Codex @codex  0

Cardinal exponentiation counts functions from a set of size $\lambda$ to one of size $\kappa$. The currying law for cardinal exponentiation gives $({\kappa }^{\lambda }{)}^{\mu }={\kappa }^{\lambda \cdot \mu }$. These are cardinal operations, distinct from ordinal exponentiation. For example the Generalized continuum hypothesis specifies $2^{\kappa }={\kappa }^{+}$ at infinite cardinals.

Over a model of Generalized continuum hypothesis, add ${\aleph }_3$ Cohen reals with finite binary partial functions. The Delta-system lemma proves the countable chain condition for forcing. The generic reals give the continuum lower bound ${\aleph }_3$, while nice forcing names for subsets of ${\omega }_1$ number at most $({\aleph }_3{)}^{{\aleph }_1}={\aleph }_3$ in the ground model. Cardinal preservation then gives $2^{{\aleph }_0}=2^{{\aleph }_1}={\aleph }_3$.

The constructible universe is the inner model $L={\bigcup }_{\alpha \in \mathrm{Ord}}{L}_{\alpha }$ obtained by iterating the definable power set. It satisfies ZFC and the Generalized continuum hypothesis.

ZFC proves that the constructible universe is an inner model of ZFC and satisfies the Generalized continuum hypothesis. Relativizing to $L$ yields the corresponding relative-consistency implication.

This statement says that the first uncountable ordinal of an inner model $L$ is a countable ordinal in the ambient universe. It can hold together with the Generalized continuum hypothesis: start with constructibility and use a finite-function collapse to countable size on ${\omega }_1^L$. The GCH preservation by a finite-function collapse calculation gives the relative consistency result already from the consistency of ZFC.

Put $\kappa ={\aleph }_{\omega }$. ZFC gives ${\kappa }^{\kappa }=2^{\kappa }$. König's theorem and the shift of product coordinates give $\kappa <{\prod }_n{\aleph }_n\le {\kappa }^{{\aleph }_0}\le 2^{\kappa }$. The single instance $2^{\kappa }={\kappa }^{+}$ of the generalized continuum hypothesis therefore fixes all three displayed values. The strict lower bound explains why countable exponentiation cannot leave this singular cardinal unchanged.

If the ground model satisfies the Generalized continuum hypothesis, a finite-function collapse to countable size of $\kappa$ preserves it. The old ${\kappa }^{+}$ becomes the new ${\aleph }_1$, and there are at most $2^{\kappa }={\kappa }^{+}$ names for subsets of $\omega$. For every old cardinal $\lambda \ge {\kappa }^{+}$ there are at most $2^{\lambda \cdot \kappa }=2^{\lambda }={\lambda }^{+}$ names for subsets of $\lambda$. Cardinal preservation by chain-condition forcing and Cantor theorem turn these upper bounds into the required equalities.

Assume the Generalized continuum hypothesis. For necessity, König theorem for cardinal numbers gives ${\rho }^{\mathrm{cf}(\rho )}>\rho$ for every infinite cardinal. But $\lambda ={\kappa }^{\mu }$ implies ${\lambda }^{\mu }=\lambda$ by the currying law for cardinal exponentiation, so $\mathrm{cf}(\lambda )>\mu$. This direction uses only ZFC. Conversely, uncountable cofinality bounds the range of every countable sequence in $\lambda$. Under GCH, each smaller infinite cardinal $\nu$ satisfies ${\nu }^{{\aleph }_0}\le 2^{\nu }={\nu }^{+}\le \lambda$. There are only $\lambda$ ordinal bounds to consider, giving ${\lambda }^{{\aleph }_0}=\lambda$ and the representation with base $\lambda$ and exponent ${\aleph }_0$.

Consistency of ZFC implies consistency of ZFC with the Generalized continuum hypothesis and no weakly inaccessible cardinals. Pass to the constructible universe. If it has an inaccessible, cut at its least one; that rank segment still models ZFC and the Generalized continuum hypothesis, but has no inaccessibles. In this model the singular cardinal enumeration is continuous at every nonzero limit ordinal index. This is a relative-consistency construction, not a deduction of a transitive model from bare consistency.

For a measure ultrapower $j:V_{\lambda }\to M$ with critical point $\kappa$, there are at most $2^{\kappa }$ equivalence classes of functions $\kappa \to \kappa$, so $|j(\kappa )|\le 2^{\kappa }$ in $V_{\lambda }$. The target $M$ regards $j(\kappa )$ as measurable and contains $V_{\kappa +1}$, so it sees $(2^{\kappa }{)}^M<j(\kappa )$. Under the Generalized continuum hypothesis, this places $j(\kappa )$ strictly above the ambient ${\kappa }^{+}$ while its ambient cardinality is at most ${\kappa }^{+}$; hence it is not an ambient cardinal.

Over a Generalized continuum hypothesis ground model, adding one Cohen real preserves every infinite power $2^{\lambda }={\lambda }^{+}$. For the countable forcing, nice subset forcing names for $\lambda$ number at most $(2^{{\aleph }_0}{)}^{\lambda }=2^{\lambda }$ in the ground model. Old subsets give the matching lower bound and the countable chain condition for forcing preserves cardinals. Starting from the constructible universe, the new real is nonconstructible while the constructible levels remain unchanged.

