Closed discrete subsets in first countable, countably metacompact spaces (Q1203819)

The author addresses the question of whether closed discrete subsets of first countable, countably metacompact spaces must be \(G_ \delta\)-sets. Assuming the Product Measure Extension Axiom, the answer is known from earlier results of this author to be ``Yes''. Recent results of Shelah, and of the author and Balogh, show that the answer is ``No'' in certain forcing models. It is not known if there is a model in which the answer is ``Yes'' without large cardinals. A space is called ``psi-like'' [after the famous Isbell-Mrowka space \(\Psi\), Exercise 5.I. of the text by Gillman and Jerison] provided that it has the form \(\omega_ 1\cup{\mathcal A}\), where \(\mathcal A\) is a maximal almost disjoint collection of countably infinite subsets of \(\omega_ 1\) with points of \(\omega_ 1\) isolated and neighborhoods of \(A\in{\mathcal A}\) being of the form \(\{A\}\cup B\) where \(B\) is a cofinite subset of \(A\). It is known that a set of non-isolated points of a psi-like space is never a \(G_ \delta\)-set. The author shows that it is consistent with ZFC that psi-like spaces are never countably metacompact. The question remains of whether a psi-like space can be countably metacompact in some model. He also shows that in spaces of countable scattered height, first countable and countable metacompactness yield developability, and hence all closed subsets are \(G_ \delta\)- sets.