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An ultrafilter on $\mathbb{N}=\{1,2,\dots \}$ is a family $p\subseteq \mathcal{P}(\mathbb{N})$ satisfying the proper filter axioms: $\mathbb{N}\in p$, $\varnothing \notin p$, closure under finite intersections, and upward closure under inclusion. In addition, for every $A\subseteq \mathbb{N}$, exactly one of $A$ and $A^c$ belongs to $p$. Equivalently, an ultrafilter is a maximal proper filter. The principal ultrafilter at $n$ consists of all subsets containing $n$; an ultrafilter not of this form is a nonprincipal ultrafilter.

To prove existence, start with the cofinite filter and order the proper filters containing it by inclusion. The union of a chain is still a proper filter: finitely many of its members lie in one filter of the chain, and no constituent contains the empty set. Thus Zorn lemma supplies a maximal such filter $p$. If $A\notin p$, adjoining $A$ cannot generate a proper filter; otherwise maximality fails. Consequently some $B\in p$ has $B\cap A=\varnothing$, so $A^c\in p$ by upward closure. This proves the ultrafilter alternative. No finite $A$ can belong to $p$, because $A^c$ is cofinite and already belongs to $p$. In particular $p$ contains no singleton and is a nonprincipal ultrafilter. The same argument, starting from any proper filter, proves the ultrafilter lemma used below.

Define $\beta \mathbb{N}$ to be the set of all ultrafilters on $\mathbb{N}$, with basic open setsThey form a topological basis because $\hat{\mathbb{N}}=\beta \mathbb{N}$ and $\hat{A}\cap \hat{B}=\widehat{A\cap B}$. Moreover $(\hat{A}{)}^c=\widehat{A^c}$, so they are clopen sets. This is the compact Hausdorff topology on ultrafilters. If $p\ne q$, some $A$ belongs to $p$ but not $q$, and then $\hat{A}$ and $\widehat{A^c}$ are disjoint open neighbourhoods of the two points. Thus $\beta \mathbb{N}$ is Hausdorff.

For compactness, take an open cover and refine it by basic open sets $\widehat{A_{\lambda }}$. If no finite subfamily covers, then for every finite collection of indices the intersection $\bigcap A_{\lambda }^c$ is nonempty. Indeed, if that intersection were empty, the corresponding $A_{\lambda }$ would cover $\mathbb{N}$, and every ultrafilter would contain at least one of them by the finite ultrafilter alternative. The complements therefore have the finite intersection property and generate a proper filter. Extend it to an ultrafilter $q$ by the proved ultrafilter lemma. Then $A_{\lambda }^c\in q$ for every $\lambda$, so $q$ belongs to none of the covering $\widehat{A_{\lambda }}$, a contradiction. A finite basic subcover lies inside a finite subcover of the original cover. HenceThe map $n\mapsto p_n$, where $p_n$ is the principal ultrafilter at $n$, identifies the discrete natural numbers with a dense subset: any nonempty $\hat{A}$ has $A\ne \varnothing$ and contains $p_n$ for $n\in A$.

Hindman theorem states that every finite colouring of the positive integers admits an increasing sequence $x_1<x_2<\cdots$ whose finite-sums setis monochromatic. We now give the Idempotent-ultrafilter proof of Hindman's theorem. For $A\subseteq \mathbb{N}$, write $A-x=\{y\in \mathbb{N}:x+y\in A\}$. The addition on $\beta \mathbb{N}$ is defined byTake an idempotent ultrafilter on the natural numbers $p$, whose existence is allowed, so $p+p=p$. It is a nonprincipal ultrafilter: addition of principal points is $p_m+p_n=p_{m+n}$, whereas no positive integer satisfies $2m=m$.

Exactly one colour class $A$ belongs to $p$. DefineBy idempotence, $A^{\ast }\in p$. The idempotent-ultrafilter star-set lemma needed for the recursion is that $A^{\ast }-x\in p$ whenever $x\in A^{\ast }$. To prove it, put $D=A-x\in p$. Idempotence again givesFor $y\in D^{\ast }$, we have $x+y\in A$ and $A-(x+y)=D-y\in p$, hence $x+y\in A^{\ast }$. Thus $D^{\ast }\subseteq A^{\ast }-x$, proving the lemma by upward closure.

Choose $x_1\in A^{\ast }$. Suppose $F_n=FS(x_1,\dots ,x_n)\subseteq A^{\ast }$ has been constructed. Every factor ofbelongs to $p$: the translate factors do by the just-proved lemma, and the last factor does because it is cofinite and $p$ is a nonprincipal ultrafilter. The finite intersection is therefore nonempty. Choose $x_{n+1}$ in it. Then $x_{n+1}$ and every $s+x_{n+1}$ with $s\in F_n$ lie in $A^{\ast }$, so $F_{n+1}\subseteq A^{\ast }$. This constructs a strictly increasing sequence, indeed $x_{n+1}>{\sum }_{i\le n}{x}_i$, and proves Hindman theorem.

