Universal metric proper \(G\)-spaces (Q5963981)

Given a topological group \(G\), say that \(X\) is a \(G\)-space, if there exists a continuous action \(G \times X \to X\). It is a common practice to denote by \(gx\) the image of the pair \((g,x)\in G \times X\) under the action. If \(Y\) is also a \(G\)-space, then a map \(f : X\to Y\) is called equivariant, if \(f(gx) = gf(x)\) for every \(x\in X\) and \(g\in G\). Say that \(f\) is a \(G\)-map if \(f\) is continuous and equivariant; an equivariant homeomorphic embedding is called a \(G\)-embedding. Suppose that \(X\) is a \(G\)-space for some locally compact group \(G\). It is said that subsets \(U,V\subset X\) are thin with respect to each other if the set \(\{g\in G : gU\cap V \neq \emptyset\}\) has compact closure in \(G\). Furthermore, a set \(U\subset X\) is called small if every point of \(X\) has a neighborhood which is thin with respect to \(U\). A \(G\)-space \(X\) is proper, if every point of \(X\) has a small neighborhood. The class of all metrizable proper \(G\)-spaces that admit a \(G\)-invariant metric is denoted by \(G\)-\(\mathcal M\). A \(G\)-space \(Y\in G\)-\(\mathcal M\) is called a \(G\)-equivariant absolute retract provided that for any closed \(G\)-embedding of \(Y\) in a \(G\)-space \(X\in G\)-\(\mathcal M\) there exists a \(G\)-retraction \(r : X \to Y\). The main result of the paper states that for any infinite cardinal \(\kappa\), if the weight of a locally compact group \(G\) does not exceed \(\kappa\), then there exists a proper metric space \(\mathcal I_\infty(G,\kappa)\) of weight \(\kappa\) which is a \(G\)-equivariant absolute retract and every metrizable proper \(G\)-space \(X\) of weight \(\kappa\) can be equivariantly embedded in \(\mathcal I_\infty(G,\kappa)\).