The projective Menger property and an embedding of \(S_{\omega}\) into function spaces (Q517122)

Let \(X\) be a Tychonoff space and \(C_p(X)\) be the space of all real-valued continuous functions on \(X\) with the topology of pointwise convergence. \(X\) is said to be: {\parindent=0.6cm\begin{itemize}\item[--] \textit{Menger} if for every sequence \(\{ \mathcal{U}_n: n \in\mathbb{N}\}\) of open covers of \(X\), there are finite subfamilies \(\mathcal{V}_n \subset\mathcal{U}_n\) such that \(\bigcup\{ \mathcal{V}_n : n \in\mathbb{N}\}\) is a cover of \(X\). \item[--] \textit{projectively Menger} if every second countable continuous image of \(X\) is Menger. \item[--] \textit{\(b\)-discrete} if every countable subset of \(X\) is closed and \(C^\ast\)-embedded in \(X\). \item[--] \textit{Whyburn} if for any \(A \subset X\) and \(x \in \overline{A}\setminus A\) there is a subset \(B \subset A\) such that \(\overline{B} = \{ x\} \cup B\). \item[--] \textit{\(\omega\)-Whyburn} if for any countable subset \(A \subset X\) and \(x \in \overline{A}\setminus A\) there is a subset \(B \subset A\) such that \(\overline{B} = \{ x\} \cup B\). \end{itemize}} In the first part of the article the author proves that a space \(X\) is \(b\)-discrete if and only if \(C_p(X, \mathbb{I})\) is projectively Menger. This implies that any space \(X\) is: {\parindent=0.6cm\begin{itemize}\item[--] discrete if and only if \(C_p(X, \mathbb{I})\) is Menger; \item[--] finite if and only if \(C_p(X)\) is Menger, see [\textit{A. V. Arkhangel'skij}, Sov. Math., Dokl. 33, 396--399 (1986; Zbl 0606.54013); translation from Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 287, 525--528 (1986)]. \end{itemize}} Now, let \(S_\omega = \{\infty\}\cup \{ (n, m): n, m\in\mathbb{N}\}\) be the sequential fan, where each \((n, m)\) is isolated in \(S_\omega\) and a basic open neighborhood of \(\infty\) is of the form \(N(\phi) = \{\infty\}\cup\{ (n, m): n\in\mathbb{N}, m\geq\phi(n)\}\) for a function \(\phi\in \mathbb{N}^\mathbb{N}\). [\textit{A. V. Arhangel'skii}, Topology Appl. 104, No. 1--3, 13--26 (2000; Zbl 0944.54012)] asked if \(S_\omega\) can be embedded into \(C_p(X)\) for some Menger space \(X\). The author solves this problem in the affirmative under CH. In fact, he proves that if \(X\) is a Lusin set \(H\subset\mathbb{R}\) such that every finite power of \(H\) is Rothberger, see [\textit{W. Just} et al., ibid. 73, No. 3, 241--266 (1996; Zbl 0870.03021)], then \(S_\omega\) cannot be embedded into \(C_p(X)\). In the last part of the paper the author establishes some connections among the projective Menger property, an embedding of \(S_\omega\) into \(C_p(X)\) and the Whyburn property. For example, he proves that for any space \(X\) the following conditions are equivalent: {\parindent=0.6cm\begin{itemize}\item[--] \(C_pC_p(X)\) is \(\omega\)-Whyburn; \item[--] every countable subset of \(C_pC_p(X)\) is Whyburn; \item[--] \(S_\omega\) cannot be embedded into \(C_pC_p(X)\); \item[--] \(X\) is pseudocompact and \(b\)-discrete. \end{itemize}}