Resolvability vs. almost resolvability

A space X is κ-resolvable (resp. almost κ-resolvable) if it contains κ dense sets that are pairwise disjoint (resp. almost disjoint over the ideal of nowhere dense subsets of X).Answering a problem raised by Juhász, Soukup, and Szentmiklóssy, and improving a consistency result of Comfort and Hu, we prove, in ZFC, that for every infinite cardinal κ there is an almost κ²-resolvable but not ω₁-resolvable space of dispersion character κ.     

Thin-type dense sets and related properties

We build on Gruenhage, Natkaniec, and Piotrowski?s study of thin, very thin, and slim dense sets in products, and the related notions of (NC) and (GC) which they introduced. We find examples of separable spaces X such that X² has a thin or slim dense set but no countable one. We characterize ordered spaces that satisfy (GC) and (NC), and we give an example of a separable space which satisfies (GC) but not witnessed by a collection of finite sets. We show that the question of when the topological sum of two countable strongly irresolvable spaces satisfies (NC) is related to the Rudin-Keisler order on βω. We also introduce and study the concepts of <κ-thin and superslim dense sets.     

Solution of Shapirovskii's question

Boris Shapirovskii posed the following question: “Suppose a continuous mapping from one compact space onto another is given. Suppose that the π-character of any point in the domain is greater than the weight of the target space. Will there be two disjoint closed sets in the domain mapping onto?”. There is a zero-dimensional counterexample (Corollary 12), but the one cardinal up version is true in zero-dimensional case (Corollary 14). Nevertheless, there always will be two disjoint open sets mapping densely (Theorem 7).     

Collectionwise Hausdorff versus collectionwise normal with respect to compact sets

Collectionwise normal (CWN) and collectionwise Hausdorff (CWH) spaces have played an increasingly important role in topology since the introduction of these concepts by R.H. Bing in 1951 [3]. It has remained an open and frequently raised question as to whether CWH T₃-spaces are CWN with respect to compact sets. Recently, a counterexample requiring the existence of measurable cardinals and having little additional topological structure was constructed by W.G. Fleissner and the author. In this paper, the author gives a simple example in ZFC of a CWH, first countable, perfect T₃-space that is not CWN with respect to compact, metrizable sets, and, under Martin's Axiom, such an example that is also a Moore space. In addition, the author considers the analogous question for strongly collectionwise Hausdorff (SCWH) T₃-spaces and characterizes the existence of SCWH T₃-spaces that are not CWN with respect to compact sets in set-theoretic and box product formulations. The constructions utilized throughout the paper are of a general nature and several apparently new set-theoretic techniques for interchanging ‘points’ and ‘sets’ are introduced.     

Nagata's conjecture and countably compact hulls in generic extensions

Nagata conjectured that every M-space is homeomorphic to a closed subspace of the product of a countably compact space and a metric space. Although this conjecture was refuted by Burke and van Douwen, and A. Kato, independently, but we can show that there is a c.c.c. poset P of size ω² such that in VP Nagata's conjecture holds for each first countable regular space from the ground model (i.e. if a first countable regular space X∈V is an M-space in VP then it is homeomorphic to a closed subspace of the product of a countably compact space and a metric space in VP). By a result of Morita, it is enough to show that every first countable regular space from the ground model has a first countable countably compact extension in VP. As a corollary, we also obtain that every first countable regular space from the ground model has a maximal first countable extension in model VP.     

On a question of Maarten Maurice

In this note we give ZFC results that reduce the question of Maarten Maurice about the existence of σ-closed-discrete dense subsets of perfect generalized ordered spaces to the study of very special Baire spaces, and we discuss the current status of the question for spaces with small density. Work of Shelah, Todor?evic, Qiao, and Tall shows that Maurice's problem is undecidable for generalized ordered spaces of local density ω₁.     

Set-theoretic constructions of nonshrinking open covers

A family {M_α|α?A} is a shrinking of a cover {O_α|α?A} of a topological space if {M_α|α?A} also covers and M_α?O_α for all α?A.?⁺⁺ implies that there is a normal space such that every increasing open cover of it has a clopen shrinking but there is an open cover having no closed shrinking.? implies that there is a P-space (i.e. a space having a normal product with every metric space), which has an increasing open cover having no closed shrinking. This space is used in [17] to show that any space which has a normal product with every P-space is metrizable.     

