Indestructibility, instances of strong compactness, and level by level inequivalence

Suppose λ > κ is measurable. We show that if κ is either indestructibly supercompact or indestructibly strong, then A = {δ < κ | δ is measurable, yet δ is neither δ+ strongly compact nor a limit of measurable cardinals} must be unbounded in κ. The large cardinal hypothesis on λ is necessary, as we further demonstrate by constructing via forcing two models in which A = ∅. The first of these contains a supercompact cardinal κ and is such that no cardinal δ > κ is measurable, κ’s supercompactness is indestructible under κ-directed closed, (κ+,∞)distributive forcing, and every measurable cardinal δ < κ is δ+ strongly compact. The second of these contains a strong cardinal κ and is such that no cardinal δ > κ is measurable, κ’s strongness is indestructible under <κ-strategically closed, (κ+,∞)-distributive forcing, and level by level inequivalence between strong compactness and supercompactness holds. The model from the first of our forcing constructions is used to show that it is consistent, relative to a supercompact cardinal, for the least cardinal κ which is both strong and has its strongness indestructible under κ-directed closed, (κ+,∞)-distributive forcing to be the same as the least supercompact cardinal, which has its supercompactness indestructible under ∗2010 Mathematics Subject Classifications: 03E35, 03E55. †