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Let $X$ be a topological space and $f:X\to X$ a homeomorphism. I need to find a continuous, properly discontinuous $\mathbb{Z}$-action on $X\times\mathbb{R}$, such that the quotient $(X\times\mathbb{R})/\mathbb{Z}$ is homeomorphic to the mapping torus $T_f:=(X\times[0,1]) /\sim$, where $(x,1)\sim(f(x),0)$.

My first idea was to define the action by $n.(x,r):=(f^n(x),r+n)$. This is continuous and properly discontinuous. Intuitively we also identify $(x,1)\sim(f(x),0)$, but I have trouble arguing this formally.

John Hughes
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blst
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  • Your map is correct (it's the only natural choice to make really). Proving there is a homeomorphism will be more tricky. It's not hard to see that $\phi\colon (X\times\mathbb{R})/\mathbb{Z}\to T_f\colon([(x,r)])\mapsto [(x,\bar{r})]$ is a well defined bijection, but showing it is continuous and its inverse is also continuous, isn't particularly nice. – Dan Rust Jun 04 '14 at 11:36

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$$ \newcommand{\At}{\tilde{A}} \newcommand{\Bt}{\tilde{B}} $$

This looks completely correct to me (but I was wrong; see below. Despite this, almost all of what I wrote was correct, and I leave it here unchanged). I suggest that you now write down a homeomorphism between the two sets. I'll get you started. Let's call the mapping torus $A$, and the other quotient $B$. I'll define a map from $A$ to $B$:

$$ T: A \to B : [ (x, r) ]_A \mapsto [ (x, r) ]_B $$

where $[]_A$ is the equivalence class of some element $X \times [0, 1]$ in $A$, and similarly for $B$. It's pretty clear that $T$ is continuous, and that $$T \circ \pi_A = \pi_B \circ S,$$ where $\pi_A$ denotes the projection from $X \times [0, 1]$ to $A$, and similarly for $B$, and $$ S : X \times [0, 1] \to X \times \mathbb R: (x, r) \mapsto (x, r). $$

So $T$ is the projection of a continuous map (inclusion!) to the quotient; as long as you know that $S$ sends equivalence classes to equivalence classes, the projection of $S$, namely $T$, is well-defined and continuous on the quotient. Proving the statement about equivalence classes should not be too hard for you, but I can show the details if necessary.

Then all you need is a map in the other direction that acts as an inverse to $T$. Try constructing that map as the projection of a map from $$ X \times \mathbb R \to X \times [0, 1]; $$ I'll bet you can find a good candidate. :)

POST-COMMENT ADDENDUM (in progress):

OP asks for details on why the map $S$ sends equivalence classes to equivalence classes. I need to be clear on the definition here: I mean that if we take two equivalent things in the domain and apply $S$ to them, we'll get two equivalent things in the codomain. There may be some third, or fourth, or other thing in the codomain that's also equivalent to these, but which is not in the image of $S$, and that's OK: we just need the image under $S$ of any equivalence class to be a (possibly proper) subset of some single equivalence class in the codomain.

First, I have to slightly correct my earlier assertion that the action was the correct one. It should instead have $$ n \cdot (x, r) := (f^n(x), r-n), $$ for this gives $$ 1 \cdot (x, 1) := (f(x), 0), $$ i.e., it ends up identifying $(x, 1)$ with $(f(x), 0)$; the original action you defined had a sign-error.

I'm going to use $\At$ to denote $X \times [0, 1]$, and similarly use $\Bt$ for $X \times \mathbb R$, so that $\pi_A$ sends $\At$ to $A$, and similarly for $\pi_B$. So now $S$ is a map from $\At$ to $\Bt$.

An equivalence class in $\At$ is either $\{(x, r) \}$, where $r$ is neither $0$ nor $1$, or it's a pair $\{ (x, 1), (f(x), 0) \}$. In the first case, we have $$ S(\{(x, r) \}) = \{S(x, r) \} = \{ (x, r) \} \in \Bt. $$ That second set (which has only one element) is entirely contained in a single equivalence class of $\Bt$.

What about in the other case? \begin{align} S(\{ (x, 1), (f(x), 0) \}) &= \{ S(x, 1), S(f(x), 0) \} \\ &= \{ (x, 1), (f(x), 0) \} \end{align} The latter is a (proper) subset of an equivalence class of $\Bt$ as well -- the equivalence class also contains $(f(f(x)), -1)$, for instance -- so $S$ does indeed take equivalence classes to equivalence classes in the sense described above.

We now need to define a map $F$ from $\Bt$ to $\At$ that acts as an inverse to $S$, and to show that if $(x, a)$ and $(y, b)$ are equivalent in $\Bt$, then $F(x, a)$ and $F(y, b)$ are equivalent in $\At$.

Well, if $(x,a)$ and $(y, b)$ are equivalent, then there's an integer $n$ with $n \cdot (x, a) = (y, b)$, which means that $b = a - n$, so we've really got $(x, a)$ and $(y, a - n)$ being equivalent. But that means that $y = f^n(x)$. That means that our map $F$, when we construct it, must have two properties:

(1) For $0 < a < 1$, $F(x, a) = (x, a)$, so it'll be an inverse to $S$, and

(2) For any $n$, F(x, a) = F(f^n(x), a-n)$.

