On homeomorphism groups of non-compact surfaces, endowed with the Whitney topology (Q2435271)

For an \(n\)-manifold \(M\), the Whitney topology of the homeomorphism group \({\mathcal H}(M)\) is defined as follows. A neighborhood of a homeomorphism \(f\) consists of all \(g\) whose graphs are contained in a given neighborhood of the graph of \(f\). If \(M\) is compact, this coincides with the compact-open topology. The same authors [Topol. Proc. 37, 61--93 (2011; Zbl 1188.22001)] have shown that for non-compact \(M\), the Whitney topology makes \({\mathcal H}(M)\) a topological group. The identity component \({\mathcal H}_0(M)\) is locally contactible and is an open normal subgroup of the subgroup \({\mathcal H}_c(M)\) of homeomorphisms with compact support. Moreover if \(M\) is a surface, the subgroup \({\mathcal H}_c(M,K)\) pointwise fixing a given proper subpolyhedron \(K \subset M\) is an \(l_2\)-manifold if \(M\setminus K\) has compact closure and an (\(\mathbb R^\infty \times l_2\))-manifold otherwise. For compact connected surfaces, the groups \({\mathcal H}_0(M,K)\) have been determined by \textit{M.-E. Hamstrom} [Ill. J. Math. 10, 563--573 (1966; Zbl 0151.33002)]. The present paper completes this result by showing that for \(M\) non-compact and connected, \({\mathcal H}_0(M,K)\) is homeomorphic to \(l_2\) or to \(\mathbb R^\infty \times l_2\) according to whether the closure of \(M\setminus K \) is compact or not. The proof uses a result of the present authors together with \textit{D. Repovš} [Topology Appl. 160, No. 18, 2272--2284 (2013; Zbl 1284.57024)], which gives a criterion for recognizing groups homeomorphic to \(\mathbb R^\infty \times l_2\) using a tower of subgroups with certain properties. Such a tower is obtained here from an exhaustion of \(M\) by suitable compact subpolyhedra. The group \({\mathcal H}_c(M)\) of homeomorphisms with compact support is homeomorphic to the cartesian product of \({\mathcal H}_0(M)\) with the discrete mapping class group \({\mathcal M}_c(M)\). This group is known for compact connected surfaces due to various authors, and the present authors give the following information for the non-compact case: \({\mathcal M}_c(M)\) is trivial for \(M\) a disk, an annulus or a Möbius strip, each with a non-empty compact subset of a boundary circle removed, and in all other cases the mapping class group contains elements of infinite order. The group \({\mathcal H}(M)\) with the compact-open topology has also been determined for non-compact connected surfaces by \textit{T. Yagasaki} [Topology Appl. 108, No. 2, 123--136 (2000; Zbl 0967.57031)]. It is homeomorphic to \(\mathbb S^1 \times l_2\) if \(M\) is an open disk or a Möbius strip without boundary or an annulus with 0 or 1 boundary circles. In all remaining cases, the group is homeomorphic to \(l_2\).