Write for the space of infinite subsets of the natural numbers, with each subset identified with its increasing enumeration. In the homogeneous-cone convention, a family is a Ramsey family in the homogeneous-cone sense when some infinite satisfies
The stronger Ramsey set of infinite subsets convention asks for such an infinite inside every given infinite ground set . We will prove the open-set assertion in this stronger form, and our Ramsey-but-not-completely-Ramsey example will satisfy it as well. Thus the distinction in conventions does not affect any of the conclusions below.
For a non-Ramsey example, declare if their symmetric difference is finite, and choose a representative from each equivalence class using the axiom of choice. Set
for the representative of the class of . Removing one point reverses this colour, because its symmetric difference with changes by exactly one point. Consequently every cone contains the oppositely coloured sets and . Either colour class of this finite-symmetric-difference parity colouring is not a Ramsey family in the homogeneous-cone sense. No definability is claimed for the representative selection.
The ordinary topology on infinite subsets, denoted , has basic cylinders , where is a finite stem of the increasing enumeration. Let be a -open family and fix an arbitrary infinite ground set . We give a complete fusion proof of a homogeneous cone inside .
Use the convention . For finite and an infinite reservoir above , say that accepts if , where
Say that rejects if no infinite subset of accepts . There is always a refinement deciding : choose an accepting subreservoir if one exists, and otherwise retain , which rejects. Both decisions persist under further thinning.
A first fusion produces an infinite deciding every finite on its tail . First decide the empty stem. Choose the first point, and thin the remaining reservoir successively to decide every subset of the selected prefix. Repeat after choosing each new point. There are finitely many subsets to decide at each stage. The diagonal sequence of chosen points has the required property, since its tail after the largest point of any stem lies in the reservoir where that stem was decided. The empty-stem decision persists too. This is deciding all finite stems by fusion.
If accepts the empty stem, and we are done. Suppose it rejects. For a rejected finite , only finitely many can have accepting . Otherwise let be their infinite set. Every infinite starts with some such , and its remaining tail lies in , so . Then accepts , contradicting rejection. This proves finitely many accepting extensions of a rejected stem.
A second fusion constructs whose every finite subset is rejected. If a finite prefix of chosen points has been selected, all its subsets are rejected by induction. Avoid the union of their finitely many accepting successor sets when choosing the next point. The first fusion already decides every successor, so every new subset is rejected. An infinite reservoir remains after each finite exclusion.
If some belonged to , openness would give an initial segment with . Its reservoir would then accept , contradicting the second fusion. Therefore . In either case we have a homogeneous cone inside the arbitrary ground set . Every -open family is a Ramsey set of infinite subsets, under both conventions.
A completely Ramsey set requires more: for every finite and infinite reservoir above , there is an infinite such that
The finite stem must be kept fixed. These are the basic neighbourhoods of the Ellentuck topology, also called the star topology.
Let be the even positive integers, and construct the finite-symmetric-difference parity colouring on . Define
For any infinite ground set , the set is still infinite and its whole cone misses . Thus is a Ramsey set of infinite subsets even in the stronger convention. But inside , every infinite refinement gives the two sets and of opposite colours. Hence no such refinement is homogeneous. The family is Ramsey but not completely Ramsey. The stem-supported Ramsey family need not be completely Ramsey construction explains this example: forgetting the stem is precisely what loses the obstruction.
Finally take . It is nonempty and star-open, since it equals . It is -closed: if an infinite set contains an odd integer, an initial segment witnessing that integer has a cylinder disjoint from . Its -interior is empty: after any finite stem of even integers, append an arbitrarily large odd integer and then infinitely many further points. Thus
This is the cone on an infinite coinfinite ground set. Choose its subset . Since , is also -nowhere dense. Nevertheless every with infinite contains both and , of opposite colours. Hence is not completely Ramsey. We have proved explicitly that ordinarily nowhere-dense sets need not be completely Ramsey; the topology in the nowhere-dense hypothesis cannot be silently changed to the star topology.
The same cone on an infinite coinfinite ground set works:
It is -closed: a set outside has an odd point, and the ordinary neighbourhood given by its initial segment through that point remains outside . Its -interior is empty, since every ordinary basic open set admits an extension having an odd point. Hence its ordinary closure equals itself and has empty interior, proving that it is a -nowhere dense set.
In the Ellentuck topology, however, is itself a nonempty open set. Its -closure therefore has nonempty -interior, so is not -nowhere dense.
Take the cone on an infinite coinfinite ground set
It is -open because is a basic open set of the Ellentuck topology. It is not -open: if , every ordinary basic neighbourhood of contains an infinite extension of having an odd point larger than . That extension is outside . Therefore no point of has an ordinary open neighbourhood contained in .