\(S_\omega\) and \(S_2\) on free topological groups (Q401319)

Let \(F(X)\) be the free topological group over a Tychonoff space \(X\) and for every natural number \(n\), \(F_n(X)\) is the subspace of \(F(X)\) consisting of all words of reduced length at most \(n\). It is known that if \(F(X)\) is Fréchet-Urysohn, then \(X\) is discrete. On the other hand, \(F(X)\) can be a \(k\)-space and \(F_n(X)\) can be Fréchet-Urysohn for some non-discrete space \(X\). In fact, \textit{A. V. Arkhangel'skij} et al. [Topology Appl. 33, No. 1, 63--76 (1989; Zbl 0689.54009)] proved that for a metrizable space \(X\), \(F(X)\) is a \(k\)-space if and only if \(X\) is locally compact separable or discrete. \textit{K. Yamada} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 130, No. 8, 2461--2469 (2002; Zbl 1006.54052); Topology Appl. 146--147, 239--251 (2005; Zbl 1068.54041)] obtained the following: Let \(X\) be a metrizable space. Then (1) \(F_n(X)\) is Fréchet-Urysohn for each \(n\geq5\) if and only if \(X\) is compact or discrete; (2) \(F_n(X)\) is Fréchet-Urysohn for each \(n\leq3\) if and only if the set of all non-isolated points of \(X\) is compact; (3) \(F(X)\) is a \(k\)-space if and only if each \(F_n(X)\) is a \(k\)-space. In [Zbl 1006.54052], he also posed the conjecture relating to the results (1) and (2): For a metrizable space \(X\), \(F_4(X)\) is Fréchet-Urysohn if the set of all non-isolated points of \(X\) is compact. In this paper, the authors investigate copies of the Fréchet-Urysohn fans \(S_{\omega}\), \(S_{\omega_1}\) and the Arens' space \(S_2\) in free topological groups. Applying these results, they improve the results (1) and (3), and they give a negative answer to the above conjecture, that is, they show that \(F_4(I\oplus D)\) is not Fréchet-Urysohn, where \(I\) is the closed unit interval with usual topology and \(D\) is an uncountable discrete space. Furthermore, they give a partial answer to Arhangel'skiĭ\,'s conjecture: \(S_{\omega_1}\) cannot be embedded into a sequential topological group. In fact, they show that if the free topological group \(F(X)\) over a \(\mu\)-space is sequential, then \(F(X)\) contains no closed copy of \(S_{\omega_1}\).