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Take a profinite group $G=\varprojlim G_\alpha$. We know that the inner automorphism group $\text{Inn}(G)$ of $G$ is profinite since $\text{Inn}(G)=G/Z(G)$, and the quotient of a profinite group by a closed normal subgroup (which $Z(G)$ must be as the intersection of centralizers) is profinite. I'm considering another object $\widehat{\text{Inn}}(G)=\varprojlim\text{Inn}(G_\alpha)$. Now I would like to show that $\text{Inn}(G)=\widehat{\text{Inn}}(G)$. A priori there may be things in $\widehat{\text{Inn}}(G)$ that are not in $\text{Inn}(G)$, so I believe that showing this is a worthwhile goal. There is an embedding $\text{Inn}(G)\hookrightarrow\widehat{\text{Inn}}(G)$ and I've managed to show that $\text{Inn}(G)$ is dense in $\widehat{\text{Inn}}(G)$. It remains to show that $\text{Inn}(G)$ is closed in $\widehat{\text{Inn}}(G)$. I believe that one way to go about this is to take a limit point $\varphi$ of $\text{Inn}(G)$ and show that any open subset of $\widehat{\text{Inn}}(G)$ that contains $\varphi$ must intersect $\text{Inn}(G)$. Can someone help me with this argument?

Another possible way involves considering what the basic closed sets look like in a Stone topological space presented as an inverse limit. I know what the basic open sets look like, but what do basic closed sets look like?

Edit: I want to assume all the maps $f:G_\alpha\to G_\beta$ are surjective.

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  • $\begingroup$ As I pointed out in a comment to your previous question, $\DeclareMathOperator{\Inn}{Inn}\varprojlim \Inn(G_\alpha)$ may not make sense, since $\Inn$ is not a functor on the category of (finite) groups. If $f\colon G_\alpha\to G_\beta$ is an arrow in the diagram, we only get a canonical arrow $\Inn(G_\alpha)\to \Inn(G_\beta)$ if $f(Z(G_\alpha))\subseteq Z(G_\beta)$. Fortunately, this is always true when $f$ is surjective. Do you want to assume all the maps in the diagram $(G_\alpha)$ are surjective? $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 4, 2023 at 2:44
  • $\begingroup$ @AlexKruckman Yes I do want to assume that. $\endgroup$
    – Alex Byard
    Commented Jul 4, 2023 at 14:48

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The image of a compact set under a continuous map is compact, and compact subsets of Hausdorff spaces are closed, so the image of $\mathrm{Inn}(G)$ in $\widehat{\mathrm{Inn}}(G)$ is closed.

It follows (assuming you've correctly proved that the canonical map $\mathrm{Inn}(G)\to \widehat{\mathrm{Inn}}(G)$ is injective and has dense image) that this map is an isomorphism of profinite groups.

To answer your second question: What counts as a "basic open" or "basic closed" set in a topological space depends on the basis you've chosen (e.g. if we take the entire topology as a basis, every open set is basic open). Now if we have a Stone space $X$ presented as an inverse limit of finite sets, $X = \varprojlim (X_\alpha)$ and we write $\rho_\alpha\colon X\to X_\alpha$ for the projection maps, then a standard choice of basis is $\{\rho_\alpha^{-1}(Y)\mid Y\subseteq X_\alpha\}$. Note that if $Z = \rho_\alpha^{-1}(Y)$ is basic open, then its complement $X\setminus Z = X\setminus \rho_\alpha^{-1}(Y) = \rho_\alpha^{-1}(X_\alpha\setminus Y)$ is also a basic open set. So this basis $\mathcal{B}$ of open sets is closed under complement, and the corresponding basis of closed sets is again $\mathcal{B}$.

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    $\begingroup$ @AlexByard Because it's profinite. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 5, 2023 at 0:36
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    $\begingroup$ Sorry, I don't think I have anything more useful to say on that front. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 5, 2023 at 0:49
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    $\begingroup$ It's an elementary fact of set theory that preimages under arbitrary functions preserve intersections, unions, and complements. Check it! This answers your first question. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 7, 2023 at 19:57
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    $\begingroup$ For your second: yes, sets of this form are closed under finite intersections, so they quality as a basis for a topology. To see this, suppose we have $Y\subseteq X_\alpha$ and $Z\subseteq X_\beta$. Now find $X_\gamma$ in the diagram that maps to both $X_\alpha$ and $X_\beta$ by maps $f$ and $g$. Now check that $\rho_\alpha^{-1}(Y)\cap \rho_\beta^{-1}(X) = \rho_\gamma^{-1}(f^{-1}(X)\cap g^{-1}(Y))$. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 7, 2023 at 20:02
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    $\begingroup$ @AlexByard there are two ways to interpret your question. Which do you mean? (1) Given a filtered diagram of finite groups, these sets form the basis for a topology on the limit. Why is this topology a Stone topology? (2) Given a topological group with a Stone topology, we can form the filtered diagram of all finite quotients by open normal subgroups and recover the original group as the limit. Why is the topology arising from this basis equal to the original topology? $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 7, 2023 at 20:21

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