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A measurable cardinal is an uncountable cardinal $\kappa$ carrying a kappa-complete nonprincipal ultrafilter $U$ on $\kappa$. An elementary embedding $j:M\to N$ preserves all first-order formulas with parameters:For a measurable $\kappa$, the Łoś theorem gives an elementary map from the universe into its ultrapower. Countable completeness makes that ultrapower well founded, so the Mostowski collapse gives a transitive target $M$ and an ultrapower embedding $j:V\to M$. The least moved ordinal, its critical point of an elementary embedding, is $\kappa$: every function into an ordinal below $\kappa$ is constant on a $U$-large set by kappa-completeness, whereas the identity function on $\kappa$ represents an ordinal above every constant ordinal below $\kappa$ and below the image of $\kappa$. Conversely a suitably available embedding with critical point $\kappa$ defines the measure $U=\{X\subseteq \kappa :\kappa \in j(X)\}$.

The identity $V\to V$ is elementary. In ZFC there is no nonidentity elementary class embedding $j:V\to V$, by the Kunen inconsistency theorem. Here the embedding is a class for which restrictions to sets and the critical sequence are available, as in the usual class-theoretic formulation. The axiom of choice is part of this conclusion; it is not a claimed contradiction for the choice-free Reinhardt-cardinal hypothesis.

Here is the stationary-set proof. A nonidentity $j$ has a least moved ordinal $\kappa$; if all ordinals were fixed, induction on rank would fix every set. Put ${\kappa }_0=\kappa$, ${\kappa }_{n+1}=j({\kappa }_n)$ and $\lambda ={\sup }_{n<\omega }{\kappa }_n$. Since $j$ fixes $\omega$ and shifts this sequence, $j(\lambda )=\lambda$. It therefore fixes the regular successor cardinal $\delta ={\lambda }^{+}$. The stationarity of ordinals of prescribed cofinality gives the stationary setUse the stationary partition at a successor cardinal to split $S$ into $\kappa$ disjoint stationary pieces $⟨S_{\alpha }:\alpha <\kappa ⟩$, merging pieces if necessary. Applying $j$ gives a partition $⟨T_{\alpha }:\alpha <j(\kappa )⟩$ of the same $S$ into stationary pieces. The additional piece $T_{\kappa }$ is stationary.

The closure pointsform a club set. For unboundedness, repeatedly close a bound under the values of $j$ below it and take the supremum of the resulting countable sequence; regularity of $\delta$ keeps it below $\delta$. Closure under limits is immediate. Choose $\beta \in C\cap T_{\kappa }$ and an increasing sequence $⟨{\beta }_n:n<\omega ⟩$ cofinal in $\beta$. Thenwhile every ordinal satisfies $j(\beta )\ge \beta$, so $j(\beta )=\beta$. There is an $\alpha <\kappa$ with $\beta \in S_{\alpha }$. Since $j(\alpha )=\alpha$, elementarity gives $\beta =j(\beta )\in j(S_{\alpha })=T_{\alpha }$, contrary to disjointness from $T_{\kappa }$.

The club filter completeness argument works for every regular uncountable $\kappa$. Let $\mu <\kappa$ and let $C_i$ be a club set for each $i<\mu$. Their intersection is closed. To prove it unbounded, start above any prescribed $\beta <\kappa$ and choose an increasing sequence $({\delta }_n{)}_{n<\omega }$ so that ${\delta }_{n+1}$ lies above a chosen point of every $C_i$ greater than ${\delta }_n$. $\kappa$ is a regular cardinal, so the supremum of these $\mu$ choices remains below $\kappa$. The resulting countable supremum $\delta ={\sup }_n{\delta }_n$ likewise remains below $\kappa$. For each $i$, the chosen $C_i$ points are cofinal in $\delta$, so closure gives $\delta \in C_i$. Thus the intersection is a club set. Intersecting fewer than $\kappa$ members of the club filter still contains such an intersection of clubs. In particular, $\boxed{{\mathcal{D}}_{{\omega }_2}\text{ is }{\aleph }_2\text{-complete}}$.

It is not an ultrafilter. For a regular infinite $\theta <\kappa$, the setis stationary. Given a club set $C$, build in $C$ a strictly increasing continuous sequence of length $\theta$ and take its supremum $\delta <\kappa$. Closure gives $\delta \in C$, and the cofinality of an increasing ordinal supremum gives $\mathrm{cf}(\delta )=\theta$. This proves the stationarity of ordinals of prescribed cofinality.

At $\kappa ={\omega }_2$, the disjoint sets $S_{\omega }^{{\omega }_2}$ and $S_{{\omega }_1}^{{\omega }_2}$ are both stationary. A club contained in either $S_{\omega }^{{\omega }_2}$ or its complement would miss one of these stationary sets. Thus neither $S_{\omega }^{{\omega }_2}$ nor its complement belongs to ${\mathcal{D}}_{{\omega }_2}$, and

A subset of a regular uncountable cardinal number $\kappa$ is stationary if it meets every club set in $\kappa$. Intersecting a stationary set with a club set preserves stationarity. Every member of the club filter is stationary. At a regular infinite $\theta <\kappa$, the stationarity of ordinals of prescribed cofinality supplies important examples.