Pullbacks of generalized universal coverings (Q2464797)

A continuous map \(p:\widetilde{X}\to X\), from a path-connected, locally path-connected and simply-connected topological space \(\widetilde{X}\) onto a topological space \(X\), is called a generalized universal covering of \(X\) if for every path-connected and locally path-connected topological space \(Z\), for every continuous function \(g:(Z,z)\to (X,x)\) with \(g_\#(\pi_1(Z,z))=1\), and for every \(\widetilde{x}\in \widetilde{X}\) with \(p(\widetilde{x})=x\), there exists a unique continuous lift \(h:(Z,z)\to (\widetilde{X},\widetilde{x})\) with \(p\circ h=g\). A generalized universal covering of \(X\), if it exists, is uniquely determined by these properties. Its group of covering transformations \(Aut(\widetilde{X}\overset{p}{\to}X)\) is isomorphic to \(\pi_1(X,x_0)\) and it acts freely and transitively on every fiber \(p^{-1}(\{x\})\) with \(x\in X\). The author and \textit{A. Zastrow} [Fundam. Math. 197, 167--196 (2007; Zbl 1137.55006)] proved that for a wide class of path-connected spaces \(X\), which are not necessarily semilocally simply-connected and not necessarily locally path-connected, the generalized universal covering exists and can be built by a standard construction. The unique path lifting property of \(p:\widetilde{X}\to X\) makes it necessary for \(X\) to be homotopically Hausdorff: for every \(x\in X\), the only element of \(\pi_1(X,x)\) which can be represented by arbitrarily small loops is the trivial element. For a path-connected topological space \(Y\) and a map \(f:Y\to X\), the author forms the pullback \(f^\ast p:f^\ast \widetilde{X}\to Y\) of such a generalized universal covering \(p:X\to X\) and considers the following question: given a path-component \(Y\) of \(f^\ast X\), when exactly is \(f^\ast p| _Y:Y\to Y\) a generalized universal covering? In order to extend the classical criterion, of \(f_\#:\pi_1(Y)\to \pi_1(X)\) being injective, the author introduces the notion of \(\pi_1\)-injectivity and he proves the following main result. {Theorem 4.3.} Let \(\widetilde{Y}\) be a path-component of \(f^\ast \widetilde{X}\). Then \(f^\ast p| _{\widetilde{Y}}:\widetilde{Y}\to Y\) is a generalized universal covering if and only if \(Y\) is homotopically Hausdorff and \(f:Y\to X\) is gradually \(\pi_1\)-injective.