On maximal ideals of \(C_c(X)\) and the uniformity of its localizations (Q1638039)

This paper is intended to be part of a body of literature, together with \textit{M. Ghadermazi} et al. [Rend. Semin. Mat. Univ. Padova 129, 47--69 (2013; Zbl 1279.54015)] and a forthcoming paper by the same authors, [\textit{P. Bhattacharjee} et al., Appl. Gen. Topol. 15, No. 2, 147--154 (2014; Zbl 1305.54030)], and [\textit{O. A. S. Karamzadeh} et al., ibid. 16, No. 2, 183--207 (2015; Zbl 1397.54032)], for the study of \(C_c(X)= \{f \in C(X):f(X)\) is countable\(\}\), also called the functionally countable subalgebra of \(C(X)\). If the image set is finite, the algebra is denoted by \(C^F(X)\). Previous results have shown that when working with \(C_c(X)\), \(X\) can be assumed to be zero-dimensional (Hausdorff with a base consisting of clopen sets) and consequently has a zero-dimensional Banaschewski compactification \(\beta_0X\). The abstract of the paper summarizes some of the results. For example, a counterpart of the Gelfand-Kolmogoroff theorem in \(C_c(X)\) is given: its maximal ideals are contractions of the corresponding ideals in \(C(X)\), i.e., the intersection of a maximal ideal in \(C(X)\) with \(C_c(X)\). Extending the study of \(F\)-spaces to \(F_c\)-spaces where every localization \(C_c(X)_P\) of \(C_c(X)\) at a prime ideal \(P\) is a domain, the authors give some algebraic and topological characterizations of \(F_c\)-spaces, and show that if \(X\) is strongly zero-dimensional (i.e., its Stone-Čech compactification \(\beta X\) is zero-dimensional), then \(X\) is an \(F_c\)-space if and only if it is an \(F\)-space. If every finitely generated ideal in a commutative ring \(R\) is principal, then \(R\) is called a Bézout ring; \(C_c(X)\) (respectively, the bounded continuous functions \(C^*_c(X)\)) is called a unitarily absolutely Bézout ring if for all \(f, g \in C_c(X)\) (\(f, g \in C_c^*(x))\), \((f, g) = (|f| + |g|)\) is in \(C_c(X)\) (\(C^*_c(X)\)). If every principal ideal of \(C_c(X)\) is convex (i.e., \(0 \leq x \leq y\), \(y\) in the ideal \(I\) implies that \(x \in I\)), then both \(C_c(x)\) and \(C_c^*(X)\) are unitarily absolutely Bézout.