On the cardinality of Lindelöf spaces with points \(G_ \delta\) (Q1892165)

The history of this important topic is of course quite well-known among general topologists. Alexandrov asked if Lindelöf first countable Hausdorff spaces have cardinality at most the continuum. Arkhangel'skij established that they did and then asked if ``first countable'' could be weakened to ``points \(G_ \delta\)''. Shelah proved that, consistently, it could not by producing a model in which there is a Lindelöf space with points \(G_ \delta\) which has cardinality \(\aleph_ 2 = 2^{\aleph_ 1} > 2^{\aleph_ 0} = \aleph_ 1\). Shelah also showed that there is a model in which there is no such space with cardinality strictly between \(\aleph_ 1\) and \(2^{\aleph_ 1} > \aleph_ 2\). A great deal of interest remains in obtaining more precise information on the cardinalities of such spaces. For example it is not known if there is always such a space with cardinality greater than \(2^{\aleph_ 0}\) or even if there is always one of cardinality equal to \(2^{\aleph_ 1}\) (Arkhangel'skij showed that any measurable cardinal is an upper bound to the cardinality of such spaces). The author modifies the problem to a purely set-theoretic statement by dropping the restriction that the spaces be Hausdorff or regular. Based on Shelah's techniques he points out the need to investigate indestructible Lindelöf spaces -- those which remain Lindelöf after forcing with any countably closed poset. There is no ZFC example of a Lindelöf space with points \(G_ \delta\) which is destructible. This paper discusses all the known results on this topic. Certain spaces (old and new) are shown to be indestructibly Lindelöf and other results put a lower bound on the cardinality of a Hausdorff example \((2^{\aleph_ 2})\). It is also shown that if there is a supercompact cardinal, then there is a model in which there is no indestructible Lindelöf points \(G_ \delta T_ 1\) space with cardinality greater than \(\aleph_ 1\).