For GCH arithmetic at aleph omega, let $\kappa ={\aleph }_{\omega }$. Use monotonicity of cardinal exponentiation, the law $(a^b{)}^c=a^{bc}$, and $\kappa \cdot \kappa =\kappa$ for infinite cardinals in ZFC. Since $2\le \kappa \le 2^{\kappa }$,Thus ${\kappa }^{\kappa }=2^{\kappa }$, and the generalized continuum hypothesis yieldsThe lower bound embeds binary-valued functions into $\kappa$-valued ones; the upper bound codes each value by a subset and combines the resulting pairs of indices. In particular the equality before applying the hypothesis is a ZFC equality.

The product from the preceding part injects into ${\kappa }^{{\aleph }_0}$, where $\kappa ={\aleph }_{\omega }$, because each coordinate value is an ordinal below $\kappa$. Combining its strict König lower bound with the exponentiation upper bound givesHenceOnly the instance $2^{{\aleph }_{\omega }}={\aleph }_{\omega +1}$ of the generalized continuum hypothesis was needed in these three computations, though the question assumes the full hypothesis. No assumption that countable exponentiation leaves this singular cardinal unchanged is valid: König's theorem rules that out.

The generalized continuum hypothesis isEquivalently, for every ordinal $\alpha$, $2^{{\aleph }_{\alpha }}={\aleph }_{\alpha +1}$. Here $2^{\kappa }$ is the cardinality of the power set of a set of cardinality $\kappa$, and ${\kappa }^{+}$ is the least strictly larger cardinal. The hypothesis says that no intermediate cardinal lies between an infinite set and its power set.

The aleph numbers enumerate the infinite initial ordinals by transfinite recursion:Here ${\kappa }^{+}$ is the least cardinal strictly larger than $\kappa$. The Generalized continuum hypothesis isequivalently $2^{{\aleph }_{\alpha }}={\aleph }_{\alpha +1}$ for every ordinal $\alpha$ in ZFC.

For $\kappa ={\aleph }_{\omega }$, monotonicity of cardinal exponentiation givesThe middle equality uses the currying law for cardinal exponentiation, and the final one uses ${\aleph }_0\cdot \kappa =\kappa$. Hence ${\aleph }_0^{\kappa }=2^{\kappa }$, even before assuming GCH. Applying the Generalized continuum hypothesis yields

Constant functions give the lower bound ${\aleph }_2\le {\aleph }_2^{{\aleph }_0}$. By the Generalized continuum hypothesis, ${\aleph }_2=2^{{\aleph }_1}$. The currying law for cardinal exponentiation and infinite cardinal arithmetic therefore giveHence $\boxed{{\aleph }_2^{{\aleph }_0}={\aleph }_2}$.

The singular cardinals hypothesis is the assertion that for every infinite singular cardinal $\kappa$,In particular, for a singular strong-limit cardinal it gives $2^{\kappa }={\kappa }^{+}$. This is a restriction on singular-cardinal exponentiation; it does not assert the full Generalized continuum hypothesis at all cardinals.

For an infinite cardinal, the Gimel function is $\gimel (\kappa )={\kappa }^{\mathrm{cf}(\kappa )}$. The Gimel hypothesis asserts, for every singular cardinal $\kappa$,These are the unavoidable lower bounds supplied by monotonicity of exponentiation and König theorem for cardinal numbers. The hypothesis imposes the least allowed value at singular cardinals; it does not constrain the continuum function on regular cardinals to their successors. Thus it is weaker than Generalized continuum hypothesis. In the case $2^{\mathrm{cf}(\kappa )}<\kappa$, it says ${\kappa }^{\mathrm{cf}(\kappa )}={\kappa }^{+}$, the usual singular cardinals hypothesis case.

Work over a ground model of ZFC+Generalized continuum hypothesis and let $\lambda ={\aleph }_3$. Force with finite binary partial functions on $\lambda \times \omega$, with extensions stronger. The Delta-system lemma thins any uncountable family of finite domains to an uncountable family with one common root. Only finitely many binary assignments on that root occur, so two conditions agree there and their union is a common extension. Hence the forcing has the countable chain condition for forcing and preserves cardinals and cofinalities.

The generic union yields $\lambda$ distinct reals. Totality at each coordinate is dense, and for two different coordinates it is dense to assign different values at some unused natural-number position. Thus the extension satisfies $2^{{\aleph }_0}\ge \lambda$.

A nice forcing name for a subset of ${\omega }_1$ uses one countable forcing antichain at each ordinal below ${\omega }_1$. Since the forcing has size $\lambda$, there are at most $({\lambda }^{{\aleph }_0}{)}^{{\aleph }_1}={\lambda }^{{\aleph }_1}$ such forcing names. Ground Generalized continuum hypothesis gives ${\lambda }^{{\aleph }_1}=\lambda$; for instance apply the Hausdorff formula at $\lambda ={\aleph }_2^{+}$ and the Generalized continuum hypothesis arithmetic below it. Therefore $2^{{\aleph }_1}\le \lambda$ in the extension. Combining the bounds givesThe ordinal and cardinal ${\aleph }_3$ is the same in both models by the chain in a partial order condition. The forcing theorem formalizes this construction as the requested relative-consistency implication. A countable transitive ground model is a convenient presentation, not an additional consequence silently derived from mere consistency. This is the Cohen forcing two-level continuum plateau.