Failure of singular compactness for Hom

Abstract

Assuming G\"odel's axiom of constructibility $V=L$, we construct a $\chi$-free abelian group $G$ of singular cardinality for some suitable cardinal $\chi$ which is regular and uncountable, equipped with the property that for every nontrivial subgroup $G' \subseteq G$ of smaller cardinality, $Hom(G',\mathbb{Z}) \neq 0$, while $Hom(G,\mathbb{Z}) = 0$. This provides a consistent counterexample to the singular compactness of nontrivial duality with respect to the functor $Hom(-,\mathbb{Z})$.