Extending paired multifunctions (Q409589)

For a metrizable space \(Y\), let \({\mathcal C}(Y)\) denote the set of all compact subsets of \(Y\). A mapping \(\varphi : X \to {\mathcal C}(Y)\) is said to be lower semicontinuous (respectively, upper semicontinuous) if for every open subset \(V\) of \(Y\), the set \(\{ x \in X: \varphi(x) \cap V \neq \varnothing\}\) (respectively, \(\{x \in X: \varphi (x) \subset V\}\)) is open in \(X\). A normal space \(X\) is said to be Katětov if for every closed subset \(A\) of \(X\) and every locally finite open (in \(A\)) cover of \(A\), there exists a locally finite open cover \(\{ V_U :U \in {\mathcal U}\}\) of \(X\) such that \(V_U \cap A=U\) for every \(U \in {\mathcal U}\). \textit{I. Shishkov} [Commentat. Math. Univ. Carol. 41, No. 1, 183--196 (2000; Zbl 1037.54501)] characterized hereditarily normal Katětov spaces in terms of extensions of upper semicontinuous compact-valued mappings. In the paper under review, the author gives a characterization of Katětov spaces in terms of extensions of Michael pairs. A pair \(\langle \varphi , \psi \rangle\) of mappings \(\varphi , \psi :X \to {\mathcal C}(Y)\) is called a Michael pair if \(\varphi\) is lower semicontinuous, \(\psi\) is upper semicontinuous and \(\psi (x) \subset \varphi(x)\) for each \(x \in X\). The author proves that a normal space \(X\) is Katětov if and only if given a closed subset \(A\subset X\), a completely metrizable space \(Y\) and a Michael pair \(\langle \varphi_0, \psi_0 \rangle : A \to {\mathcal C} (Y)\), there exists a Michael pair \(\langle \varphi, \psi \rangle : A \to {\mathcal C} (Y)\) such that \(\varphi_0(x) =\varphi(x)\) and \(\psi_0 (x) \subset \psi (x)\) for each \(x \in A\). This theorem is proved by using branch spaces of trees.