Indiscernibles in monadically NIP theories

Abstract

We prove various results around indiscernibles in monadically NIP theories. First, we provide several characterizations of monadic NIP in terms of indiscernibles, mirroring previous characterizations in terms of the behavior of finite satisfiability. Second, we study (monadic) distality in hereditary classes and complete theories. Here, via finite combinatorics, we prove a result implying that every planar graph admits a distal expansion. Finally, we prove a result implying that no monadically NIP theory interprets an infinite group, and note an example of a (monadically) stable theory with no distal expansion that does not interpret an infinite group.