The product of \(<\alpha _ i>\)-spaces (Q1063891)

\textit{P. Simon} [Commentat. Math. Univ. Carol. 21, 749-753 (1980; Zbl 0466.54022)] showed that not every product of two compact Fréchet spaces (hence, strongly Fréchet spaces) is Fréchet. On the other hand, \textit{A. V. Arkhangel'skij} [Tr. Mosk. Mat. O.-va 40, 171-206 (1979; Zbl 0447.54004); transl. in Trans. Mosc. Math. Soc. 1981, No.2, 163-200 (1981)] defined classes \(<i>\) and \(<i-FU>\), \(i=1,2,3,4,5\), and showed that a Fréchet space X is strongly Fréchet if and only if \(X\in <4>\), and that the product of a space X with a countably compact Fréchet space is Fréchet if \(X\in <3-FU>.\) Now, this paper investigates the product of \(<\alpha_ i>\)-spaces (in this paper, for example, the classes \(<i>\) are denoted by \(<\alpha_ i>\), and X is an \(<\alpha_ i>\)-space if \(X\in <\alpha_ i>)\), and gives the following answers (A) and (B) to problems posed by Arkhangel'skij in the paper quoted above. (A) All classes \(<\alpha_ i>\) except \(<\alpha_ 4>\), are countably productive. As for the class \(<\alpha_ 4>\), there exist two compact Fréchet spaces (hence, \(<\alpha_ 4>\)-spaces) whose product is not an \(<\alpha_ 4>\)-space. (B) There exists a compact sequential space which is not an \(<\alpha_ 4>\)-space. The author also gives, under (CH), a negative answer to the following problem: If a subspace of the product of finitely many strongly Fréchet spaces is Lashnev, then is it metrizable?