Transversal group topologies on non-Abelian groups (Q2433695)

Two topologies on a space \(X\) are called transversal if their union generates the discrete topology on \(X\) [see \textit{M. G. Tkačenko}, \textit{V. V. Tkachuk}, \textit{R. G. Wilson} and \textit{I. V. Yaschenko}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 128, 287--297 (2000; Zbl 0932.54035)]. The authors continue their study of transversal group topologies that they began in an earlier paper and obtain several interesting results. For example, the linear matrix groups \(GL_n(\mathbb R)\) and \(GL_n(\mathbb C)\) admit transversal topologies, but \(SL_n(\mathbb R)\) and \(SL_n(\mathbb C)\) do not admit such topologies. If a locally compact group admits a transversal topology, then it is neither connected nor separable. A locally compact connected group admits a transversal group topology if and only if its center is either transversable or discrete; in particular, a connected Lie group admits a transversal topology if and only if its center is not compact. There is a set \(X\) admitting transversal Tychonoff topologies \(\tau_1\) and \(\tau_2\), such that the free group topologies of \(F(X,\tau_1)\) and \(F(X,\tau_2)\) are not transversal. Four open questions are posed.