On quasi-small loop groups (Q2164038)

This paper introduces a notion of ``closeness'' of path-homotopy classes designed to be related to the ``homotopically path-Hausdorff'' property. The concepts studied become particularly relevant for studying fundamental groups of locally complicated spaces. The ``quasi-small loop group'' and related subgroups of the fundamental group end up being closely related to the natural quotient topology on the fundamental group. Overall, this paper was a pleasure to read. Given two paths \(f,g:[0,1]\to X\) with the same starting and endpoints, \(f\) is \textit{homotopically close to} \(g\) (and write \(f\xrightarrow{\text{close}}g\)) if for every subdivision \(0=t_0<t_1<t_2<\cdots <t_n=1\) of \([0,1]\) and sequence of open sets \(U_1,U_2,\dots , U_n\) with \(g([t_{i-1},t_i])\subseteq U_i\) for \(1\leq i\leq n\), there exists a path \(\gamma\simeq f\), which satisfies \(\gamma([t_{i-1},t_i])\subseteq U_i\) and \(\gamma(t_i)=g(t_i)\) for \(1\leq i\leq n\). Although the authors do not state it this way, if \(X\) is locally path-connected, then \(f\) is homotopically close to \(g\) if and only if every neighborhood of \(g\) in the compact-open topology on the path-space \(P(X)\) contains a path homotopic to \(f\), that is, if \([f]\) is represented by paths arbitrarily close to \(g\). The authors then define the quasi-small loop group of \(X\) to be \[ \pi_{1}^{qs}(X,x)=\{[f]\in \pi_1(X,x)\mid f\xrightarrow{\text{close}}g\text{ where }[g]=1\}. \] A main result of the paper under review is to show that \(\pi_{1}^{qs}(X,x)\) is a normal subgroup of \(\pi_1(X,x)\), which is trivial if and only if \(X\) is homotopically path-Hausdorff in the sense of [\textit{H. Fischer} et al., Topology Appl. 158, No. 3, 397--408 (2011; Zbl 1219.54028)]. More generally, for a subset \(H\subseteq \pi_1(X,x)\), the authors define \(\pi_{H}^{qs}(X,x)\subseteq \pi_1(X,x)\) to consist of all \([f]\in \pi_1(X,x)\) such that \(f\xrightarrow{\text{close}}h\) for \([h]\in H\). The authors prove in Theorem 3.1 that \(\pi_{H}^{qs}(X,x)\) is a (normal) subgroup of \(\pi_1(X,x)\) whenever \(H\) is. Moreover, \(\pi_{H}^{qs}(X,x)=\pi_{1}^{qs}(X,x)H\) when \(H\) is a subgroup (Prop. 3.2). In the last section of the paper, the authors begin to explore the relationship between \(\pi_{1}^{qs}(X,x)\) and the topology of \(\pi_{1}^{qtop}(X,x)\), that is, the fundamental group \(\pi_1(X,x)\) equipped with the natural quotient topology inherited from the loop space with the compact-open topology. Here, the reviewer provides a little extra context, not included in the paper, which may aid readers interested in addressing problems asked by the authors or relating their ideas more closely to the topology of \(\pi_{1}^{qtop}(X,x)\). When \(X\) is not locally path-connected, let \(lpc(X)\) be the locally path-connected coreflection and recall that we can identify the (non-topologized) groups \(\pi_1(lpc(X),x)=\pi_1(X,x)\). Under this identification it is clear that \(\pi_{1}^{qs}(lpc(X),x)=\pi_{1}^{qs}(X,x)\). Hence, there is no information lost if we assume \(X\) is locally path-connected. In the locally path-connected case, one can show that \(\pi_{1}^{qs}(X,x)\) is precisely the closure \(\overline{e}\) of the trivial subgroup \(e\) in \(\pi_{1}^{qtop}(X,x)\), i.e. the fundamental group equipped with the natural quotient topology. Thus, Proposition 3.2 in the current paper may be restated as the equality \(\pi_{H}^{qs}(X,x)=\overline{e}H=\bigcup_{h\in H}\overline{h}\) for a subgroup \(H\leq \pi_1(X,x)\). The authors then ask in Problem 3.8: if \(\pi_{H}^{qs}(X,x)=H\), when can it be concluded that \(X\) is homotopically path-Hausdorff rel. \(H\)? Equipped with these observations, we see that for a subgroup \(H\), this problem is asking precisely when \(H=\bigcup_{h\in H}\overline{h}\) implies \(H=\overline{H}\) in \(\pi_{1}^{qtop}(X,x)\).