[bibtex key=CodyGitikHamkinsSchanker2015:LeastWeaklyCompact]

Abstract.   We prove from suitable large cardinal hypotheses that the least weakly compact cardinal can be unfoldable, weakly measurable and even nearly $\theta$-supercompact, for any desired $\theta$. In addition, we prove several global results showing how the entire class of weakly compact cardinals, a proper class, can be made to coincide with the class of unfoldable cardinals, with the class of weakly measurable cardinals or with the class of nearly $\theta_\kappa$-supercompact cardinals $\kappa$, for nearly any desired function $\kappa\mapsto\theta_\kappa$. These results answer several questions that had been open in the literature and extend to these large cardinals the identity-crises phenomenon, first identified by Magidor with the strongly compact cardinals.

In this article, we prove that the least weakly compact cardinal can exhibit any of several much stronger large cardinal properties. Namely, the least weakly compact cardinal can be unfoldable, weakly measurable and nearly $\theta$-supercompact for any desired $\theta$.

Main Theorem.  Assuming a suitable large cardinal hypothesis, the least weakly compact cardinal can be unfoldable, weakly measurable and even nearly $\theta$-supercompact, for any desired $\theta$.

Meanwhile, the least weakly compact cardinal can never exhibit these extra large cardinal properties in $L$, and indeed, the existence of a weakly measurable cardinal in the constructible universe is impossible. Furthermore, in each case the extra properties are strictly stronger than weak compactness in consistency strength.

We show in addition a more global result, that the entire class of weakly compact cardinals can be made to coincide with the class of unfoldable cardinals, with the class of weakly measurable cardinals, and with the class of nearly $\theta_\kappa$-supercompact cardinals $\kappa$, with enormous flexibility in the map $\kappa\mapsto\theta_\kappa$.

Our results therefore extend the `identity-crises’ phenomenon—first identified (and named) by Magidor—which occurs when a given large cardinal property can be made in various models to coincide either with much stronger or with much weaker large cardinal notions. Magidor had proved that the least strongly compact cardinal can be the least supercompact cardinal in one model of set theory and the least measurable cardinal in another. Here, we extend the phenomenon to weak measurability, partial near supercompactness and unfoldability. Specifically, the least weakly measurable cardinal coincides with the least measurable cardinal under the GCH, but it is the least weakly compact cardinal in our main theorem. Similarly, the least cardinal $\kappa$ that is nearly $\kappa^{+}$-supercompact is measurable with nontrivial Mitchell order under the GCH, but it is the least weakly compact cardinal here (and similar remarks apply to near $\kappa^{++}$-supercompactness and so on). The least unfoldable cardinal is strongly unfoldable in $L$, and therefore a $\Sigma_2$-reflecting limit of weakly compact cardinals there, but it is the least weakly compact cardinal in our main theorem. The global results of section 6 show just how malleable these notions are.