Baumgartner’s isomorphism problem for ℵ2 -dense suborders of R

Abstract

In this paper we will analyze Baumgartner’s problem asking whether it is consistent that 2ℵ0≥ℵ2 and every pair of ℵ2-dense subsets of R are isomorphic as linear orders. The main result is the isolation of a combinatorial principle (∗ ∗) which is immune to c.c.c. forcing and which in the presence of 2ℵ0≤ℵ2 implies that two ℵ2-dense sets of reals can be forced to be isomorphic via a c.c.c. poset. Also, it will be shown that it is relatively consistent with ZFC that there exists an ℵ2 dense suborder X of R which cannot be embedded into - X in any outer model with the same ℵ2.