Fodor-type Reflection Principle and reflection of metrizability and meta-Lindelöfness

We introduce a new reflection principle which we call “Fodor-type Reflection Principle” (FRP). This principle follows from but is strictly weaker than Fleissner's Axiom R. For instance, FRP does not impose any restriction on the size of the continuum, while Axiom R implies that the continuum has size ?ℵ₂.We show that FRP implies that every locally separable countably tight topological space X is meta-Lindelöf if all of its subspaces of cardinality ?ℵ₁ are (Theorem 4.3). It follows that, under FRP, every locally (countably) compact space is metrizable if all of its subspaces of cardinality ?ℵ₁ are (Corollary 4.4). This improves a result of Balogh who proved the same assertion under Axiom R.We also give several other results in this vein, some in ZFC, others in some further extension of ZFC. For example, we prove in ZFC that if X is a locally (countably) compact space of singular cardinality in which every subspace of smaller size is metrizable then X itself is also metrizable (Corollary 5.2).     

Free Boolean algebras over unions of two well orderings

Given a partially ordered set P there exists the most general Boolean algebra which contains P as a generating set, called the free Boolean algebra over P. We study free Boolean algebras over posets of the form P=P₀∪P₁, where P₀, P₁ are well orderings. We call them nearly ordinal algebras.Answering a question of Maurice Pouzet, we show that for every uncountable cardinal κ there are κ² pairwise non-isomorphic nearly ordinal algebras of cardinality κ.Topologically, free Boolean algebras over posets correspond to compact 0-dimensional distributive lattices. In this context, we classify all closed sublattices of the product (ω₁+1)×(ω₁+1), showing that there are only ℵ₁ many types. In contrast with the last result, we show that there are ℵ₁² topological types of closed subsets of the Tikhonov plank (ω₁+1)×(ω+1).     

Resolvability properties via independent families

The authors give a consistent affirmative response to a question of Juhász, Soukup and Szentmiklóssy: If GCH fails, there are (many) extraresolvable, not maximally resolvable Tychonoff spaces. They show also in ZFC that for ω<λ?κ, no maximal λ-independent family of λ-partitions of κ is ω-resolvable. In topological language, that theorem translates to this: A dense, ω-resolvable subset of a space of the form (DI(λ)) is λ-resolvable.     

On a core concept of Arhangel'ski?

Arhangel'ski? [A.V. Arhangel'ski?, Locally compact spaces of countable core and Alexandroff compactification, Topology Appl. 154 (2007) 625-634] has introduced a weakening of σ-compactness: having a countable core, for locally compact spaces, and asked when it is equivalent to σ-compactness. We settle several problems related to that paper.     

Tychonoff expansions with prescribed resolvability properties

The recent literature offers examples, specific and hand-crafted, of Tychonoff spaces (in ZFC) which respond negatively to these questions, due respectively to Ceder and Pearson (1967) [3] and to Comfort and García-Ferreira (2001) [5]: (1) Is every ω-resolvable space maximally resolvable? (2) Is every maximally resolvable space extraresolvable? Now using the method of KID expansion, the authors show that every suitably restricted Tychonoff topological space (X,T) admits a larger Tychonoff topology (that is, an “expansion”) witnessing such failure. Specifically the authors show in ZFC that if (X,T) is a maximally resolvable Tychonoff space with S(X,T)?Δ(X,T)=κ, then (X,T) has Tychonoff expansions U=Ui (1?i?5), with Δ(X,Ui)=Δ(X,T) and S(X,Ui)?Δ(X,Ui), such that (X,Ui) is: (i=1) ω-resolvable but not maximally resolvable; (i=2) [if κ^′ is regular, with S(X,T)?κ^′?κ] τ-resolvable for all τ<κ^′, but not κ^′-resolvable; (i=3) maximally resolvable, but not extraresolvable; (i=4) extraresolvable, but not maximally resolvable; (i=5) maximally resolvable and extraresolvable, but not strongly extraresolvable.     

