Kenneth Kunen

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Herbert Kenneth Kunen (born August 2, 1943) is an emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison^[1] who works in set theory and its applications to various areas of mathematics, such as set-theoretic topology and measure theory. He also works on non-associative algebraic systems, such as loops, and uses computer software, such as the Otter theorem prover, to derive theorems in these areas.

Kunen showed that if there exists a nontrivial elementary embedding j:L→L of the constructible universe, then 0^# holds. He proved the consistency of a normal, -saturated ideal on from the consistency of the existence of a huge cardinal. He introduced the method of iterated ultrapowers, with which he proved that if κ is a measurable cardinal with 2^κ > κ ⁺ or κ is a strongly compact cardinal then there is an inner model of set theory with κ many measurable cardinals. He proved the impossibility of a nontrivial elementary embedding , which had been considered as the ultimate large cardinal assumption (a Reinhardt cardinal).

Kunen received his Ph.D. in 1968 from Stanford University^[2], where he was supervised by Dana Scott.

[edit] Selected publications

• Set Theory: An Introduction to Independence Proofs. North-Holland, 1980. ISBN 0-444-85401-0.
• (co-edited with Jerry E. Vaughan). Handbook of Set-Theoretic Topology. North-Holland, 1984. ISBN 0-444-86580-2.

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.math.wisc.edu/~apache/emeriti.html
2. ^ Kenneth Kunen at the Mathematics Genealogy Project

[edit] External links

• Kunen's home page