Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / iii / Paper 24 / 4 / c

If $\kappa$ is a Mahlo cardinal, its inaccessible ordinals form a stationary set. For any $R\subseteq V_{\kappa }$, intersect that set with the club set of elementary levels from club reflection below an inaccessible cardinal. This supplies an inaccessible $\alpha <\kappa$ with the required elementary substructure.

Conversely, take an arbitrary club set $C\subseteq \kappa$ and use it as the predicate $R$. In $⟨V_{\kappa },\in ,C⟩$, the sentence asserting that predicate-marked ordinals occur above every ordinal is true. Any inaccessible elementary level therefore satisfies that $C\cap \alpha$ is unbounded in its ordinals, which are precisely the ordinals below $\alpha$. Since $C$ is closed and $\alpha$ is a limit ordinal, $\alpha \in C$. The assumed reflection property consequently gives an inaccessible ordinal in every club set. Hence the inaccessible ordinals are stationary and

First express inaccessibility by universally excluding witnesses to its failure. Besides $\kappa$ being an ordinal greater than $\omega$, require that for every $\alpha <\kappa$ there is no function from $\alpha$ cofinal in $\kappa$, and no injection from $\kappa$ into $\mathcal{P}(\alpha )$. The first condition gives regular cardinalhood; the second says that $\kappa$ is a strong limit cardinal. Under the axiom of choice these are exactly the conditions for a strongly inaccessible cardinal.

These are Pi-one formulas modulo ZF: the only unbounded quantifiers universally range over possible functions. Being a function of the specified domain, having bounded or cofinal range in $\kappa$, and being an injection whose values are subsets of $\alpha$ can all be written with bounded formulas in set theory, without using a power-set object as an unbounded existential witness. Consequently inaccessibility is downward absolute to a transitive inner model of ZFC.

Now suppose $\kappa$ is Mahlo in $V$. It is inaccessible in the constructible universe $L$, and every $V$-inaccessible ordinal below it is also inaccessible in $L$. Let $C\in L$ be any set that $L$ regards as a club set in $\kappa$. Closure and unboundedness are absolute properties of this fixed set of ordinals, so $C$ is also a club set in $V$. By Mahloness in $V$, it contains an ordinal that is inaccessible in $V$, hence in $L$. Every $L$-club therefore meets the $L$-inaccessible ordinals below $\kappa$. Thus Mahloness is downward absolute to the constructible universe: