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51 votes
5 answers
9k views

Fundamental group as topological group

Background Let $(X,x)$ be a pointed topological space. Then the fundamental group $\pi_1(X,x)$ becomes a topological space: Endow the set of maps $S^1 \to X$ with the compact-open topology, endow the ...
Martin Brandenburg's user avatar
36 votes
4 answers
5k views

Compact open topology on $\mathrm{Homeo}(X)$

Let $X$ and $Y$ be topological spaces. Define the compact open topology on the set $\mathrm{M}(X,Y)$ of continuous maps from $X$ to $Y$ via the subbase $[K,O]$ of all maps $f:X\rightarrow Y$ s.t. $f(K)...
Olivier Bégassat's user avatar
32 votes
1 answer
2k views

A group allowing exactly 7 group topologies

Is there a group $G$ allowing exactly 7 group topologies on $G$: $\mathcal T_{\text{trivial}}, \mathcal T_{\text{discrete}}, \mathcal T_1, \mathcal T_2,\mathcal T_3,\mathcal T_4, \mathcal T_5$ with $$...
Minimus Heximus's user avatar
31 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is a normed space which is homeomorphic to a Banach space complete?

I have a normed space $(E,||\cdot||)$ which is homeomorphic (as a topological space) to a Banach space $F$. Does this imply that $(E,||\cdot||)$ is also a Banach space? I think I read something ...
Neslihan's user avatar
  • 495
30 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is every connected subgroup of a Euclidean space closed?

The question listed above (in the context of the complex numbers, but it is a reasonable question to ask in any dimension) was asked by a student in my complex analysis class, and I did not have an ...
Terry Tao's user avatar
  • 114k
27 votes
1 answer
840 views

Can closed compacts in a topological group behave "paradoxically" with respect to unions, intersections, and one-sided translations?

Consider two closed compacts $A$ and $B$ in a topological group $\Gamma$. Let $A'$ be a left translation of $A$ and $B'$ a left translation of $B$: $A' = aA$, $B' = bB$. Suppose it is known that $A'\...
Alexey Muranov's user avatar
24 votes
4 answers
7k views

Compact open topology

What is the intuition behind using compact open topology for eg. in the case of Pontryagin dual ?
Suman's user avatar
  • 1,209
20 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is every compact topological ring a profinite ring?

There are a lot of compact (Hausdorff) groups, whereas every compact field is finite. What about rings? Is there a classification theorem for compact rings? If you take a cofiltered limit of finite ...
Gene S. Kopp's user avatar
  • 2,200
19 votes
0 answers
703 views

The cofinality of $(\mathbb{N}^\kappa,\le)$ for uncountable $\kappa$?

For a partially ordered set $P$, a set $A\subseteq P$ is cofinal if for each element of $P$ there is a larger element in $A$. The cofinality of $P$, ${\rm cof}(P)$, is the minimal cardinality of a ...
Boaz Tsaban's user avatar
  • 3,104
17 votes
6 answers
6k views

What is a good book on topological groups?

I am looking for a good book on Topological Groups. I have read Pontryagin myself, and I looked some other in the library but they all seem to go in length into some esoteric topics. I would love ...
16 votes
1 answer
481 views

Where can I learn more about the topology on $\mathbb{R}$ induced by the map $\mathbb{R} \to \prod_{a>0} (\mathbb{R}/a\mathbb{Z})$?

Consider the (continuous, injective, abelian group homomorphism) map $\Phi \colon \mathbb{R} \to \prod_{a>0} (\mathbb{R}/a\mathbb{Z})$ (where the target is given the product topology) taking $x\in \...
Gro-Tsen's user avatar
  • 32.5k
15 votes
1 answer
986 views

Is a left topological group which is a manifold a topological group?