Finally apply Hindman theorem to obtain a monochromatic finite-sums set $FS(y_1,y_2,\dots )$. We construct a divisibility chain inside a finite-sums set using disjoint successive blocks of indices. Start with $x_1=y_1$. If $x_i=m$, take $2m$ unused terms after all indices used so far, and split them into two groups of $m$ consecutive terms. In each group its $m+1$ partial sums, including $0$, contain two in the same congruence class modulo $m$ by the pigeonhole principle. Their difference is a nonempty consecutive sum divisible by $m$, and positivity makes it at least $m$. Let $x_{i+1}$ be the sum of these two selected sums. Then $m\mid x_{i+1}$ and $x_{i+1}\ge 2m>m$.

The index set defining $x_{i+1}$ lies strictly after all previous index sets. Discard the other terms in these two groups before continuing. Because the chosen index sets are disjoint, every finite sum of distinct $x_i$ is a finite sum of distinct $y_j$, retaining the same colour. Therefore

The ultrafilter space. An ultrafilter $U$ on $\mathbb{N}$ is a proper filter on a set: it is upward closed, closed under finite intersections, excludes $\varnothing$, and contains exactly one of $A,A^c$ for each $A\subseteq \mathbb{N}$. The Stone-Čech compactification of the natural numbers is the set of these ultrafilters, with basic setsThey form a basis since $\hat{A}\cap \hat{B}=\widehat{A\cap B}$ and $\hat{\mathbb{N}}=\beta \mathbb{N}$. Moreover $(\hat{A}{)}^c=\widehat{A^c}$, so each is a clopen set. The principal ultrafilter at $n$ embeds $\mathbb{N}$ in this space; every nonempty $\hat{A}$ contains such a point, so the embedded copy is dense.

Distinct ultrafilters $U,V$ have some $A\in U$ with $A\notin V$. Then $A^c\in V$, and $\hat{A},\widehat{A^c}$ are disjoint open sets separating them. Thus the space is Hausdorff.

For compactness, any open set cover can be refined to a cover by basic sets. If $\{\widehat{A_i}\}$ has no finite subcover, the sets $A_i^c$ have the finite intersection property: otherwise finitely many $A_i$ cover $\mathbb{N}$, and their basic sets cover every ultrafilter. Extend the proper filter on a set generated by these complements to an ultrafilter $U$. This extension follows from Zorn lemma: unions of chains of proper filters remain proper, and a maximal proper filter decides every $A$ versus $A^c$. Indeed, if adding $A$ made the filter improper, some existing filter member would be disjoint from $A$, forcing $A^c$ into the filter. This $U$ contains every $A_i^c$ and misses every $\widehat{A_i}$, a contradiction. HenceThis proves the compact Hausdorff topology on ultrafilters directly.

An idempotent. The addition on the Stone-Čech compactification of the natural numbers can be defined byAssociativity is supplied. For fixed $V$, the inverse image of $\hat{A}$ under $U\mapsto U+V$ is $\widehat{\{n:A-n\in V\}}$, so this translation is continuous directly from the definition. This makes a left-topological semigroup in the convention used here.

We prove the Ellis–Numakura lemma in this case. Among nonempty compact subsemigroups choose one, $K$, minimal by inclusion. It exists by Zorn lemma: a descending chain has nonempty intersection by compactness, and that intersection is again a compact subsemigroup. For $a\in K$, the set $K+a$ is a nonempty compact subsemigroup contained in $K$. Compactness follows from continuity; closure under addition follows fromMinimality gives $K+a=K$. Hence there is $b\in K$ with $b+a=a$. The setis nonempty, compact, and a subsemigroup: if $x,y\in L$, then $(x+y)+a=x+(y+a)=x+a=a$. Thus minimality gives $L=K$, and in particular $a+a=a$. ThereforeThis is an idempotent ultrafilter on the natural numbers.

Isolating the sequence terms. Now use the hypothetical convergent sequence of distinct ultrafilters. For each $n$, choose $C_n\in U_n$ with $C_n^c\in U$, possible since $U_n\ne U$. Convergence implies $C_n^c\in U_m$ for all sufficiently large $m$. Thus only finitely many indices $m\ne n$ have $C_n\in U_m$. Call this finite set $E_n$.

For each $m\in E_n$, choose $D_{n,m}\in U_n$ with $D_{n,m}\notin U_m$, using distinctness. SetFinite-intersection closure puts $A_n$ in $U_n$. For $m\ne n$, either $C_n\notin U_m$ or one of the chosen $D_{n,m}$ is absent from $U_m$; upward closure then prevents $A_n$ from belonging to $U_m$. Hence