The only thing left uncertain by these two definitions is whether $F(x, 1) = (x, 1)$ or $F(x, 1) = (f(x), 0)$. I'll choose the latter convention.

The unique function satisfying these two conditions is $$ F(x, a) = (f^{-\lfloor a \rfloor}(x), a \bmod 1). $$

So we need to show this:

Given $(x, a)$ and $(f^n(x), a - n)$ (i.e., two equivalent points in $\Bt$), the points $F(x, a)$ and $F(f^n(x), a - n)$ are equivalent in $\At$.

Working from the definition, we have \begin{align} F(f^n(x), a-n) &= (f^{-\lfloor a-n \rfloor}(f^n(x)), (a-n) \bmod 1)\\ &= (f^{-\lfloor a \rfloor -n}(f^n(x)), (a-n) \bmod 1)\\ &= (f^{-\lfloor a \rfloor }(f^{-n}(f^n(x))), (a-n) \bmod 1)\\ &= (f^{-\lfloor a \rfloor }(x), a \bmod 1)\\ &= F(x, a). \end{align}

And that completes the construction of $F$ and the proof that it takes equivalence classes to equivalence classes, I believe.

John Hughes
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  • I think I need a little bit more help: I don't see why $T$ is continuous. I also think the "sending equivalence class to equivalence class" part is what I was having trouble with in the OP. For the inverse I would probably try to construct that map using the same strategy but now taking $F:X\times\mathbb{R}\to X\times[0,1]:(x,r)\mapsto (x,exp(r))$. – blst Jun 04 '14 at 11:56
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    Why is $T$ continuous? Well, you need to show that $T^{-1}(open) = open$, right? What's the definition of an open set in $A$ or $B$? Answer: $U \in A$ is open exactly when $\pi_A^{-1}(U)$ is open in $X \times [0, 1]$; similarly for $B$. That means that a map like $T$ is guaranteed continuous when the corresponding map, $S$, on the "unquotiented spaces", is continuous. More generally, $T$ is continuous when, for every set $V$ in $B$ such that $\pi_B^{-1}(V)$ is open in $X \times \mathbb R$, the set $S^{-1}(V)$ is open in $X \times [0, 1]$. $S$ has this property because it's continuous. – John Hughes Jun 04 '14 at 12:42
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    Your proposed "inverse", $F$, to $S$ is not right; it should, at the very least, on the second factor send $r$ to $r \bmod 1$. In fact, I'd suggest $F: X \times \mathbb R \to X \times [0, 1] : (x, r) \mapsto (x, r \bmod 1)$ as an "inverse" to $S$, by which I mean that its projection to the quotient is an inverse to $T$. – John Hughes Jun 04 '14 at 12:46
  • I drew some diagrams and just realized that $T$ being continuous is just the universal property of quotient spaces. For the "inverse" $F$: It is continuous, so applying the same argument we get a continous map $G:B\to A: [ (x, r) ]_B \mapsto [ (x, r mod 1) ]_A=[ (x, r) ]_A$. From this we see that they are inverse. What im still struggling with is to see why $S$ and $F$ send equivalence class to equivalence class. – blst Jun 04 '14 at 14:40
  • In fact, wouldn't it have been sufficient to say the following: $F$ is surjective and continuous, thus $\pi_A\circ F:X\times\mathbb{R}\to A$ is aswell. Now since $B$ is a quotient of $X\times\mathbb{R}$ we get a unique $S:B\to A$ continuous and surjective such that $S\circ\pi_B=\pi_A\circ F$. Analogously for S. Left to check is, if the identifications on both sides are the same. Now $\mathbb{Z}$ is generated by $1$, so it is enough to check for $1$. But this is the exact identification from the original definition. – blst Jun 04 '14 at 16:29
  • Actually, now I'm confused: for example $(x,1)$ is identified with $(f(x),0)$ in A. But if we send it over using $S$, we get $(x,1)$ is identified with $(f^n(x),1+n),n\in\mathbb{Z}$ in B, which for me does not look the same? – blst Jun 04 '14 at 18:56
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    See "post-comments addendum" above for a start on dealing with this last point. I'll try to finish up later. – John Hughes Jun 04 '14 at 22:50
  • I only just had time to get back to this problem. I think "inverse" $S$, resp. $F$ are incorrect, since, $(x,a),(f^n(x),a-n)$ as above, $F(x,a)=(x,a\mod 1)$ in general not equivalent to $F(f^n(x),a-n)=(f^n(x),a\mod 1)$. I say set $S(x,r)=(f^{-\lfloor r\rfloor}(x),r\mod 1)$ since this will take our $(x,a)$ to the representant in $[0,1]$ of its equivalence class. About $F$,$G$ being inverse: am I right in thinking this is because each are surjective, i.e. they hit all equivalence classes and they each map equivalence class in an "injective" sense, so since they are unique, they must be inverses? – blst Jun 06 '14 at 16:28