Discrete selectivity, shrinking properties, and disjoint local <i>π</i> -bases (Q6548314)

A (Tychonoff) space \(X\) is said to be \textit{discretely selective} if whenever \(\{U_n:n\in\omega\}\) is a countable family of non-empty open subsets of \(X\) then for each \(n\in\omega\) it is possible to pick \(x_n\in U_n\) in such a way that \(\{x_n:n\in\omega\}\) is closed and discrete, while \(X\) is said to have the \textit{discrete shrinking property} if for each \(n\in\omega\), it is possible to find non-empty open sets \(V_n\subseteq U_n\) such that \(\{V_n:n\in\omega\}\) is a discrete family. A space \(X\) is said to be \textit{weakly essentially uncountable} if for any countable subset \(A\subseteq X\) there exist disjoint countable sets \(D,E\subseteq X\setminus A\) such that \(\operatorname{cl}_{\beta X}(D)\cap\operatorname{cl}_{\beta X}(E)\neq\emptyset\). \N\NAfter two introductory sections, the first theorem in Section 3 states that if \(X\) is a zero-dimensional, weakly essentially uncountable space, then \(C_p(X,\{0,1\})\) has the discrete shrinking property. \NThe second important theorem of this section contains a list of properties equivalent to weak essential uncountability of an \(\omega\)-monolithic, zero-dimensional space \(X\) of countable tightness, among them being (a) \(C_p(X,\{0,1\})\) is discretely selective, (b) \(C_p(X,[0,1])\) is discretely selective, (c) \(C_p(X,[0,1])\) has the discrete shrinking property, and (d) \(C_p(X,\{0,1\})\) has the discrete shrinking property. \NLater in this section it is shown that (c) and (d) are equivalent when \(X\) is an uncountable space with only one non-isolated point. \N\NSection 4 deals with the relationship between shrinking properties and disjoint local \(\pi\)-bases. One of many results here states that if \(X\) is a compact space of countable tightness in which every non-empty open subset fails to be separable, then \(X\) has a countable disjoint local \(\pi\)-base at each point. The last result, being a corollary of a more general theorem states that any continuous image of a first countable compact space has a disjoint, countable local \(\pi\)-base at each point. The paper ends with a number of open questions.