On regular \(\kappa\)-bounded spaces admitting only constant continuous mappings into \(T_1\) spaces of pseudocharacter \(\le\kappa\) (Q2036605)

As used here, the terms ``regular'' and ``normal'' include \(T_1\)-separation, and all cardinals considered should be assumed to be infinite. For a cardinal \(\kappa\), a space \(X\) is said to be: \textit{\(\kappa\)-bounded} (resp., \textit{\(\kappa\)-accumulative}) if the closure of every subset \(A\subset X\) of cardinality \(\leq\kappa\) is compact (is of cardinality \(\leq\kappa\)); \textit{totally \(\overline{\kappa}\)-normal} if for any closed subset \(A\) of \(X\) and disjoint closed subset \(B\) of the closure of a subset of \(X\) of cardinality \(\leq\kappa\) there exist disjoint open sets \(U\), \(V\subset X\) such that \(A\subset U\) and \(B\subset V\); or \textit{of pseudocharacter \(\leq\kappa\)} if every point of \(X\) is an intersection of \(\leq\kappa\) of its neighborhoods.\par The main theorem of the article under review is Theorem 3: For every cardinal \(\kappa\) there is an infinite \(\kappa\)-bounded regular space \(R_\kappa\) such that for any \(T_1\)-space \(Y\) of pseudocharacter \(\leq\kappa\), every continuous map \(f:R_\kappa\rightarrow Y\) is constant. This theorem answers affirmatively several questions raised by \textit{V.\ Tzannes} [Problems from Topology, Proceedings, in the web page Topology Atlas, Toronto (2003)] as to whether or not there exists a regular \textit{countably compact} space containing at least two points on which all continuous real-valued functions (or all continuous functions into a given space) are constant.\par The proof of Theorem 3 is accomplished by establishing or strengthening and combining the following results: (i) For every cardinal \(\kappa\) there exists a \(\kappa\)-bounded regular (hence, totally \(\overline{\kappa}\)-normal) and \(\kappa\)-accumulative space \(X\) containing two points \(a\) and \(b\) such that for every \(T_1\)-space \(Y\) of pseudocharacter \(\leq\kappa\) and continuous map \(f:X\rightarrow Y\), \(f(a)=f(b).\) (ii) If one applies the Herrlich expansion to any space \(X\) having the properties in (i) and denotes the resulting new space by \(H_{a,b}(X)\), then \(H_{a,b}(X)\) is a regular totally \(\kappa\)-normal space containing \(X\) such that every continuous map \(f:H_{a,b}(X)\rightarrow Y\) is constant, where \(Y\) is as in (i). (iii) Given any \(T_1\)-space \(H\) and its Wallman compactification \(W(H)\), if one defines the \textit{Wallman \(\kappa\)-bounded extension of \(H\)} to be \(W_\kappa(H)=\bigcup\{{\text{cl}}_{W(H)}(C):C\subset H {\text{ and}}\ \vert C\vert \leq\kappa\}\), then \(W_\kappa(H)\) is \(\kappa\)-bounded, and it is also regular if \(H\) is totally \(\overline{\kappa}\)-normal. (iv) In the statement of Theorem 3 one may take \(R_{\kappa}=\) the Wallman \(\kappa\)-bounded extension of the space \(H_{a,b}\).\par Some further information about (i)--(iii) follows. The technique used to establish (i) is a modification of a regular but not completely regular space construction of \textit{A. Tychonoff} [Math. Ann. 102, 544--561 (1929; JFM 55.0963.01)] similar to ones devised or used first by \textit{E. Hewitt} [Ann. Math. (2) 47, 503--509 (1946; Zbl 0060.39511)] and later by such authors as S.\ Armentrout, M. P.\ Berri and R. H.\ Sorgenfrey, H.\ Herrlich, F. B.\ Jones, and others, in several cases as a building block for producing a regular space or even a Moore space on which every continuous real-valued function is constant. The term ``Herrlich expansion'' in (ii) is a technique developed and presented by \textit{H. Herrlich} [Math. Z. 90, 152--154 (1965; Zbl 0131.20402)] to prove that if \(Y\) is any space, then \(Y\) is \(T_1\) iff there is a regular space \(X\) containing at least two points such that every continuous map of \(X\) into \(Y\) is constant. The ``Wallman \(\kappa\)-bounded extension of \(H\)'' in (iii) was first studied by \textit{T. Banakh} et al. [Topology Appl. 280, Article ID 107277, 11 p. (2020; Zbl 1448.54013)]. The authors conclude by showing, as did Herrlich, that if a space \(Y\) is not \(T_1\), and if \(X\) is any space containing a proper nonempty open set, then there exists a non-constant continuous map \(f:X\rightarrow Y\), and thus one has the following analogue of Herrlich's theorem: A space \(Y\) is \(T_1\) iff for every cardinal \(\kappa\) there exists an infinite \(\kappa\)-bounded regular space \(R_\kappa\) such that any continuous map \(f:R_\kappa\rightarrow Y\) is constant.