Prove that there is an open simply connected subspace containing a simple closed curve

algebraic-topologygeneral-topology

Let $\Omega$ be an open set in $\mathbb C$. Let $\gamma$ be a simple closed curve (i.e., $\gamma$ is homeomorphic to $S^1$) in $\mathbb C$. Let $W$ be the bounded component of $\mathbb C\setminus\gamma$. Suppose $\gamma\cup W\subseteq\Omega$. Then is it true that there is open simply connected $\Omega'$ such that $\gamma\cup W\subseteq\Omega'\subseteq\Omega$?

I tried to prove this as follows. For each $z\in\gamma$, choose an open ball $B(z,\epsilon_z)\subseteq\Omega$. Let $\Omega'=W\cup(\bigcup_{z\in\gamma}B(z,\epsilon_z))$, where $W$ is a bounded component of $\mathbb C\setminus\gamma$. I showed that $\Omega'$ is open path connected and that $\gamma\cup W\subseteq\Omega'\subseteq\Omega$. So it remains to show that a fundamental group of $\Omega'$ is trivial.

Best Answer

You know that $\gamma \in \mathbb{C}$ can be seen as a curve in $\mathbb{R}^2$. Using the Schonflies statement of the Jordan theorem, there is a homeomorphism $f: \mathbb{R}^2 \to \mathbb{R}^2$ that sends $\gamma$ to the unit circle, and your $W$ gets sent to the open unit disk. It will send $\Omega$ to some open set around the unit disk. Let us construct a set $V$ so that $f(\gamma \cup W) \subseteq V \subseteq f(\Omega)$. Let $\epsilon_\theta$ be the radial distance along the angle $\theta$ between $\gamma$ and the first time the ray intersects $\partial f(\Omega)$. We can define $\epsilon = \inf \epsilon_\theta$.

Notice that this infimum cannot be $0$. This would occur if there were a sequence of points on $\partial f(\Omega)$ that approached a point on $f(\gamma)$, but then this point of $f(\gamma)$ would be in $\partial(f(\Omega))$ since $\partial(f(\Omega))$ is closed. This can't happen because $\Omega$ is open so $int( f(\Omega)) = f(\Omega)$, so if $f(\gamma)$ had a point in the $\partial(f(\Omega))$, then this would contradict the fact that $\gamma \subset \Omega$.

Now let $V$ be the open unit disk of radius $1 + \epsilon$, and let $\Omega' = f^{-1}(V)$. Since this is an open disk, it is simply connected.

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