MATHIAS FORCING AND COMBINATORIAL COVERING PROPERTIES OF FILTERS

We give topological characterizations of filters${\cal F}$onωsuch that the Mathias forcing${M_{\cal F}}$adds no dominating reals or preserves ground model unbounded families. This allows us to answer some questions of Brendle, Guzmán, Hrušák, Martínez, Minami, and Tsaban.

A model in which the base-matrix tree cannot have cofinal branches

A model of ZFC is constructed in which the distributivity cardinal h is , and in which there are no ω2-towers in [ω]ω. As an immediate corollary, it follows that any base-matrix tree in this model has no cofinal branches. The model is constructed via a form of iterated Mathias forcing, in which a mixture of finite and countable supports is used.