Maximal countably compact spaces and embeddings in MP-spaces

Abstract

We study embeddings in maximal pseudocompact spaces together with maximal countable compactness in the class of Tychonoff spaces. It is proved that under MA $${+\neg}$$ CH any compact space of weight $${\kappa < \mathfrak{c}}$$ is a retract of a compact maximal pseudocompact space. If κ is strictly smaller than the first weakly inaccessible cardinal, then the Tychonoff cube [0, 1]κ is maximal countably compact. However, for a measurable cardinal κ, the Tychonoff cube of weight κ is not even embeddable in a maximal countably compact space. We also show that if X is a maximal countably compact space, then the functional tightness of X is countable. It is independent of ZFC whether every compact space of countable tightness must be maximal countably compact. On the other hand, any countably compact space X with the Mazur property ( $${\equiv}$$ every real-valued sequentially continuous function on X is continuous) must be maximal countably compact. We prove that for any ω-monolithic compact space X, if C p (X) has the Mazur property, then it is a Frechet–Urysohn space.