Three Problems on Separable Quotients of Precompact Abelian Groups

Abstract: We address three problems on separable quotients of topological groups posed by Leiderman, Morris, and Tkachenko in \cite{LMT} published on Israel Journal of Mathematics. First, we construct in ZFC a connected Baire Pontryagin-reflexive dense subgroup of $\T<sup>{\cc}$ whose countable subgroups are $h$-embedded and whose uncountable subgroups are dense. Its underlying abstract group is the circle group, and all its compact subsets are finite. Second, we construct a zero-dimensional Baire Pontryagin-reflexive example with the same subgroup properties whose underlying group is free abelian of rank $\cc$. Both examples have no nontrivial separable Hausdorff quotient. Third, for the group constructed in their Theorem~3.5, we determine every closed subgroup of every finite power up to an integral change of coordinates and prove that every countable subgroup of every Hausdorff quotient of a finite power is $h$-embedded and closed. The same conclusions hold for our free Baire reflexive example. These results answer Problem~1.25 negatively, Problem~3.12 affirmatively and realize all three regularity properties in Problem~3.14 simultaneously in \cite{LMT}.