A closure operator for clopen topologies

Abstract

A topology $\tau$ on a nonempty set $X$ is called a clopen topology provided each member of $\tau$ is both open and closed. Given a function $f$ from $X$ to $Y$, the operator $E \mapsto f^{-1}(f(E))$ is a closure operator on the power set of $X$ whose fixed points are closed subsets corresponding to a clopen topology on $X$. Conversely, for each clopen topology $\tau$ on $X$, we produce a function $f$ with domain $X$ such that $\tau = \{E \subseteq X : E = f^{-1}(f(E))\}$. We characterize the clopen topologies on $X$ as those that are weak topologies determined by a surjective function with values in some discrete topological space. Paralleling this result, we show that a topology admits a clopen base if and only if it is a weak topology determined by a family of functions with values in discrete spaces.