Let $G$ be a left topological group, i.e. a topological space with group operation such that left multiplication $L_g : x \mapsto gx$ is continuous (but right multiplication and inversion are not ...
Maurizio Monge's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
1k views

Baire Category Theorem for complete uniform spaces

The version of the Baire Category Theorem I have in mind is the statement that a countable intersection of dense open subsets of a complete metric space is dense. The question is: is it likewise ...
Jonathan Gleason's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
1k views

Distributivity of group topologies on $\Bbb Z$

Let $\mathcal L$ be the set of all group topologies on $\Bbb Z$. It is known that $(\mathcal L,\subseteq)$ is a modular complete lattice [1]. Is $(\mathcal L,\subseteq)$ distributive? $$~$$ [1] ...
Minimus Heximus's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
295 views

Is $Alt_\omega$ a dense subgroup of a non-discrete locally compact topological group?

Let $S_\omega$ be the group of bijections of the countable ordinal $\omega:=\{0,1,2,\dots\}$ and $Alt_\omega$ be the subgroup of $S_\omega$ consisting of even permutations of $\omega$ (i.e., the ...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
13 votes
2 answers
514 views

subsets of groups which have to be closed no matter what

One example of a subset of a group $G$ which has to be closed in any topology on $G$ compatible with the group operations is a centraliser. Are there any other interesting examples?
Rupert's user avatar
  • 2,125
13 votes
1 answer
442 views

Is the identity function a unique multiplicative homeomorphism of $\mathbb N$?

Endow the set $\mathbb N$ of positive integers with the topology $\tau$ generated by the base consisting of arithmetic progressions $a+b\mathbb N_0$ where $\mathbb N_0=\{0\}\cup\mathbb N$, where $a,b\...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
13 votes
1 answer
797 views

Is there a compact, connected, totally path-disconnected topological group?

There exist homogeneous spaces such as the pseudo-arc, which are compact, connected, and totally path-disconnected. Is there a nontrivial, Hausdorff topological group with the same properties, i.e. ...
Jeremy Brazas's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
576 views

Are Hausdorff measures on the real line Haar measures for some locally compact topology?

For $0\leq d\leq 1$, let $\lambda_d$ be the $d$-dimensional Hausdorff measure on $\mathbb{R}$. Note that it is translation-invariant. Does there exist a locally compact topology $\mathscr{T}_d$ on $\...
Gro-Tsen's user avatar
  • 32.5k
13 votes
3 answers
555 views

If G is a sequential topological group, must G x G be sequential?

Using standard definitions, the topological space $Y$ is sequential if for each nonclosed $A \subset Y$, there exists a convergent sequence $a_{1}$ , $a_{2}$,...$\rightarrow b$ so that $a_{n} \in A$ ...
Paul Fabel's user avatar
  • 1,968
13 votes
1 answer
852 views

Mistake on article about Bohr compactification?

$\DeclareMathOperator\b{b}\newcommand\B{{\operatorname B}}$I wish to get help understanding the content of two theorems of [Iva] that seem mutually contradictory. First some context. Let $\b(\mathbb{R}...
stgo's user avatar
  • 193
13 votes
1 answer
671 views

Topological groups containing the Sorgenfrey line

The Sorgenfrey line $\mathbb S$ is the real line endowed with the topology generated by the base consisting of all half-intervals $[a,b)$ for real numbers $a<b$. The Sorgenfrey line is first-...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
13 votes
1 answer
459 views

A generalization of residual finiteness to topological groups

Consider the following generalization of residual finiteness to topological groups. A locally compact Hausdorff group $G$ is called residually compact if for every compact $K \subseteq G$ there is a ...
Jeremias Epperlein's user avatar
13 votes
0 answers
421 views

A meager subgroup of the real line, which cannot be covered by countably many closed subsets of measure zero?

Is there a ZFC-example of a subgroup $H$ of the real line $\mathbb R$ such $H$ is meager, has zero Lebesgue measure, but cannot be covered by countably many closed subsets of measure zero in $\mathbb ...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
12 votes
1 answer
321 views

If $G$ is a paracompact topological group, then is $G \times G$ paracompact?

