the provably total set-functions of Kripke-Platek set theory, KP, and Power Kripke-Platek set theory, KP(P), as well as proving several (partial) conservativity results. The main technical tool used in this paper is a relativisation technique where ordinal analysis is carried out relative to an arbitrary but fixed set x. A classic result from ordinal analysis is the characterisation of the provably recursive functions of Peano Arithmetic, PA, by means of the fast growing hierarchy [10]. Whilst it is possible to formulate the natural numbers within KP, the theory speaks primarily about sets. For this reason it is desirable to obtain a characterisation of its provably total set functions. We will show that KP proves the totality of a set function precisely when it falls within a hierarchy of set functions based upon a relativised constructible hierarchy stretching up in length to any ordinal below the Bachmann-Howard ordinal. As a consequence of this result we obtain that IKP + forall x,y (x in y or x not in y) is conservative over KP for forall-exists-formulae, where IKP stands for intuitionistic Kripke-Platek set theory. In a similar vein, utilising [56], it is shown that KP(P) proves the totality of a set function precisely when it falls within a hierarchy of set functions based upon a relativised von Neumann hierarchy of the same length. The relativisation technique applied to KP(P) with the global axiom of choice, AC-global, also yields a parameterised extension of a result in [58], showing that KP(P) + AC-global is conservative over KP(P) + AC and CZF + AC for Pi_2 in powerset statements. Here AC stands for the ordinary axiom of choice and CZF refers to constructive Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory.