Non-stationary support iterations of Prikry Forcings and Restrictions of Ultrapower Embeddings to the Ground Model

Abstract

We study the nonstationary-support iteration of Prikry forcings below a measurable cardinal κ, characterizing all the normal measures it carries in the generic extension. We then analyze the restriction of ultrapower embeddings, taken with such a normal measure in the generic extension, to the ground model. We prove that every such restriction is an iterated ultrapwer of the ground model, and provide a sufficient condition for its definability there. This is done without core-model theoretic arguments: the assumption that GCH holds in the ground model up to κsuffices.