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For standard effective proof presentations, the syntactic deduction theorem and its reverse give effective transformations between proofs in a one-sentence extension and proofs of an implication in the base theory. Arithmetic can verify these transformations, yielding the displayed internal equivalence under the usual representation and proof-predicate hypotheses. It distinguishes internal proof transformations from an unlicensed reflection step taking provability to truth.

A finite conjunction from the signed atomic diagram of $A$ becomes, after existentially closing its new names, a sentence in its existential theory. Joint satisfiability with $T$ therefore makes the full diagram finitely satisfiable with $T$. Compactness gives the embedding, with inequalities ensuring injectivity and signed relation literals ensuring reflection. The reverse implication is preservation of existential truth under embeddings.

Let $U=\square Y(\top )$ and $V=\square Y(U)$. Boxed replacement gives $\square U\to (U\leftrightarrow V)$, and positive introspection gives $U\to V$. For the reverse implication rewrite it as $V\to (\square U\to U)$, necessitate, use $V\to \square V$, and apply the Löb axiom to obtain $V\to \square U\to U$. This explicit one-variable construction needs no reflection axiom.

Use just the assumed local reflection instance with $Y=\neg X$:By the deduction theorem for propositional logic, $S⊢X\to (B_S(\neg X)\to \neg X)$. Classical propositional logic makes this imply the unconditional reflection statement $S⊢B_S(\neg X)\to \neg X$: if $X$ is false the consequent is already true, and if $X$ is true the displayed implication supplies it. Löb's theorem applied to $\neg X$ now givesThus full local reflection in a one-sentence extension is inconsistent; in this argument even the single instance concerning $\neg X$ suffices.

The Hilbert-Bernays-Löb derivability conditions are: if $S⊢A$ then $S⊢\square A$; $S⊢\square (A\to B)\to (\square A\to \square B)$; and $S⊢\square A\to \square \square A$. The first is an external rule about provability; the latter two are internal theorems. Standard numerical correctness and the stipulated ${\Sigma }_1$ form accompany the predicate in this question. These conditions do not include reflection $\square A\to A$.

Choose a fixed refutable sentence $\perp$ and identify ${\mathrm{Con}}_S$ with $\neg \square \perp$. Different fixed refutable choices have provably equivalent consistency sentences, because $S$ proves their equivalence to a contradiction. From $\perp \to G$, necessitation and distribution give $\square \perp \to \square G$. Since $G\to \neg \square G$, this yields $G\to {\mathrm{Con}}_S$.

For the converse, necessitate $G\to \neg \square G$ and distribute to get $\square G\to \square \neg \square G$. Positive introspection also gives $\square G\to \square \square G$. The two boxed contradictories imply $\square \perp$ by formalized propositional reasoning. Thus $\square G\to \square \perp$, and contraposition gives ${\mathrm{Con}}_S\to \neg \square G\to G$. ConsequentlyFinally the deduction theorem says that $S+G$ is inconsistent exactly when $S⊢\neg G$. The internal equivalence identifies $S+G$ and $S+{\mathrm{Con}}_S$ in their deductive consequences. Hence $S⊬\neg G$ exactly when $S+{\mathrm{Con}}_S$ is consistent. Consistency of $S$ alone need not ensure this stronger consistency condition.

Suppose $S+A$ proves every specified reflection instance. Use only the instance with $X=\neg A$. The deduction theorem givesClassical propositional reasoning turns this into $S⊢\square \neg A\to \neg A$: if $\neg A$ already holds the implication is true, while otherwise $A$ holds and the displayed theorem supplies it. Löb's theorem now yields $S⊢\neg A$, making $S+A$ inconsistent. Therefore no sentence consistent with $S$ can supply all the local reflection instances in a one-sentence extension. The proof uses just one well-chosen instance, and never applies necessitation to a derivation with the extra assumption still open.

