On iterates of fully closed absolutes (Q2384408)

For a regular space \(X\), an absolute \((fa(X), \pi_X)\) is called fully closed if \(\pi_X: fa(X) \rightarrow X\) is a fully closed, perfect and irreducible mapping. Improving and extending a result by V.M. Ulyanov the authors prove a general result whose consequence is that \(\pi_{fa(X)}:fa^{(2)}(X) \rightarrow fa(X)\) is a homeomorphism for every normal, first countable space \(X\). There is a compact space \(X\) such that \(fa(X)\) and \(X\) are homeomorphic, but \(\pi_X:fa(X) \rightarrow X\) is not a homeomorphism. For each ordinal \(\alpha\) there is a compact space \(X\) such that \(\pi^{\alpha + 1}_{\alpha}:fa^{(\alpha+1)}(X) \rightarrow fa^{(\alpha)}(X)\) is not a homeomorphism.