Applications of the Theory of Boolean Rings to General Topology (Q5767211)

The author applies his theory of the algebra of classes [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 40, 37--111 (1936; Zbl 0014.34002)] to general topology. He first establishes a one-one correspondence between ``Boolean'' rings \(R\) (i. e., rings whose elements are idempotent) and ``Boolean'' spaces \(H\) (i. e., totally disconnected locally bicompact Hausdorff spaces). The ideals \(J\) of \(R\) correspond to the open sets of \(H\); the quotient-rings \(R/J\) to the complementary closed sets; the principal ideals of \(R\) to the bicompact open sets of \(H\); the prime ideals of \(R\) to the complements of points in \(H\); automorphisms of \(R\) to self-homeomorphisms of \(H\). \(H\) is bicompact if and only if \(R\) has a unit. The ``universal'' Boolean spaces of given character \(\mathfrak c\) introduced by Tychonoff (Tikhonov), correspond to the ``free'' Boolean rings generated by \(\mathfrak c\) symbols. He then discusses ``maps'' of general spaces \(S\) on Boolean spaces \(H\): points in \(S\) become closed sets in \(H\). He shows that any \(T_0\)-space is characterized topologically by its maps. He uses this fact to discuss the embedding of \(T_0\)-spaces as dense subsets in bicompact spaces (the ``problem of extension''), obtaining new results. He also studies various regularity and normality conditions on \(T_0\)-spaces, among them a new condition of ``semi-regularity'', important for his theory of mapping. And finally, he discusses the ``function-ring'' of all continuous, bounded functions on an arbitrary \(T_0\)-space. He uses this to obtain a solution of the problem of extension.