Tightness relative to some (co)reflections in topology

Abstract

We address what might be termed the reverse reflection problem: given a monoreflection from a category A onto a subcategory B, when is a given object B ∈ B the reflection of a proper subobject? We start with a well known specific instance of this problem, namely the fact that a compact metric space is never the Čech-Stone compactification of a proper subspace. We show that this holds also in the pointfree setting, i.e., that a compact metrizable locale is never the Čech-Stone compactification of a proper sublocale. This is a stronger result than the classical one, but not because of an increase in scope; after all, assuming weak choice prin­ciples, every compact regular locale is the topology of a compact Hausdorff space. The increased strength derives from the conclusion, for in general a space has many more sublocales than subspaces. We then extend the analysis from metric locales to the broader class of perfectly normal locales, i.e., those whose frame of open sets consists entirely of cozero elements. We include a second proof of these results which is purely algebraic in character.