On metric spaces with non-equivalent Hewitt and Samuel realcompactifications (Q2681733)

The main goal of the article is to show in \(ZFC\) that if there exist measurable cardinals, then there exists a Bourbaki-complete metric space whose Hewitt and Samuel realcompactifications are not equivalent. Every metric space \((X,d)\) is considered also as the uniform space \((X, \mu_d)\) where \(\mu_d\) is the uniformity on \(X\) induced by the metric \(d\). Samuel realcompactifications of metric spaces were introduced and investigated in [\textit{M. I. Garrido} and \textit{A. S. Meroño}, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 456, No. 2, 1013--1039 (2017; Zbl 1390.54027)], but the first deeper study of Samuel realcompactifications of uniform spaces is given in [\textit{M. I. Garrido} and \textit{A. S. Meroño}, Topology Appl. 241, 150--161 (2018; Zbl 1395.54022)]. Bourbaki-complete uniform spaces were introduced in [\textit{M. I. Garrido} and \textit{A. S. Meroño}, Ann. Acad. Sci. Fenn., Math. 39, No. 2, 733--758 (2014; Zbl 1303.54010)]. The authors notice that the hedgehog space with \(\omega\)-many spines, equipped with its standard metric, is a simple example of a complete, realcompact but not Samuel realcompact space. If measurable cardinals do not exist, then, for every Bourbaki-complete uniform space \((X,\mu)\), the Samuel and the Hewitt realcompactifications of \((X, \mu)\) are equivalent. A filter(base) \(\mathcal{F}\) of a uniform space \((X, \mu)\) is called a \(z_u\)-filter(base) if, for every \(A\in\mathcal{F}\), there exists uniformly continuous function \(f:X\to \mathbb{R}\) such that \(f^{-1}(0)\in\mathcal{F}\) and \(f^{-1}(0)\subseteq A\). A filter(base) of a uniform space \((X, \mu)\) is called a Cauchy filter(base) if every uniform cover of \(X\) has a member which contains a member of \(\mathcal{F}\). For a uniformity \(\mu\) on \(X\), \(e\mu\) denotes the uniformity on \(X\) induced by all countable \(\mu\)-uniform covers of \(X\). To achieve the main goal, the authors prove a useful theorem asserting that the Wallman and the Samuel realcompactifications of a uniform space \((X, \mu )\) are equivalent if and only if every Cauchy \(z_u\)-filterbase of the uniform space \((X, wU_{\mu}(X))\) is countably centered where \(w(U_{\mu}(X))\) is the weak uniformity induced by the family \(U_{\mu}(X)\) of all uniformly continuous real functions on \(X\). In consequence, if \((X,d)\) is a metric space whose Hewitt and Samuel realcompactifications are equivalent, then every Cauchy \(z_u\)-filterbase of \((X, e\mu_d)\) is countably centered. Given an infinite set \(D\) of cardinality \(\mathfrak{m}\), the authors consider the Baire metric space \((D^{\mathbb{N}}, \rho)\) of weight \(\mathfrak{m}\) and the uniformity \(\pi\) on \(D^{\mathbb{N}}\) induced by \(\rho\). Then \(\pi\) is the product uniformity of the product \((D, \mathrm{u})^{\mathbb{N}}\) where \(\mathrm{u}\) is the uniformity induced by the discrete metric on \(D\). Since \(\rho\) is a complete ultrametric, the uniform space \((D^{\mathbb{N}}, \pi)\) is uniformly zero-dimensional, so also Bourbaki-complete. The authors prove that if \(\mathfrak{m}\) is Ulam measurable, then \((D^{\mathbb{N}}, e\pi)\) has a Cauchy, not countably centered filterbase consisting of closed sets and, therefore, the Hewitt and the Samuel realcompactifications of \((D^{\mathbb{N}}, \pi)\) are not equivalent.