Supplementary Exercises*: Topological Groups: Problem 7 Solution
Working problems is a crucial part of learning mathematics. No one can learn topology merely by poring over the definitions, theorems, and examples that are worked out in the text. One must work part of it out for oneself. To provide that opportunity is the purpose of the exercises.
James R. Munkres
If
and
are subsets of
, let
denote the set of all points
for
and
. Let
denote the set of all points
, for
.
(a) A neighborhood
of the identity element
is said to be symmetric if
. If
is a neighborhood of
, show there is a symmetric neighborhood
of
such that
. [Hint: If
is a neighborhood of
, then
is symmetric.]
(b) Show that
is Hausdorff. In fact, show that if
, there is a neighborhood
of
such that
and
are disjoint.
(c) Show that
satisfies the following separation axiom, which is called the regularity axiom: Given a closed set
and a point
not in
, there exist disjoint open sets containing
and
, respectively. [Hint: There is a neighborhood
of
such that
and
are disjoint.]
(d) Let
be a subgroup of
that is closed in the topology of
; let
be the quotient map. Show that
satisfies the regularity axiom. [Hint: Examine the proof of (c) when
is saturated.]
(a)
and
are continuous, therefore, there is a neighborhood
of
such that
and
such that
. Therefore,
, and
iff
for some
iff
.
(b) We need a symmetric neighborhood of
such that for no
:
or
. In other words, we need a symmetric neighborhood
of
such that
does not contain
.
is a
-space, therefore,
is closed. Using (a), we construct
for
. It remains to note that since
and
are homeomorphisms (Exercise 4),
and
are disjoint open neighborhoods of
and
.
(c) We need a symmetric neighborhood of
such that for no
and
:
or
. In other words, we need a symmetric neighborhood
of
such that
does not intersect
.
is closed (
is a homeomorphism by Exercise 4). Using (a), we construct
for
. It remains to note that since
and
for
are homeomorphisms (Exercise 4),
and
are disjoint open neighborhoods of
and
.
(d) If
is closed,
is a
-space (Exercise 5(b)). So, together with the regularity axiom we are about to prove, this shows that
is a regular space. However, as noted in the comments below (see the comments by shafi and Daniel Whitman below), the regularity axiom holds even if
is not closed (and, therefore,
is not a
space).
A closed subset of
is an image of a closed saturated subset of
. Let
be a saturated closed subset of
that does not intersect
. Then,
. Indeed,
. Alternatively, you can just say that then
consists of disjoint subsets
for some
each being closed under right multiplication by
. As in (c), let
be a symmetric neighborhood of
such that
does not intersect
. Using Exercise 5(c),
is an open neighborhood of
disjoint from
, an open neighborhood of
. Indeed, if they are not disjoint, then for some elements
and
,
, and
where
, contradicting
.