Spaces of measurable functions

Abstract: For a metrizable space $X$ and a finite measure space $(\Omega,\mathfrak{M},\mu)$ let $M_{\mu}(X)$ and $M^f_{\mu}(X)$ be the spaces of all equivalence classes (under the relation of equality almost everywhere mod $\mu$) of $mathfrak{M}$-measurable functions from $\Omega$ to $X$ whose images are separable and finite, respectively, equipped with the topology of convergence in measure. The main aim of the paper is to prove the following result: if $\mu$ is (nonzero and) nonatomic and $X$ has more than one point, then the space $M_{\mu}(X)$ is a noncompact absolute retract and $M^f_{\mu}(A)$ is homotopy dense in $M_{\mu}(X)$ for each dense subset $A$ of $X$. In particular, if $X$ is completely metrizable, then $M_{\mu}(X)$ is homeomorphic to an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space.