Zero-selectors and GO spaces (Q2565566)

Let \(X\) be a regular space. Let \(F(X)\) be the set of all nonempty closed subsets of \(X\), equipped with the Vietoris topology. A continuous zero-selector on a subspace \(U\) of \(F(X)\) is a continuous function \(s\) from \(U\) to \(X\) such that \(s(A)\) is a relatively isolated point of \(A\) for each \(A\) in \(U\). Continuous zero-selectors can be defined quite easily for spaces of ordinals: just take for each nonempty closed set its minimum. A space \(X\) is scattered if every nonempty (closed) subset \(F\) of \(X\) has a point relatively isolated in \(F\). The main result of this paper is the following. THEOREM. Let \(X\) be a regular space such that there exists a continuous zero-selector defined on the family of the countable infinite closed subsets of \(X\) with at most one limit point. Then \(X\) is scattered in the following cases: (a) \(X\) is a metric space, (b) every countable subset of \(X\) is closed, (c) \(X\) is a non-Archimedean space (\(X\) has a basis \(B\) such that if \(U\) and \(V\) are intersecting elements of \(B\), then one of the sets \(U\) or \(V\) is contained in the other). The authors also use continuous zero-selectors to characterize suborderable spaces which are subspaces of ordinals.