Countable infinitary theories admitting an invariant measure

Abstract

Let $L$ be a countable language. We characterize, in terms of definable closure, those countable theories $\Sigma$ of $\mathcal{L}_{\omega_1, \omega}(L)$ for which there exists an $S_\infty$-invariant probability measure on the collection of models of $\Sigma$ with underlying set $\mathbb{N}$. Restricting to $\mathcal{L}_{\omega, \omega}(L)$, this answers an open question of Gaifman from 1964, via a translation between $S_\infty$-invariant measures and Gaifman's symmetric measure-models with strict equality. It also extends the known characterization in the case where $\Sigma$ implies a Scott sentence. To establish our result, we introduce machinery for building invariant measures from a directed system of countable structures with measures.