A cardinal $\kappa$ is a **Berkeley** cardinal, if for any transitive
set $M$ with $\kappa\in M$ and any ordinal $\alpha\lt\kappa$ there
is an elementary embedding $j:M\prec M$ with $\alpha<\text{crit
}j<\kappa$. These cardinals are defined in the context of ZF set
theory without the axiom of choice.
The Berkeley cardinals were defined by W. Hugh Woodin in about 1992 at
his set-theory seminar in Berkeley, with J. D. Hamkins, A. Lewis, D.
Seabold, G. Hjorth and perhaps R. Solovay in the audience, among others,
issued as a challenge to refute a seemingly over-strong large cardinal
axiom. Nevertheless, the existence of these cardinals remains unrefuted
in ZF.
If there is a Berkeley cardinal, then there is a forcing extension that
forces that the least Berkeley cardinal has cofinality $\omega$. It
seems that various strengthenings of the Berkeley property can be
obtained by imposing conditions on the cofinality of $\kappa$ (the
larger cofinality, the stronger theory is believed to be, up to regular
$\kappa$). {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
A cardinal $\kappa$ is called **proto-Berkeley** if for any transitive
$M\ni\kappa$, there is some $j: M\prec M$ with $\text{crit
}j\lt\kappa$. More generally, a cardinal is
**$\alpha$-proto-Berkeley** if and only if for any transitive set
$M\ni\kappa$, there is some $j: M\prec M$ with
$\alpha\lt\text{crit }j\lt\kappa$, so that if $\delta\ge\kappa$,
$\delta$ is also $\alpha$-proto-Berkeley. The least
$\alpha$-proto-Berkeley cardinal is called $\delta_\alpha$. ^ab8d77
We call $\kappa$ a **club Berkeley** cardinal if $\kappa$ is regular
and for all clubs $C\subseteq\kappa$ and all transitive sets $M$ with
$\kappa\in M$ there is $j\in \mathcal{E}(M)$ with $\mathrm{crit}(j)
∈ C$. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
We call $\kappa$ a **limit club Berkeley** cardinal if it is a club
Berkeley cardinal and a limit of Berkeley
cardinals. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
## Relations
- If $\kappa$ is the least Berkeley cardinal, then there is
$\gamma\lt\kappa$ such that $(V_\gamma ,
V_{\gamma+1})\vDash\mathrm{ZF}_2 + \text{“There is a Reinhardt
cardinal witnessed by $j$ and an $\omega$-huge above
$\kappa_\omega(j)”$}$. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
- For every $\alpha$, $\delta_\alpha$ is Berkeley. Therefore
$\delta_\alpha$ is the least Berkeley cardinal above
$\alpha$. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
- In particular, the least proto-Berkeley cardinal $\delta_0$ is
also the least Berkeley
cardinal. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
- If $\kappa$ is a limit of Berkeley cardinals, then $\kappa$ is not
among the
$\delta_\alpha$. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
- Each club Berkeley cardinal is totally
Reinhardt. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}.
- The relation between Berkeley cardinals and club Berkeley cardinals
is unknown. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
- If $\kappa$ is a limit club Berkeley cardinal, then $(V_\kappa ,
V_{\kappa+1})\vDash\text{“There is a Berkeley cardinal that is
super
Reinhardt”}$. {% cite Bagaria2017 %}
Moreover, the class of such cardinals are stationary.
## The structure of $L(V_{\delta+1})$
If $\delta$ is a singular Berkeley cardinal, $DC(cf(\delta)^+)$, and
$\delta$ is a limit of cardinals themselves limits of extendible
cardinals, then the structure of $L(V_{\delta+1})$ is similar to the
structure of $L(V_{\lambda+1})$ under the assumption $\lambda$ is
$I0$; i.e. there is some $j: L(V_{\lambda+1})\prec
L(V_{\lambda+1})$. For example,
$\Theta=\Theta_{V_{\delta+1}}^{L(V_{\delta+1})}$, then $\Theta$
is a strong limit in $L(V_{\delta+1})$, $\delta^+$ is regular and
measurable in $L(V_{\delta+1})$, and $\Theta$ is a limit of
measurable cardinals.