Automatic continuity of homomorphisms and fixed points on metric compacta (Q926412)

Let \(G\) be a~topological group. It is said that \(G\)~is Steinhaus, if there is \(k\geq1\) such that for any symmetric set \(W\subseteq G\) which covers~\(G\) by countably many left-translates, \(W^k\)~contains an open neighbourhood of~\(1_G\). If \(G\)~is a~Steinhaus topological group and \(\pi:G\to H\) is a~homomorphism into a~separable group, then \(\pi\)~is continuous. The main result of the paper states that the groups \(\text{Homeo}(2^{\mathbb N})\), \(\text{Homeo}(2^{\mathbb N})^{\mathbb N}\), \(\Aut(\mathbb Q,{<})\), \(\text{Homeo}_+(\mathbb R)\), and \(\text{Homeo}_+(S^1)\) are Steinhaus where \(\text{Homeo}_+(\mathbb R)\) is the group of increasing homeomorphisms of~\(\mathbb R\) and \(\text{Homeo}_+(S^1)\) is the group of orientation preserving homeomorphisms of the unit circle. As a~consequence, an arbitrary homomorphism from either \(\text{Homeo}(2^{\mathbb N})\), \(\text{Homeo}(2^{\mathbb N})^{\mathbb N}\), \(\Aut(\mathbb Q,{<})\), \(\text{Homeo}(\mathbb R)\), or \(\text{Homeo}(S^1)\) into a~separable group is continuous. In combination with a~result of V.~G. Pestov it follows that any action of the discrete groups \(\Aut(\mathbb Q,{<})\) and \(\text{Homeo}_+(\mathbb R)\) by homeomorphism on a~compact metric space has a~fixed point.