Densely \(k\)-separable compacta are densely separable (Q2215688)

A space \(X\) is \(k\)-separable if every dense subspace of \(X\) can be covered by countably many compact sets. \(X\) is densely \(k\)-separable if every dense subset of \(X\) is \(k\)-separable. Jan van Mill asked if every compact densely \(k\)-separable space is separable. The authors prove a stronger result: a compact space is densely \(k\)-separable if and only if it has countable \(\pi\)-weight (which implies that every dense subset of the space is separable). A few properties of the cardinal function \(\delta_k\), which is a higher cardinal version of densely \(k\)-separability, are also established.