Twisted sums of \(c_0\) and \(C(K)\)-spaces: a solution to the CCKY problem (Q2182260)

This paper has an astounding story behind, described in lavish detail in [\textit{F. Cabello Sánchez} and \textit{J. M. F. Castillo}, ``Homological methods in Banach spaces'', Adv. Stud. Math. (to appear), Chapter ``The astounding story behind the CCKY problem'']. The CCKY problem alluded to was posed in [\textit{F. Cabello Sánchez} et al., Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 355, No. 11, 4523--4541 (2003; Zbl 1066.46006)] and is the conjecture that, if \(K\) is a non-metrizable compact, then \(\mathrm{Ext}(C(K), c_0) \neq 0\), with the meaning: there exists a Banach space \(X\) containing an uncomplemented copy of \(c_0\) so that \(X/c_0\) is isomorphic to \(C(K)\). A number of papers were devoted to prove that for most spaces \(C(K)\) in sight the answer to the conjecture is yes. So it came as a bolt out the blue when in [\textit{W. Marciszewski} and \textit{G. Plebanek}, J. Funct. Anal. 274, No. 5, 1491--1529 (2018; Zbl 1390.46016)] the authors proved that the Stone compact \(\Delta_{\mathscr M}\) generated by some almost disjoint family of subsets of \(\mathbb N\) of size \(\aleph_1\) was such that \(\mathrm{Ext}(C(\Delta_{\mathscr M}), c_0)=0\) under Martin's axiom. In the paper under review, the lightning becomes thunder when the authors show the conjecture to be true under the continuum hypothesis. This brief description above somehow conceals the continuous flow of ideas and results presented in the paper, including new approaches to previous partial results in the literature. What all the story teaches us is, as the authors say, that it is by now clear that there are nonmetrizable compacta \(K\) for which the question of whether \(\mathrm{Ext}(C(K), c_0)\neq 0\) is undecidable within the usual axioms of set theory. Which compacta those are and for which ones there is a plain \textsf{ZFC} answer is an entire world of research. There are more results about good natured compacta satisfying the conjecture under different cardinal assumptions, uses, applications and different approaches that appeared in later papers, such as: [\textit{C. Correa}, ``Additional set-theoretic assumptions and twisted sums of Banach spaces'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1801.10439}; \textit{C. Correa}, Fundam. Math. 248, No. 2, 195--204 (2020; Zbl 1445.46027); \textit{C. Correa} and \textit{D. V. Tausk}, J. Funct. Anal. 270, No. 2, 842--853 (2016; Zbl 1347.46014); Fundam. Math. 245, No. 2, 149--165 (2019; Zbl 1472.06017); \textit{F. Cabello Sánchez} et al., J. Funct. Anal. 279, No. 4, Article ID 108571, 21 p. (2020; Zbl 1455.46028)]. To these, one may add the not inconsiderable list of previous papers treating different aspects of the problem, such as [\textit{J. M. F. Castillo}, Topology Appl. 198, 107--116 (2016; Zbl 1366.46060); \textit{W. Marciszewski} and \textit{G. Plebanek}, J. Funct. Anal. 274, No. 5, 1491--1529 (2018; Zbl 1390.46016)] or [\textit{C. Correa} and \textit{D. V. Tausk}, J. Funct. Anal. 270, No. 2, 842--853 (2016; Zbl 1347.46014)].