An infinite cardinal $\kappa$ has the **tree property** if every [[trees|tree]] of height $\kappa$ whose levels has cardinality smaller than $\kappa$ has a branch of height $\kappa$ (a cofinal branch). Equivalently, there is no *$\kappa$-Aronszajn tree*, when a tree is $\kappa$-Aronszajn when it has height $\kappa$, levels with cardinality less than $\kappa$, yet has no cofinal branch. ^e519d0 ## Definition A *tree* is a partially order set (poset) $(T,<)$ such that for all $x\in T$, the order lt;$ is a well-order on the set $\{y\|y<x\}$ (called a *chain*). The order type (length) of lt;$ on that set is called the *height* of $x$. The height of $T$ is the supremum of the heights of all the sets $x\in T$. A *$\alpha$th level* of $T$ is a set that contains all $x\in T$ of height $\alpha$. A *branch* is a set $B$ well-ordered by lt;$ such that any element of $T$ not in $B$ is incomparable with at least one element of $B$. A tree is *$\kappa$-Aronszajn* if it has height $\kappa$, all its levels have cardinality smaller than $\kappa$, and every branch of $T$ has order type smaller than $\kappa$. An infinite cardinal $\kappa$ has the *tree property* if there is no $\kappa$-Aronszajn tree. ## Properties *Konig's lemma* states that $\aleph_0$ has the tree property. It is however provable that $\aleph_1$ does not have the tree property. Cummings and Foreman proved that, under suitable large cardinal assumptions (namely, the existence of many supercompacts), it is consistent with ZFC all $\aleph_n$ cardinals have the tree property for $1<n<\omega$. No cardinal can both be a successor cardinal in $L$ and have the tree property in $L$ (the [](Constructible%20universe.md)), thus the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/axiom_of_constructibility" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:axiom of constructibility">axiom of constructibility</a> is incompatible with the existence of any successor cardinal with the tree property. [[weakly compact]] all have the tree property. Every cardinal that is [inaccessible](Inaccessible.md "Inaccessible") and has the tree property is weakly compact. Moreover, every uncountable cardinal with the tree property is weakly compact in the constructible universe, even if it is not inaccessible (in the universe of sets). Foreman, Magidor and Schindler showed that if there exists infinitely many cardinals $\delta$ above the continuum such that both $\delta$ and $\delta^{+}$ has the tree property, then the <a href="Axiom_of_projective_determinacy" class="mw-redirect" title="Axiom of projective determinacy">axiom of projective determinacy</a> holds. This hypothesis was shown to be consistent relative to the existence of infinitely many [supercompact](Supercompact.md "Supercompact") cardinals by Cummings and Foreman. Magidor and Shelah showed, from the existence of a [huge](Huge.md "Huge") cardinals with infinitely many supercompact cardinals above it, the consistency of $\aleph_{\omega+1}$ having the tree property, and furthermore that the successor of a singular limit of [](Strongly%20compact.md) cardinals has the tree property. ## Definable tree property ## Strengthenings of the tree property ## Special Aronszajn trees This article is a stub. Please help us to improve Cantor's Attic by adding information.