Homotopy characterization of ANR function spaces (Q2443771)

The main result of the paper under review asserts that a function space \(Y^X\) that has the homotopy type of a CW complex is an ANR provided that \(Y\) be a hemicompact k-space and \(Y\) be an ANR. As a consequence, the author shows that for a completely regular k-space \(X\) and a non-discrete ANR \(Y\), the function space \(Y^X\) is an ANR if and only if \(X\) is hemicompact and \(Y^X\) has the homotopy type of a CW complex. The proofs relies on Morita's homotopy extension theorem for \(P_0\)-embeddings. The author gives a new proof of the fact that \(Y^X\) is an ANR for all compact spaces \(X\) and ANR's \(Y\). The paper is concluded with an appendix containing a characterization of hemicompact k-spaces by means of weakly proper maps.