Nonshrinking open covers and K. Morita's duality conjectures (Q5946448)

For any uncountable cardinal \(\kappa\) a topology is constructed in ZFC on \(X_\kappa = 2^\kappa\times\omega_1\) such that the product of \(X_\kappa\) with every metrizable space is normal and \(X_\kappa\) has an increasing open cover \(\langle W_\mu\rangle_{\mu<\omega_1}\) having no refinement of \(\leq\kappa\) closed sets. This result implies Morita's Second Duality Conjecture, viz that a space \(Z\) is metrizable if \(Z\times Y\) is normal for each space \(Y\) such that \(Y\times X\) is normal for each metrizable space \(X\).