Inverse systems and I-favorable spaces

We show that a compact space is I-favorable if, and only if it can be represented as the limit of a σ-complete inverse system of compact metrizable spaces with skeletal bonding maps. We also show that any completely regular I-favorable space can be embedded as a dense subset of the limit of a σ-complete inverse system of separable metrizable spaces with skeletal bonding maps.     

Game approach to universally Kuratowski-Ulam spaces

We consider a version of the open-open game, indicating its connections with universally Kuratowski-Ulam spaces. From [P. Daniels, K. Kunen, H. Zhou, On the open-open game, Fund. Math. 145 (3) (1994) 205-220] and [D. Fremlin, T. Natkaniec, I. Rec?aw, Universally Kuratowski-Ulam spaces, Fund. Math. 165 (3) (2000) 239-247] topological arguments are extracted to show that: Every I-favorable space is universally Kuratowski-Ulam, Theorem 8; If a compact space Y is I-favorable, then the hyperspaceexp(Y)with the Vietoris topology is I-favorable, and hence universally Kuratowski-Ulam, Theorems 6 and 9. Notions of uK-U and uK-U^∗ spaces are compared.     

Generalized Alexandroff-Urysohn squares and a characterization of the fixed point property

Given a Hausdorff continuum X, we introduce a topology on X×X that yields a Hausdorff continuum. We call the resulting space the Alexandroff-Urysohn square of X and prove that X has the fixed point property if and only if the Alexandroff-Urysohn square of X has the fixed point property.     

Local compactness and Hewitt realcompactifications of products II

We generalize and refine results from the author's paper [18]. For a completely regular Hausdorff space X, υX denotes the Hewitt realcompactification of X. It is proved that if υ(X×Y)=υX×υY for any metacompact subparacompact (or m-paracompact) space Y, then X is locally compact. A P(n)-space is a space in which every intersection of less than n open sets is open. A characterization of those spaces X such that υ (X×Y = υX×υY for any (metacompact) P(n)-space Y is also obtained.     

Complex function algebras and removable spaces

The compact Hausdorff space X has the Complex Stone-Weierstrass Property (CSWP) iff it satisfies the complex version of the Stone-Weierstrass Theorem. W. Rudin showed that all scattered spaces have the CSWP. We describe some techniques for proving that certain non-scattered spaces have the CSWP. In particular, if X is the product of a compact ordered space and a compact scattered space, then X has the CSWP if and only if X does not contain a copy of the Cantor set.     

A net and open-filter process of compactification and the Stone-?ech, Wallman compactifications

By a characterization of compact spaces in Section 1, a process of obtaining a compactification (X^∗,k) of an arbitrary topological space X is described in Section 2 by a combined approach of nets and open filters. The Wallman compactification can be embedded in X^∗ if X is Hausdorff and by a little modification, the compactification of X is the Stone-?ech compactification of X if X is Tychonoff.     

The Cartesian product of a compactum and a space is a bifunctor in shape

In 2003 the author has associated with every cofinite inverse system of compact Hausdorff spaces X with limit X and every simplicial complex K (possibly infinite) with geometric realization P=|K| a resolution R(X,K) of X×P, which consists of paracompact spaces. If X consists of compact polyhedra, then R(X,K) consists of spaces having the homotopy type of polyhedra. In two subsequent papers the author proved that R(X,K) is a covariant functor in each of its variables X and K. In the present paper it is proved that R(X,K) is a bifunctor. Using this result, it is proved that the Cartesian product X×Z of a compact Hausdorff space X and a topological space Z is a bifunctor SSh(Cpt)×Sh(Top)→Sh(Top) from the product category of the strong shape category of compact Hausdorff spaces SSh(Cpt) and the shape category Sh(Top) of topological spaces to the category Sh(Top). This holds in spite of the fact that X×Z need not be a direct product in Sh(Top).     

More on remainders close to metrizable spaces

This article is a natural continuation of [A.V. Arhangel'skii, Remainders in compactifications and generalized metrizability properties, Topology Appl. 150 (2005) 79-90]. As in [A.V. Arhangel'skii, Remainders in compactifications and generalized metrizability properties, Topology Appl. 150 (2005) 79-90], we consider the following general question: when does a Tychonoff space X have a Hausdorff compactification with a remainder belonging to a given class of spaces? A famous classical result in this direction is the well known theorem of M. Henriksen and J. Isbell [M. Henriksen, J.R. Isbell, Some properties of compactifications, Duke Math. J. 25 (1958) 83-106].It is shown that if a non-locally compact topological group G has a compactification bG such that the remainder Y=bG?G has a Gδ-diagonal, then both G and Y are separable and metrizable spaces (Theorem 5). Several corollaries are derived from this result, in particular, this one: If a compact Hausdorff space X is first countable at least at one point, and X can be represented as the union of two complementary dense subspaces Y and Z, each of which is homeomorphic to a topological group (not necessarily the same), then X is separable and metrizable (Theorem 12). It is observed that Theorem 5 does not extend to arbitrary paratopological groups. We also establish that if a topological group G has a remainder with a point-countable base, then either G is locally compact, or G is separable and metrizable.     

