On the epireflective hull of top in near (Q2508929)

To characterize internally the nearness spaces belonging to the epireflective hull \(\text{EH}({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p})\) of \({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p}\) in \({\mathbf N}{\mathbf e}{\mathbf a}{\mathbf r}\) is a problem which is now open for more than 30 years. In [Categorical topology, Proc. int. Conf., Berlin 1978, Lect. Notes Math. 719, 122--136 (1979; Zbl 0423.54015)], \textit{N. C. Heldermann} has shown that the category \({\mathbf C}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf n}\) of concentrated nearness spaces is an epireflective subcategory of \({\mathbf N}{\mathbf e}{\mathbf a}{\mathbf r}\) such that \({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p}\subset{\mathbf C}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf n}\subset\text{EH}({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p})\). This is still the best approximation of \(\text{EH}({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p})\) from below. In the present paper the authors introduce an approximation of \(\text{EH}({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p})\) from above as follows. Two sequences \((x_n)_{n<\omega}\) and \((y_n)_{n<\omega}\) in a nearness space \((X,\mu)\) are said to be adjacent if for each \({\mathcal U}\in\mu\) there exists an \(n_0<\omega\) such that for each \(n\geq n_0\) there is a \(U\in{\mathcal U}\) such that \(\{x_n, y_n\}\subset U\). They are said to be attached if for each \({\mathcal U}\in\mu\) there exists a \(U\in{\mathcal U}\) such that \(\{n< \omega\mid \{x_n,y_n\}\subset U\}\) is infinite. A nearness space \((X,\mu)\) is called glutinous if whenever \((x_n)_{n< \omega}\) and \((y_n)_{n<\omega}\) are adjacent sequences in \((X,\mu)\) with \((x_n)_{n<\omega}\) Cauchy then \((x_n)_{n<\omega}\) and \((y_n)_{n<\omega}\) are attached. It is shown that the category \({\mathbf G}{\mathbf l}{\mathbf u}\) of glutinous nearness spaces is an epireflective subcategory of \({\mathbf N}{\mathbf e}{\mathbf a}{\mathbf r}\) which contains \(\text{EH}({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p})\). So far it is the best approximation of \(\text{EH}({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p})\) from above. However, since \({\mathbf C}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf n}\subsetneq \text{EH}({\mathbf T}{\mathbf o}{\mathbf p})\subsetneq{\mathbf G}{\mathbf l}{\mathbf u}\), the main problem remains open.