Essential Kurepa trees versus essential Jech---Kunen trees

Abstract

By an omega_1 --tree we mean a tree of size omega_1 and height omega_1. An omega_1 --tree is called a Kurepa tree if all its levels are countable and it has more than omega_1 branches. An omega_1 --tree is called a Jech--Kunen tree if it has kappa branches for some kappa strictly between omega_1 and 2^{omega_1}. A Kurepa tree is called an essential Kurepa tree if it contains no Jech--Kunen subtrees. A Jech--Kunen tree is called an essential Jech--Kunen tree if it contains no Kurepa subtrees. In this paper we prove that (1) it is consistent with CH and 2^{omega_1}> omega_2 that there exist essential Kurepa trees and there are no essential Jech--Kunen trees, (2) it is consistent with CH and 2^{omega_1}> omega_2 plus the existence of a Kurepa tree with 2^{omega_1} branches that there exist essential Jech--Kunen trees and there are no essential Kurepa trees. In the second result we require the existence of a Kurepa tree with 2^{omega_1} branches in order to avoid triviality.