Topological properties of spaces of continuous functions (Q1210742)

Suppose that X is a completely regular Hausdorff space and R is a topological space with a non-trivial path. The authors give a comprehensive account of the space C(X,R) of continuous mappings from X into R, especially with the set-open and uniform topologies. Each chapter includes a number of exercises and problems, of which many are results taken directly from the literature. In Chapter One the set-open topologies are presented in a fairly general setting; they include the weak topology \(C_ p(X,R)\) of pointwise convergence and the compact-open or k-topology \(C_ k(X,R)\). Some topological properties of C(X,R) are deduced from those of X and R, and a fairly general setting for the uniform topology is then presented. Chapter Two studies various natural functions such as the injection of R into C(X,R), X into \(R^{C(X,R)}\), and mappings from C(Y,R) to C(X,R) induced by mappings from X to Y, among others. As an application of the evaluation mapping from \(X\times C(X,R)\) to R, they show that C(X,Y) is homeomorphic to C(X,C(Y,R)) in the k-topology provided that \(X\times Y\) is a k-space. Direct and inverse limits are presented as exercises. Chapter Three studies uniform convergence and Ascoli's theorem in a fairly general setting. Chapter Four studies cardinal functions such as weight, density, character, tightness, as well as the way in which they relate X to C(X,R) when R is the real number system. Chapter Five presents various characterizations of complete metrizability and Baire spaces and shows, among other things, that if X is locally compact and paracompact, then \(C_ k(X,R)\) is a Baire space. These results are then applied to extensions of embeddings from a closed subset of a hemicompact metric space into an infinite dimensional Banach space, and a proof is given of Grothendieck's theorem to the effect that every countably compact subset of \(C_ p(X,R)\) is compact in case X is compact and R is metrizable. A few minor misprints were noted. The book ends with a useful set of historical notes on the results of earlier chapters. The authors have provided us with a valuable work of reference for the current literature in this field, and their book is to be highly recommended.