If $G$ is a paracompact topological group, then is $G \times G$ paracompact? This question is raised by Gepner and Henriques (first paragraph of 2.2). Of course, this is not true for arbitrary ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
  • 63.9k
12 votes
2 answers
741 views

Start with a topological group, take the meet of the two uniformities, and take the topology. Is the result again a topological group? [xpost from math.SE]

And what else can be said, if so? (Original math.SE post) In more detail: Say $(G,\mathscr{T})$ is a topological group. It has a left uniformity $\mathscr{L}$ and a right uniformity $\mathscr{R}$. (...
Harry Altman's user avatar
  • 2,585
12 votes
1 answer
624 views

Stone–Čech compactification as a semigroup

Let $G$ be a topological group (we can assume that $G$ is countable and discrete) and let $\beta(G)$ be the Stone–Čech compactification of $G$. It is known that $\beta(G)$ can be turned into a left ...
Serge the Toaster's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
746 views

Which topological spaces are coset spaces of locally compact groups?

What is a topological characterization of the class of spaces that have the form $G/H$ for a locally compact, Hausdorff group $G$ and a closed subgroup $H$ ? Such a space $X=G/H$ necessarily ...
Hannes Thiel's user avatar
  • 3,497
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

(Closures of sets of) operations in topological groups.

Let $G$ be a topological group. For each $n \in \mathbb{Z}$, consider the continuous functions $f_{n} \colon G \to G : x \mapsto x^{n}$, and set $F := \{f_{n} \mid n \in \mathbb{Z}\}$. Is there a ...
Niemi's user avatar
  • 1,498
12 votes
0 answers
349 views

Metric completion of an algebraically closed field is algebraically closed?

Let $F$ be a complete metric topological field. Suppose there is a subfield $F_1 \subset F$, algebraically closed and topoolgically dense in $F$. Must $F$ itself be algebraically closed? We can ...
Gerald Edgar's user avatar
  • 41.1k
12 votes
0 answers
172 views

A connected Borel subgroup of the plane

It is known that the complex plane $\mathbb C$ contain dense connected (additive) subgroups with dense complement but each dense path-connected subgroup of $\mathbb C$ necessarily coincides with $\...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
12 votes
0 answers
372 views

Does each compact topological group admit a discontinuous homomorphism to a Polish group?

A compact topological group $G$ is called Van der Waerden if each homomorphism $h:G\to K$ to a compact topological group is continuous. By a classical result of Van der Waerden (1933) the groups $SO(...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
11 votes
2 answers
2k views

Two Definitions of "Character" of topological groups

When I first met the concept of "characters" of topological groups in Pontryagin's book "Topological groups", it was defined as follows: Let $G$ be a topological group. A ...
Hiro's user avatar
  • 945
11 votes
2 answers
578 views

Homeomorphisms vs Borel automorphisms

Let $\mathrm{Homeo}(M)$ and $\mathrm{Borel}(M)$ be the groups of homeomorphic and Borel automorphisms of a space $M$, respectively. Question: Are $\mathrm{Homeo}(M)$ and $\mathrm{Borel}(M)$ ...
Bedovlat's user avatar
  • 1,959
11 votes
1 answer
992 views

Why are homeomorphism groups important?

For a compact metric space $X$ let $\mathcal H(X)$ denote the set of homeomorphisms in the compact-open topology (also generated by sup metric). It is known that $\mathcal H(X)$ is a Polish ...
D.S. Lipham's user avatar
  • 3,317
11 votes
0 answers
273 views

A ZFC-example of a countably compact paratopological group which is not a topological group

Problem. Does there exist a ZFC-example of a countably compact Hausdorff paratopological group which is not a topological group? (The problem posed 27 May 2015 by Alexander Ravsky on page 9 of Volume ...
Lviv Scottish Book's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
2k views

When do isometric actions exist?