Ordered spaces, metric preimages, and function algebras

We consider the Complex Stone-Weierstrass Property (CSWP), which is the complex version of the Stone-Weierstrass Theorem. If X is a compact subspace of a product of three linearly ordered spaces, then X has the CSWP if and only if X has no subspace homeomorphic to the Cantor set. In addition, every finite power of the double arrow space has the CSWP. These results are proved using some results about those compact Hausdorff spaces which have scattered-to-one maps onto compact metric spaces.     

Domain representability of certain function spaces

Let Cp(X) be the space of all continuous real-valued functions on a space X, with the topology of pointwise convergence. In this paper we show that Cp(X) is not domain representable unless X is discrete for a class of spaces that includes all pseudo-radial spaces and all generalized ordered spaces. This is a first step toward our conjecture that if X is completely regular, then Cp(X) is domain representable if and only if X is discrete. In addition, we show that if X is completely regular and pseudonormal, then in the function space Cp(X), Oxtoby's pseudocompleteness, strong Choquet completeness, and weak Choquet completeness are all equivalent to the statement “every countable subset of X is closed”.     

Locally compact spaces of countable core and Alexandroff compactification

We introduce a new cardinal invariant, core of a space, defined for any locally compact Hausdorff space X and denoted by cor(X). Locally compact spaces of countable core generalize locally compact σ-compact spaces in a way that is slightly exotic, but still quite natural. We show in Section 1 that under a broad range of conditions locally compact spaces of countable core must be σ-compact. In particular, normal locally compact spaces of countable core and realcompact locally compact spaces of countable core are σ-compact. Perfect mappings preserve the class of spaces of countable core in both directions (Section 2). The Alexandroff compactification aX is weakly first countable at the Alexandroff point a if and only if cor(X)=ω (Section 3). Two examples of non-σ-compact locally compact spaces of countable core are discussed in Section 3. We also extend the well-known theorem of Alexandroff and Urysohn on the cardinality of perfectly normal compacta to compacta satisfying a weak version of perfect normality. Several open problems are formulated.     

Local connectedness and extension of uniformly continuous functions

A metric space X is straight if for each finite cover of X by closed sets, and for each real valued function f on X, if f is uniformly continuous on each set of the cover, then f is uniformly continuous on the whole of X. The straight spaces have been studied in [A. Berarducci, D. Dikranjan, J. Pelant, An additivity theorem for uniformly continuous functions, Topology and its Applications 146-147 (2005) 339-352], which contains characterization of the straight spaces within the class of the locally connected spaces (they are the uniformly locally connected ones) and the class of the totally disconnected spaces (they coincide with the totally disconnected Atsuji spaces). We show that the completion of a straight space is straight and we characterize the dense straight subspaces of a straight space. In order to clarify further the relation between straightness and the level of local connectedness of the space we introduce two more intermediate properties between straightness and uniform local connectedness and we give various examples to distinguish them. One of these properties coincides with straightness for complete spaces and provides in this way a useful characterization of complete straight spaces in terms of the behaviour of the quasi-components of the space.     

On the existence of continuous (approximate) roots of algebraic equations

The present paper considers the existence of continuous roots of algebraic equations with coefficients being continuous functions defined on compact Hausdorff spaces. For a compact Hausdorff space X, C(X) denotes the Banach algebra of all continuous complex-valued functions on X with the sup norm ∥⋅_∥∞. The algebra C(X) is said to be algebraically closed if each monic algebraic equation with C(X) coefficients has a root in C(X). First we study a topological characterization of a first-countable compact (connected) Hausdorff space X such that C(X) is algebraically closed. The result has been obtained by Countryman Jr, Hatori-Miura and Miura-Niijima and we provide a simple proof for metrizable spaces.Also we consider continuous approximate roots of the equation zn−f=0 with respect to z, where f∈C(X), and provide a topological characterization of compact Hausdorff space X with dimX?1 such that the above equation has an approximate root in C(X) for each f∈C(X), in terms of the first ?ech cohomology of X.     

Hereditary normality-type properties of hyperspaces

Let X be a Hausdorff topological space and exp(X) be the space of all (nonempty) closed subsets of a space X with the Vietoris topology. We consider hereditary normality-type properties of exp(X). In particular, we prove that if exp(X) is hereditarily D-normal, then X is a metrizable compact space.     