GL has all classical propositional tautologies, the normal distribution axiom $\square (A\to B)\to (\square A\to \square B)$ and the Löb axiom $\square (\square A\to A)\to \square A$, closed under uniform substitution, modus ponens and necessitation of theorems. We use its derived positive-introspection theorem $\square A\to \square \square A$, normal boxed reasoning, and the boxed replacement principle supplied in the question.

For completeness, positive introspection follows from these axioms. Put $C=A\wedge \square A$. Distribution gives $\square C\to \square A$, so propositional logic proves $A\to (\square C\to C)$. Necessitate and distribute to get $\square A\to \square (\square C\to C)$; Löb's axiom gives $\square A\to \square C$, and boxing $C\to \square A$ finishes $\square A\to \square \square A$.

For a GL fixed point by truth substitution, set $\top =(\perp \to \perp )$, $U=\square Y(\top )$ and $V=\square Y(U)$. From the tautology $U\to (\top \leftrightarrow U)$, boxed reasoning gives $\square U\to \square (\top \leftrightarrow U)$. The supplied replacement principle and distribution then giveSince $U$ is itself boxed, positive introspection gives $U\to \square U$, and hence $U\to V$.

For the reverse direction, the displayed implication entails the theorem $V\to (\square U\to U)$. Necessitate it and distribute to obtain $\square V\to \square (\square U\to U)$. Since $V$ is boxed, $V\to \square V$ holds. The Löb axiom therefore yields $V\to \square U$, and the same displayed implication then yields $V\to U$. ConsequentlyAll occurrences of the unknown letter have been removed from $U$ by substitution of truth; any other parameter letters remain available. The proof does not assume the invalid reflection principle $\square U\to U$ as an unconditional axiom.

The fixed point of boxed negated provability gives, in fact, that GL proves $F\leftrightarrow \square \perp$. Here is a direct derivation. Since $F$ is provably equivalent to a boxed formula, positive introspection and necessitation of that equivalence give $F\to \square F$. Another introspection step gives $F\to \square \square F$. The stipulated fixed point also gives $F\to \square \neg \square F$. Combining these two boxed contradictories yields $F\to \square \perp$. Conversely $\square \perp \to \square \neg \square F$ follows by normal boxed explosion, and the fixed point then yields $\square \perp \to F$.

Arithmetical soundness of GL, proved by translating distribution into the second derivability condition, necessitation into the first, and Löb's axiom into its internal arithmetic theorem, now givesAny remaining propositional parameters may be assigned arbitrary arithmetic sentences; this equivalence is uniform in those assignments. If PA is one-consistent, it is consistent and ${\Sigma }_1$ sound. Its standard provability predicate for a contradiction is then a false ${\Sigma }_1$ sentence and cannot be a theorem. Hence $F^{\ast }$ is not provable in PA. Moreover its negation is equivalent to PA's consistency statement and is unprovable by the second incompleteness theorem. Thus this fixed point is, under the stated hypothesis, undecidable rather than an unboxed reflection principle.

If a model $B$ of $T$ contains $A$ as a substructure, every existential sentence true in $A$ remains true in $B$: use the same witness tuple and preservation of quantifier-free truth. Hence $B$ satisfies the required joint theory.

For the existential-theory embedding criterion, conversely suppose that joint theory has a model. Expand the language by a constant $c_a$ for each $a\in A$, and add the atomic and negated atomic diagram $D(A)$ to $T$. Any finite collection of its literals is a quantifier-free conjunction $\theta (\bar{c})$ true of the corresponding tuple in $A$. Replacing those named constants by variables and existentially closing gives a sentence in ${\mathrm{Th}}_{\exists }(A)$. A model of the assumed joint theory can supply its witnesses, and hence an expansion satisfying those finitely many diagram requirements and any finite subset of $T$.

Compactness therefore gives a model of $T+D(A)$. Its named Elements define an embedding of $A$ into its $L$-reduct: inequalities ensure injectivity, and all function and relation literals ensure preservation and reflection. Replace the ambient model by an isomorphic copy identifying this image with $A$ itself. Thus a model of $T$ containing $A$ exists. The diagram step explains how parameter-free existential information nevertheless yields an embedding of the whole structure.