Rings of continuous functions and their maximal spectra (Q1898507)

The subject of this paper is the ring \(C = C(X,F)\) of all continuous mappings from a topological space \(X\) into a topological field \(F\), together with the set Max \(C\) of its maximal ideals. There is considerable overlap with the author's survey [Russ. Math. Surv. 48, No. 1, 199-200 (1993); translation from Usp. Mat. Nauk 48, No. 1(289), 163-164 (1993; Zbl 0832.46018)], but the present paper gives complete proofs of the author's newer results. He calls \(C\) a Gelfand ring in case, for any two distinct maximal ideals \(M\) and \(N\), there are elements \(f\) not in \(M\) and \(g\) not in \(N\) such that \(fCg = 0\). He shows that (i) if \(F\) is a normed field, then \(C\) is a Gelfand ring if and only if Max \(C\) is a Hausdorff space in the Stone topology (a state of affairs in which \(C\) is said to be harmonic); (ii) if \(X\) is \(F\)-regular and compact, then \(C\) is a Gelfand ring and Max \(C\) is homeomorphic to \(X\). The author also studies conditions under which the canonical mapping from a compactification of \(X\) into Max \(C\) is a homeomorphism. Finally, he states three open questions, of which one asks whether it is true generally that if \(C\) is harmonic, then \(C\) is a Gelfand ring. Another question asks whether it is true that every member of Max \(C\) is a \(z\)-ideal.