Fuzzy topological spaces (Q5903038)

This paper uses various ideas from the literature: fuzzy points, quasi- coincidence, Lowen's initial topology, and product-induced topologies, which are spaces of lower semi-continuous functions constructed by a variation of the hypergraph functor. These tools form the basis for a transference technique, which allows the author to produce a system of separation axioms \((T_ 0-T_ 5)\) and definitions of fuzzy metrizability, paracompactness, and uniformity. He proves fuzzy analogs of many familiar results from general topology, including the Nagata- Smirnov theorem and Weil's theorem. The paper does not make any reference to the many prior papers on similar topics, for example, \textit{B. Hutton} [ibid. 50, 74-79 (1975; Zbl 0297.54003)], \textit{M. A. Erceg} [ibid. 69, 205-230 (1979; Zbl 0409.54007)], or \textit{R. Lowen} [ibid. 82, 370-385 (1981; Zbl 0494.54005)]. It does implicitly raise an important question: is fuzzy topology merely a thinly disguised homomorphic image of general topology? Other authors have examined this question more directly, for example, \textit{R. Lowen} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 278, 547-564 (1983; Zbl 0541.54007)] and \textit{S. E. Rodabaugh} [Fuzzy Sets Syst. 9, 241-265 (1983; Zbl 0527.54005)].