arXiv subjects

Norbert Sauer

Publications and source records attributed to Norbert Sauer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Colouring homogeneous structures

A relational structure is indivisible if for every partition of its set of elements into two parts there exists an embedding of the structure into one of the parts of the partition. A relational structure is homogeneous if every embedding of a finite induced substructure to a finite induced substructure extends to an automorphism. This article establishes a necessary and sufficient condition for Henson type, see [4], homogeneous structures to be indivisible.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

The poset of copies for automorphism groups of countable relational structures

Let $\mathrm{G}$ be a subgroup of the symmetric group $\mathfrak S(U)$ of all permutations of a countable set $U$. Let $\overline{\mathrm{G}}$ be the topological closure of $\mathrm{G}$ in the function topology on $U^U$. We initiate the study of the poset $\overline{\mathrm{G}}[U]:=\{f[U]\mid f\in \overline{\mathrm{G}}\}$ of images of the functions in $\overline{\mathrm{G}}$, being ordered under inclusion. This set $\overline{\mathrm{G}}[U]$ of subsets of the set $U$ will be called the \emph{poset of copies for} the group $\mathrm{G}$. A denomination being justified by the fact that for every subgroup $\mathrm{G}$ of the symmetric group $\mathfrak S(U)$ there exists a homogeneous relational structure $R$ on $U$ such that $\overline G$ is the set of embeddings of the homogeneous structure $R$ into itself and $\overline{\mathrm{G}}[U]$ is the set of copies of $R$ in $R$ and that the set of bijections $\overline G\cap \mathfrak S(U)$ of $U$ to $U$ forms the group of automorphisms of $\mathrm{R}$.

math.CO↗

arXiv2018

Distinguishing number of Urysohn metric spaces

The distinguishing number of a structure is the smallest size of a partition of its elements so that only the trivial automorphism of the structure preserves each cell of the partition. We show that for any countable subset of the positive real numbers, the corresponding countable homogeneous Urysohn metric space, when it exists, has distinguishing number 2 or the distinguishing number is infinite. While it is known that a sufficiently large finite primitive structure has distinguishing number 2, unless its automorphism group is the full symmetric group or alternating group, the infinite case is open and these countable Urysohn metric spaces provide further confirmation toward the conjecture that all primitive homogeneous countably infinite structures have distinguishing number 2 or else the distinguishing number is infinite.

math.CO↗

arXiv2018

Siblings of an $\aleph_0$-categorical relational structure

A sibling of a relational structure $R$ is any structure $S$ which can be embedded into $R$ and, vice versa, in which $R$ can be embedded. Let $sib(R)$ be the number of siblings of $R$, these siblings being counted up to isomorphism. Thomass\'e conjectured that for countable relational structures made of at most countably many relations, $sib(R)$ is either $1$, countably infinite, or the size of the continuum; but even showing the special case $sib(R)=1$ or infinite is unsettled when $R$ is a countable tree. This is related to Bonato-Tardif conjecture asserting that for every tree $T$ the number of trees which are sibling of $T$ is either one or infinite. We prove that if $R$ is countable and $\aleph_{0}$-categorical, then indeed $sib(R)$ is one or infinite. Furthermore, $sib(R)$ is one if and only if $R$ is finitely partitionable in the sense of Hodkinson and Macpherson. The key tools in our proof are the notion of monomorphic decomposition of a relational structure introduced in a paper by Pouzet and Thi\'ery 2013 and studied further by Oudrar and Pouzet 2015, and a result of Frasnay 1984.

math.LO↗

arXiv2015

Invariant subsets of scattered trees. An application to the tree alternative property of Bonato and Tardif

A tree is scattered if no subdivision of the complete binary tree is a subtree. Building on results of Halin, Polat and Sabidussi, we identify four types of subtrees of a scattered tree and a function of the tree into the integers at least one of which is preserved by every embedding. With this result and a result of Tyomkyn, we prove that the tree alternative property conjecture of Bonato and Tardif holds for scattered trees and a conjecture of Tyomkin holds for locally finite scattered trees.

math.CO↗

arXiv2014

Rainbow Ramsey simple structures

A relational structure $\mathrm{R}$ is {\em rainbow Ramsey} if for every finite induced substructure $\mathrm{C}$ of $\mathrm{R}$ and every colouring of the copies of $\mathrm{C}$ with countably many colours, such that each colour is used at most $k$ times for a fixed $k$, there exists a copy $\mathrm{R}^\ast$ of $\mathrm{R}$ so that the copies of $\mathrm{C}$ in $\mathrm{R^\ast}$ use each colour at most once. We show that certain ultrahomogenous binary relational structures, for example the Rado graph, are rainbow Ramsey. Via compactness this then implies that for all finite graphs $\mathrm{B}$ and $\mathrm{C}$ and $k \in \omega$, there exists a graph $\mathrm{A}$ so that for every colouring of the copies of $\mathrm{C}$ in $\mathrm{A}$ such that each colour is used at most $k$ times, there exists a copy $\mathrm{B}^\ast$ of $\mathrm{B}$ in $\mathrm{A}$ so that the copies of $\mathrm{C}$ in $\mathrm{B^\ast}$ use each colour at most once.

