Non-branching degrees in the Medvedev lattice of Π⁰₁ classes

Abstract

A $\Sigma^0_1$ class is the set of paths through a computable tree. Given classes $P$ and $Q$, $P$ is Medvedev reducible to $Q, P \leq_{M} Q$, if there is a computably continuous functional mapping $Q$ into $P$. We look at the lattice formed by $\Sigma^0_1$ subclasses of $2^\omega$ under this reduction. It is known that the degree of a splitting class of c.e. sets is non-branching. We further characterize non-branching degrees, providing two additional properties which guarantee non-branching: inseparable and hyperinseparable. Our main result is to show that non-branching iff inseparable if hyperinseparable if homogeneous and that all unstated implications do not hold. We also show that inseparable and not hyperinseparable degrees are downward dense.