On small \(n\)-Hawaiian loops (Q2211736)

A based loop in a metric space \(X\) is defined to be small if it has a based homotopy representative in any neighborhood of the chosen basepoint. Small loops form a subgroup of the fundamental group at the chosen point which affects many structures treated in wild topology: covering spaces, topologies on the fundamental group, etc. For example, the mentioned subgroup is trivial iff the space is homotopically Hausdorff. In this paper, the authors define small \(n\)-Hawaiian loops in a space \(X\): these are the based maps defined on the \(n\)th Hawaiian earring, which have a based homotopy representative in any neighborhood of the chosen basepoint. They then provide a systematic treatment of small \(n\)-Hawaiian loops, relating them to existence of small homotopies, \(n\)-SLT path transfers, etc.