math.CO↗

arXiv2012

Oscillation of Urysohn type spaces

A metric space $\mathrm{M}=(M;\de)$ is {\em homogeneous} if for every isometry $\alpha$ of a finite subspace of $\mathrm{M}$ to a subspace of $\mathrm{M}$ there exists an isometry of $\mathrm{M}$ onto $\mathrm{M}$ extending $\alpha$. The metric space $\mathrm{M}$ is {\em universal} if it isometrically embeds every finite metric space $\mathrm{F}$ with $\dist(\mathrm{F})\subseteq \dist(\mathrm{M})$. ($\dist(\mathrm{M})$ being the set of distances between points of $\mathrm{M}$.) A metric space $\mathrm{M}$ is {\em oscillation stable} if for every $\epsilon>0$ and every uniformly continuous and bounded function $f: M\to \Re$ there exists an isometric copy $\mathrm{M}^\ast=(M^\ast; \de)$ of $\mathrm{M}$ in $\mathrm{M}$ for which: \[ \sup\{|f(x)-f(y)| \mid x,y\in M^\ast\}<\epsilon. \] Every bounded, uncountable, separable, complete, homogeneous, universal metric space $\mathrm{M}=(M;\de)$ is oscillation stable. (Theorem thm:finabstr.)

math.MG↗

arXiv2011

Distance sets of universal and Urysohn metric spaces

A metric space $\mathrm{M}=(M;\de)$ is {\em homogeneous} if for every isometry $f$ of a finite subspace of $\mathrm{M}$ to a subspace of $\mathrm{M}$ there exists an isometry of $\mathrm{M}$ onto $\mathrm{M}$ extending $f$. A metric space $\boldsymbol{U}$ is an {\em Urysohn} metric space if it is homogeneous and separable and complete and if it isometrically embeds every separable metric space $\mathrm{M}$ with $\dist(\mathrm{M})\subseteq \dist(\boldsymbol{U})$. (With $\dist(\mathrm{M})$ being the set of distances between points in $\mathrm{M}$.) The main results are: (1) A characterization of the sets $\dist(\boldsymbol{U})$ for Urysohn metric spaces $\boldsymbol{U}$. (2) If $R$ is the distance set of an Urysohn metric space and $\mathrm{M}$ and $\mathrm{N}$ are two metric spaces, of any cardinality with distances in $R$, then they amalgamate disjointly to a metric space with distances in $R$. (3) The completion of a homogeneous separable metric space $\mathrm{M}$ which embeds isometrically every finite metric space $\mathrm{F}$ with $\dist(\mathrm{F})\subseteq \dist(\mathrm{M})$ is homogeneous.

math.CO↗

arXiv2010

Partitions of metric spaces with finite distance sets

A metric space $\mathrm{M}=(M,\de)$ is {\em indivisible} if for every colouring $\chi: M\to 2$ there exists $i\in 2$ and a copy $\mathrm{N}=(N, \de)$ of $\mathrm{M}$ in $\mathrm{M}$ so that $\chi(x)=i$ for all $x\in N$. The metric space $\mathrm{M}$ is {\em homogeneus} if for every isometry $\alpha$ of a finite subspace of $\mathrm{M}$ to a subspace of $\mathrm{M}$ there exists an isometry of $\mathrm{M}$ onto $\mathrm{M}$ extending $\alpha$. A homogeneous metric space $\mathrm{U}$ with set of distances $\mathcal{D}$ is an Urysohn metric space if every finite metric space with set of distances a subset of $\mathcal{D}$ has an isometry into $\mathrm{U}$. The main result of this paper states that all countable Urysohn metric spaces with a finite set of distances are indivisible.

math.CO↗

arXiv2007

Indivisible ultrametric spaces

A metric space is indivisible if for any partition of it into finitely many pieces one piece contains an isometric copy of the whole space. Continuing our investigation of indivisible metric spaces, we show that a countable ultrametric space embeds isometrically into an indivisible ultrametric metric space if and only if it does not contain a strictly increasing sequence of balls.

math.MG↗

arXiv2006

From well-quasi-ordered sets to better-quasi-ordered sets

We consider conditions which force a well-quasi-ordered poset (wqo) to be better-quasi-ordered (bqo). In particular we obtain that if a poset $P$ is wqo and the set $S_ω(P)$ of strictly increasing sequences of elements of $P$ is bqo under domination, then $P$ is bqo. As a consequence, we get the same conclusion if $S_ω (P)$ is replaced by $\mathcal J^1(P)$, the collection of non-principal ideals of $P$, or by $AM(P)$, the collection of maximal antichains of $P$ ordered by domination. It then follows that an interval order which is wqo is in fact bqo.

math.CO↗

arXiv2005

Divisibility of countable metric spaces

Prompted by a recent question of G. Hjorth as to whether a bounded Urysohn space is indivisible, that is to say has the property that any partition into finitely many pieces has one piece which contains an isometric copy of the space, we answer this question and more generally investigate partitions of countable metric spaces. We show that an indivisible metric space must be totally Cantor disconnected, which implies in particular that every Urysohn space U_V with V bounded or not but dense in some initial segment of R+, is divisible. On the other hand we also show that one can remove "large" pieces from a bounded Urysohn space with the remainder still inducing a copy of this space, providing a certain "measure" of the indivisibility. Associated with every totally Cantor disconnected space is an ultrametric space, and we go on to characterize the countable ultrametric spaces which are homogeneous and indivisible.

math.CO↗