Axioms for the fixed point index of \(n\)-valued maps, and some applications (Q721197)

Given sets \(X\) and \(Y\) and a positive integer \(n\), an \(n\)-valued function from \(X\) into \(Y\) is a set-valued function \(f\) such that \(f(x)\) is a subset of \(Y\) of cardinality \(n\) for each \(x\in X\). Thus, an \(n\)-valued function can be seen as a single function from \(X\) into \(D_n(Y) = \{\{y_1, \ldots , y_n\} \mid y_i \in Y, y_i \neq y_j \text{ for all } i\neq j\}\), the unordered configuration space of \(n\) points in \(Y\). When \(X\) and \(Y\) are topological spaces, the continuity of an \(n\)-valued function is classically defined in terms of lower and upper-semicontinuity. A continuous \(n\)-valued function is called an \(n\)-valued map. An equivalent way to define continuity for \(n\)-valued functions is considering \(Y^n\) with the product topology, the set of ordered configurations of \(n\) points in \(Y\) as a subspace of \(Y^n\) and then \(D^n(Y)\) as the quotient space of this subspace by the symmetric group \(S_n\). A fixed point for an \(n\)-valued map \(f: X \to D_n(X)\) is a point \(x\in X\) such that \(x\in f(x)\). Focusing on finite polyhedra \(X\) and \(n\)-valued maps \(f: X \to D_n(X)\), the author proves the uniqueness of a fixed-point local index with respect to the axioms of homotopy invariance, additivity, and the splitting property. In sequence, averaging and product formulae are obtained.