Let $X$ be a metrizable topological space and $G$ be a locally compact group. Given a continuous (left) action of $G$ on $X$, is there a metric on $X$, compatible with the topology, for which the ...
Kamran Reihani's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
451 views

Group of surface homeomorphisms is locally path-connected

I think the following is true and I need a reference for the proof. (Given a closed surface $S$, i.e. a compact 2-dimensional topological manifold (without boundary), we endow $S$ with a distance ...
Arnaud Chéritat's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
326 views

What is known about topological groups of countable spread in ZFC?

A topological space has countable spread if every discrete subspace is at most countable. By Theorem 8.10 in Todorcevic's book "Partition Problems in Topology", PFA implies that each regular space $X$...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
10 votes
1 answer
366 views

Are all compact subsets of Banach spaces small in a measure-theoretic sense?

Definition. A subset $K$ of a topological group $X$ is called measure-continuous if there exists a $\sigma$-additive Borel probability measure $\mu$ on $X$ such that for every compact subset $C\subset ...
Taras Banakh's user avatar
  • 41.8k
10 votes
1 answer
211 views

homeomorphisms induced by composant rotations in the solenoid

Let $S$ be the dyadic solenoid. Let $x\in S$, and let $X$ be the union of all arcs (homeomorphic copies of $[0,1]$) in $S$ containing $x$. $X$ is called a composant of $S$. It is well-known ...
Forever Mozart's user avatar
10 votes
0 answers
272 views

What is the smallest $\sigma$-algebra of reals that is closed under addition of sets?

What is the smallest $\sigma$-algebra $\Sigma\subseteq\mathcal P(\Bbb R)$ containing the open sets and such that if $A,B\in\Sigma$, then $$A+B=\{a+b\mid a\in A,b\in B\}\in\Sigma?$$ I know that neither ...
Alessandro Codenotti's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
952 views

Is there a non-trivial topological group structure of $\mathbb{Z}$?

More specificaly, is there a haussdorf non-discrete topology on $\mathbb{Z}$ that makes it a topological group with the usual addition operation?
Cristos A. Ruiz's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
531 views

Existence of infinite groups that are too reluctant to be topological

With ZFC, is there an infinite group $G$ such that there is no non-trivial non-discrete topology on $G$ with the functions $G\times G\to G,~~ (a,b) \mapsto ab$ and $G\to G,~~ a\mapsto a^{-1}$ ...
Minimus Heximus's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
902 views

Are locally compact, Hausdorff, locally path-connected topological groups locally Euclidean?

Is every locally compact, Hausdorff, locally path-connected topological group $G$ locally Euclidean? (That would imply of course also being a Lie group.) Is it true when countable basis is assumed? I ...
Adam's user avatar
  • 2,390
9 votes
1 answer
825 views

Is there a natural topology on the automorphism group of a topological group?

$\DeclareMathOperator\TAut{TAut}\DeclareMathOperator\Homeo{Homeo}$Let $G$ be a topological group, and let $\TAut(G)$ denote the group of topological automorphisms of $G$ under composition (i.e. the ...
ckefa's user avatar
  • 495
9 votes
2 answers
699 views

Potential connected non-Lie subgroup

This painful question is inspired by the question "non-Lie subgroups" . Let $f$ be a discontinuous additive map from $\mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$. Is it possible that the graph of $f$, inside ...
David E Speyer's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
401 views

Meager subgroups of compact groups

Suppose we have an infinite compact (Hausdorff) group $G$, and a subgroup $H\leq G$ which is meagre. Can $H$ always be covered by a countable family of nowhere dense sets $H_n$ such that $H_n^2$ is ...
tomasz's user avatar
  • 1,338
8 votes
1 answer
509 views

About locally compact groups without compact subgroups

Is every Hausdorff, locally compact group that does not contain any non-trivial compact group, finitely dimensional?
Wlod AA's user avatar
  • 4,786
8 votes
1 answer
442 views

Topological group locally homeomorphic to the Hilbert cube

Does there exist a topological group which is locally homeomorphic to the Hilbert cube $[0,1]^{\mathbb N}$? Let me note that Hilbert cube has the fixed point property and thus it is not homeomorphic ...
Benjamin Vejnar's user avatar

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