Characterizations of normal covers of rectangular products (Q2433683)

A product space \(X\times Y\) is called \textit{rectangular} if every finite cozero cover of \(X\times Y\) has a \(\sigma\)-locally finite, cozero rectangular refinement, i.e., a refinement consisting of cozero-sets of the form \(U\times V\) (see \textit{B. A. Pasynkov} [Soviet Math. Dokl. 16, 344--347 (1975; Zbl 0334.54024)]), and \(X\times Y\) is called \textit{\(X\)-rectangular} if every finite cozero cover of \(X\times Y\) has a cozero rectangular refinement \({\mathcal G}\) such that \(\{\pi_X[G]:G\in{\mathcal G}\}\) is \(\sigma\)-locally finite in \(X\), where \(\pi_X:X\times Y\to X\) is the projection (see \textit{H. Ohta} [Topology Appl. 35, 21--39 (1990; Zbl 0776.54016)]). In this paper, the author gives characterizations of a normal cover of a rectangular product by means of cozero rectangles. The following conditions (a)--(d) on a cover \({\mathcal O}\) of a product space \(X\times Y\) are considered: (a) \({\mathcal O}\) has a \(\sigma\)-locally finite cozero rectangular refinement; (b) \({\mathcal O}\) has a \(\sigma\)-discrete cozero rectangular refinement; (c) \({\mathcal O}\) has a locally finite cozero rectangular refinement; (d) \({\mathcal O}\) has a locally finite, \(\sigma\)-discrete, cozero rectangular refinement which has a zero rectangular shrinking. Some of the main theorems are: (1) If \(X\times Y\) is \(X\)-rectangular, then for every open cover \({\mathcal O}\) of \(X\times Y\), each of (a)--(d) is equivalent to that \({\mathcal O}\) is a normal cover. (2) If \(X\) is a paracompact \(\sigma\)-space and \(Y\) is a space, then for every normal cover \({\mathcal O}\) of \(X\times Y\), (a)--(d) are equivalent. (3) If \(X\) is a paracompact \(\Sigma\)-space and \(Y\) is a paracompact \(P\)-space, then every open cover \({\mathcal O}\) of \(X\times Y\) satisfies (d). (4) If \(X\) is a paracompact \(DC\)-like space and \(Y\) is a space, then for every normal cover \({\mathcal O}\) of \(X\times Y\), (a)--(d) are equivalent. Moreover, the following results (5) and (6) are proved as applications: (5) If \(X\times Y\) is a paracompact \(X\)-rectangular product of base-paracompact spaces \(X\) and \(Y\), then \(X\times Y\) is base-paracompact. (6) If \(X\times Y\) is a paracompact rectangular product of a base-paracompact \(\sigma\)-space \(X\) and a base-paracompact space \(Y\), then \(X\times Y\) is base-paracompact.