Amorphe Potenzen kompakter Räume

A set is amorphous, if it is not a union of two disjoint infinite subsets. The following variants of the Tychonoff product theorem are investigated in the hierarchy of weak choice principles. TA1: An amorphous power of a compactT ₂ space is compact. TA2: An amorphous power of a compactT ₂ space which as a set is wellorderable is compact. In ZF⁰TA1 is equivalent to the assertion, that amorphous sets are finite. RT is Ramsey's theorem, that every finite colouring of the set ofn-element subsets of an infinite set has an infinite homogeneous subset and PW is Rubin's axiom, that the power set of an ordinal is wellorderable. In ZF⁰RT+PW implies TA2. Since RT+PW is compatible with the existence of infinite amorphous sets, TA2 does not imply TA1 in ZF⁰. But TA2 cannot be proved in ZF⁰ alone. As an application, we prove a theorem of Stone, using a weak wellordering axiomD ₃ (a set is wellorderable, if each of its infinite subsets is structured) together with RT.

Diese Arbeit ist Teil der Habilitationsschrift des Verfassers im Fachgebiet Mathematische Analysis an der Technischen Universität Wien.     

On topological spaces of singular density and minimal weight

We introduce a weakening of the generalized continuum hypothesis, which we will refer to as the prevalent singular cardinals hypothesis, and show it implies that every topological space of density and weight ℵω₁ is not hereditarily Lindelöf.The assumption PSH is very weak, and in fact holds in all currently known models of ZFC.     

On nonmeasurable unions

For a Polish space X and a σ-ideal I of subsets of X which has a Borel base we consider families A of sets in I with the union ?A not in I. We determine several conditions on A which imply the existence of a subfamily A^′ of A whose union ?A^′ is not in the σ-field generated by the Borel sets on X and I. Main examples are X=R and I being the ideal of sets of Lebesgue measure zero or the ideal of sets of the first Baire category.     

A Fubini theorem

Let I₀ be the σ-ideal of subsets of a Polish group generated by Borel sets which have perfectly many pairwise disjoint translates. We prove that a Fubini-type theorem holds between I₀ and the σ-ideals of Haar measure zero sets and of meager sets. We use this result to give a simple proof of a generalization of a theorem of Balcerzak-Ros?anowski-Shelah stating that I₀ on N² strongly violates the countable chain condition.     

On box products

We prove two theorems about box products. The first theorem says that the box product of countable spaces is pseudonormal, i.e. any two disjoint closed sets one of which is countable can be separated by open sets. The second theorem says that assuming CH a certain uncountable box product is normal (i.e. <_ω1?□_α<ω1X_α where each Xα is a compact metric space).     

QN-spaces, wQN-spaces and covering properties

The main results of the paper are as follows: covering characterizations of wQN-spaces, covering characterizations of QN-spaces and a theorem saying that Cp(X) has the Arkhangel'ski?ˇ property (α₁) provided that X is a QN-space. The latter statement solves a problem posed by M. Scheepers [M. Scheepers, Cp(X) and Arhangel'ski?ˇ's αi-spaces, Topology Appl. 89 (1998) 265-275] and for Tychonoff spaces was independently proved by M. Sakai [M. Sakai, The sequence selection properties of Cp(X), Preprint, April 25, 2006]. As the most interesting result we consider the equivalence that a normal topological space X is a wQN-space if and only if X has the property S₁(Γshr,Γ). Moreover we show that X is a QN-space if and only if Cp(X) has the property (α₀), and for perfectly normal spaces, if and only if X has the covering property (β₃).     

HFD groups in the Solovay model

Hajnal and Juhász proved that under CH there is a hereditarily separable, hereditarily normal topological group without non-trivial convergent sequences that is countably compact and not Lindelöf. The example constructed is a topological subgroup H⊆ω₁² that is an HFD with the following property

(P)

the projection of H onto every partial product I² for I∈ω[ω₁] is onto.

Any such group has the necessary properties. We prove that if κ is a cardinal of uncountable cofinality, then in the model obtained by forcing over a model of CH with the measure algebra on κ², there is an HFD topological group in ω₁² which has property (P).