Separation properties in algebraic categories of topological spaces

Full subcategories C ? Top of the category of topological spaces, which are algebraic over Set in the sense of Herrlich [2], have pleasant separation properties, mostly subject to additional closedness assumptions. For instance, every C-object is a T₁-space, if the two-element discrete space belongs to C. Moreover, if C is closed under the formation of finite powers in Top and even varietal [2], then every C-object is Hausdorff. Hence, the T₂-axiom turns out to be (nearly) superfluous in Herrlich's and Strecker's characterization of the category of compact Hausdorff spaces [1], although it is essential for the proof.If we think of C-objects X as universal algebras (with possibly infinite operations), then the subalgebras of X form the closed sets of a compact topology on X, provided that the ordinal spaces [0, β] belong to C. This generalizes a result in [3]. The subalgebra topology is used to prove criterions for the Hausdorffness of every space in C, if C is only algebraic.     

On open ultrafilters and maximal points

In this work we expand upon the theory of open ultrafilters in the setting of regular spaces. In [E. van Douwen, Remote points, Dissertationes Math. (Rozprawy Mat.) 188 (1981) 1-45], van Douwen showed that if X is a non-feebly compact Tychonoff space with a countable π-base, then βX has a remote point. We develop a related result for the class of regular spaces which shows that in a non-feebly compact regular space X with a countable π-base, there exists a free open ultrafilter on X that is also a regular filter.Of central importance is a result of Mooney [D.D. Mooney, H-bounded sets, Topology Proc. 18 (1993) 195-207] that characterizes open ultrafilters as open filters that are saturated and disjoint-prime. Smirnov [J.M. Smirnov, Some relations on the theory of dimensions, Mat. Sb. 29 (1951) 157-172] showed that maximal completely regular filters are disjoint prime, from which it was concluded that βX is a perfect extension for a Tychonoff space X. We extend this result, and other results of Skljarenko [E.G. Skljarenko, Some questions in the theory of bicompactifications, Amer. Math. Soc. Transl. Ser. 2 58 (1966) 216-266], by showing that a maximal regular filter on any Hausdorff space is disjoint prime.Open ultrafilters are integral to the study of maximal points and lower topologies in the partial order of Hausdorff topologies on a fixed set. We show that a maximal point in a Hausdorff space cannot have a neighborhood base of feebly compact neighborhoods. One corollary is that no locally countably compact Hausdorff topology is a lower topology, which was shown previously under the additional assumption of countable tightness by Alas and Wilson [O. Alas, R. Wilson, Which topologies can have immediate successors in the lattice of T₁-topologies? Appl. Gen. Topol. 5 (2004) 231-242]. Another is that a maximal point in a feebly compact space is not a regular point. This generalizes results of both Carlson [N. Carlson, Lower upper topologies in the Hausdorff partial order on a fixed set, Topology Appl. 154 (2007) 619-624] and Costantini [C. Costantini, On some questions about posets of topologies on a fixed set, Topology Proc. 32 (2008) 187-225].     

Essential extensions of Hausdorff spaces

In the category Haus of Hausdorff spaces the only injectives are the one-point spaces. Even though every Hausdorff spaceX has a maximal essential extension,X fails to have an injective hull, providedX has more than one point. A non-empty Hausdorff space has a proper essential extension if and only ifX is locally H-closed but not H-closed. In this case,X has (up to isomorphism) precisely one proper essential extension: the Obreanu-Porter extension (being simultaneously its maximal essential extension and its minimal H-closed extension). Completely parallel results hold for the categories SReg, Reg, and Tych of semi-regular, regular, and completely regular spaces respectively. In particular, the Alexandroff compactifications of locally compact, non-compact Hausdorff spaces are characterized categorically as the proper essential extensions of non-empty spaces in Tych (resp. Reg).Dedicated to my friend Nico Pumplün on his sixtieth birthday     

A classification of CO spaces which are continuous images of compact ordered spaces

A topological space X is called a CO space, if every closed subset of X is homeomorphic to some clopen subset of X. Every ordinal with its order topology is a CO space. This work gives a complete classification of CO spaces which are continuous images of compact ordered spaces.     

Characterizations of intervals via continuous selections

We prove that: (i) a pathwise connected, Hausdorff space which has a continuous selection is homeomorphic to one of the following four spaces: singleton, [0,1), [0,1] or the long lineL, (ii) a locally connected (Hausdorff) space which has a continuous selection must be orderable, and (iii) an infinite connected, Hausdorff space has exactly two continuous selections if and only if it is compact and orderable. We use these results to give various characterizations of intervals via continuous selections. For instance, (iv) a topological spaceX is homeomorphic to [0,1] if (and only if)X is infinite, separable, connected, Hausdorff space and has exactly two continuous selections, and (v) a topological spaceX is homeomorphic to [0,1) if (and only if) one of the following equivalent conditions holds: (a)X is infinite, Hausdorff, separable, pathwise connected and has exactly one continuous selection; (b)X is infinite, separable, locally connected and has exactly one continuous selection; (c)X is infinite, metric, locally connected and has exactly one continuous selection. Three examples are exhibited which demonstrate the necessity of various assumptions in our results.