Every first-order theory with an infinite model has models whose automorphism groups have arbitrarily large cardinality. Choose a total order with many order automorphisms and apply the Ehrenfeucht-Mostowski theorem.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 120 2 c Solution 2026-09-28
The Ehrenfeucht-Mostowski theorem says that if a first-order theory has an infinite model, then for every total order there is a model generated as the Skolem hull of distinct order indiscernibles , and every order automorphism of extends to an automorphism of .
Given an infinite cardinal , let with the lexicographic order, viewed as consecutive copies of the rational order. In each copy independently choose either the identity or a fixed nonidentity order automorphism of . These choices give distinct order automorphisms of .
Apply the theorem to this order. Distinct order automorphisms act differently on the distinct generators , so their extensions give an injection into the automorphism group of a first-order structure . Therefore , proving that has models with arbitrarily large automorphism groups.