On the cardinality of Hausdorff spaces and H-closed spaces (Q1646564)

For Hausdorff \(X\) and open \(U\subset X\) let \(0U=\{\mathcal U\mid \mathcal U \text{ is a convergent open ultrafilter containing } U\}\) and recall the Iliadis absolute \(EX\), the set of convergent open ultrafilters on \(X\) topologised with the basis \(\{0U\mid U \text{ is open}\}\). \(k:EX\to X\) assigns to each filter its limit. For any \(b:X\to EX\) such that \(kb=id_X\), \(X_b=b(X)\) is a section of \(EX\). Recall also that for \(A\subset X\), \(aL(A,X)\) is the least cardinal \(\kappa\) for which each open cover \(\mathcal V\) of \(A\) in \(X\) there is \(\mathcal W\subset\mathcal V\) of cardinality at most \(\kappa\) so that \(A\subset\bigcup_{W\in\mathcal W}\overline{W}\). The cardinal \(aL'(X)\) is the minimum of the cardinalities \(aL^b(X)=\sup\{aL(C,X)\mid C \text{ is } c_b\text{-closed}\}+\aleph_0\) as \(X_b\) ranges through sections of \(EX\). Many properties of \(aL'\) are derived. For example if \(X\) is \(T_2\) then \(|X|\leq2^{aL'(X)\hat{t}(X)\psi_c(X)}\). Generalisations of H-closed spaces are also considered.