Hyperspaces of finite subsets, homeomorphic to pre-Hilbert spaces (Q306137)

Let \(\text{Fin}(X)\) be the set of finite subsets of \(X\) endowed with the Vietoris hyperspace topology and let \(l_2^f(\kappa)\) be the linear subspace of the Hilbert space \(l_2(\kappa)\) generated by the standard orthogonal base. The author gives a complete characterization of those spaces \(X\) for which \(\text{Fin}(X)\) is homeomorphic to \(l_2^f(\kappa)\). The first sections of this paper contain several topological properties of the space \(\text{Fin}(X)\) that are needed for the main result. It is shown that \(\text{Fin}(X)\) is strongly universal for the class of finite-dimensional compact metrizable spaces whenever \(X\) is connected and locally path-connected and that \(\text{Fin}(X)\) has the countable locally finite approximation property if \(X\) is locally path-connected and nowhere locally compact. These properties are being used in the final section of this article to prove that \(\text{Fin}(X)\) is homeomorphic to \(l_2^f(X)\) iff \(X\) is connected, locally path connected, strongly countable-dimensional, \(\sigma\)-locally compact and any non-empty open subset of \(X\) is of density \(\kappa\).