We show that assuming modest large cardinals, there is a definable class of ordinals, closed and unbounded beneath every uncountable cardinal, so that for any closed and unbounded subclasses $P, Q, {\langle L[P],\in ,P \rangle }$ and ${\langle L[Q],\in ,Q \rangle }$ possess the same reals, satisfy the Generalised Continuum Hypothesis, and moreover are elementarily equivalent. Examples of such P are Card, the class of uncountable cardinals, I the uniform indiscernibles, or for any n the class $C^{n}{=_{{\operatorname {df}}}}\{ \lambda \, | \, V_{\lambda } \prec _{{\Sigma }_{n}}V\}$; moreover the theory of such models is invariant under ZFC-preserving extensions. They also all have a rich structure satisfying many of the usual combinatorial principles and a definable wellorder of the reals. The inner model constructed using definability in the language augmented by the Härtig quantifier is thus also characterized.

We define a weak iterability notion that is sufficient for a number of arguments concerning $\Sigma _{1}$-definability at uncountable regular cardinals. In particular we give its exact consistency strength first in terms of the second uniform indiscernible for bounded subsets of $\kappa $: $u_2(\kappa )$, and secondly to give the consistency strength of a property of Lücke’s.

Theorem The following are equiconsistent:

1. (i) There exists $\kappa $ which is stably measurable;

2. (ii) for some cardinal$\kappa $, $u_2(\kappa )=\sigma (\kappa )$;

3. (iii) The $\boldsymbol {\Sigma }_{1}$-club property holds at a cardinal$\kappa $.

Here $\sigma (\kappa )$ is the height of the smallest $M \prec _{\Sigma _{1}} H ( \kappa ^{+} )$ containing $\kappa +1$ and all of $H ( \kappa )$. Let $\Phi (\kappa )$ be the assertion:

Theorem Assume $\kappa $ is stably measurable. Then $\Phi (\kappa )$.

And a form of converse:

Theorem Suppose there is no sharp for an inner model with a strong cardinal. Then in the core model K we have: $\mbox {``}\exists \kappa \Phi (\kappa ) \mbox {''}$ is (set)-generically absolute${\,\longleftrightarrow \,}$ There are arbitrarily large stably measurable cardinals.

When $u_2(\kappa ) < \sigma (\kappa )$ we give some results on inner model reflection.

A correction is needed to our paper: to the definition contained within the statement of Lemma 1.5 and thus arguments around it in §3.

The use of Extended Logics to replace ordinary second order definability in Kleene’s Ramified Analytical Hierarchy is investigated. This mirrors a similar investigation of Kennedy, Magidor and Väänänen [11] where Gödel’s universe L of constructible sets is subjected to similar variance. Enhancing second order definability allows models to be defined which may or may not coincide with the original Kleene hierarchy in domain. Extending the logic with game quantifiers, and assuming strong axioms of infinity, we obtain minimal correct models of analysis. A wide spectrum of models can be so generated from abstract definability notions: one may take an abstract Spector Class and extract an extended logic for it. The resultant structure is then a minimal model of the given kind of definability.

We prove that a form of the Erdӧs property (consistent with V = L[Hω2] and strictly weaker than the Weak Chang's Conjecture at ω1), together with Bounded Martin's Maximum implies that Woodin's principle ψAC holds, and therefore . We also prove that ψAC implies that every function f: ω1 → ω1 is bounded by some canonical function on a club and use this to produce a model of the Bounded Semiproper Forcing Axiom in which Bounded Martin's Maximum fails.