Implicit Definability in Arithmetic

Abstract

We consider implicit definability over the natural number system $\mathbb{N},+,\times ,=$. We present a new proof of two theorems of Leo Harrington. The first theorem says that there exist implicitly definable subsets of $\mathbb{N}$ which are not explicitly definable from each other. The second theorem says that there exists a subset of $\mathbb{N}$ which is not implicitly definable but belongs to a countable, explicitly definable set of subsets of $\mathbb{N}$. Previous proofs of these theorems have used finite- or infinite-injury priority constructions. Our new proof is easier in that it uses only a nonpriority oracle construction, adapted from the standard proof of the Friedberg jump theorem.