The topological fundamental group and free topological groups (Q633026): Difference between revisions

The topological fundamental group \(\pi_1^{top}(X,x)\) of a pointed space \((X,x)\) is the fundamental group \(\pi_1(X,x)\) endowed with the topology arising from the quotient topology of the loop space. In [\textit{P. Fabel}, ``Multiplication is discontinuous in the Hawaiian earring group (with the quotient topology)'', \url{arXiv:0909.3086v2}], it was shown that the Hawaiian earing group \(\pi_1^{top}(\mathbb{H}\mathbb{E})\) fails to be a topological group. In this paper, for an arbitrary space \(X\), the topological fundamental group of the suspension space \(\Sigma(X_+)\) is computed and it is found that \(\pi^{top}_1(\sum(X_+))\) either fails to be a topological group or is the free topological group on the path component space of \(X\). Using this computation some counterexamples such that topological fundamental groups are not topological groups are given.