From cuts to \(\mathbb{R}\)-trees (Q2670093)

A pretree is a nonempty set \(P\) and a map \((\cdot, \cdot): P\times P \rightarrow 2^P\) such that for any \(A, B, C \in P\), \((A,A) = \emptyset, (A,B) = (B,A)\), \(A \in (B,C)\) implies \(B \not\in (A,C)\), and \((A, C) \subseteq (A,B) \cup \{B\} \cup (B,C)\). A pretree \(P\) is complete if every interval is conditionally complete in the order theoretic sense. Suppose \(Z\) is a connected topological space. For \(A, B, C \subseteq Z\), \(A\) separates \(B\) if \(B-A\) contains points in distinct quasicomponents of \(Z - A\), and \(A\) separates \(B\) from \(C\) if \(B-A\) and \(C-A\) contain points in distinct quasicomponents of \(Z-A\). Suppose \(\mathcal{A}\) is a collection of closed subsets of \(Z\) such that for any distinct \(A, B \in \mathcal{A}\), \(A\) separates \(Z\), \(A\) does not separate \(B\), and \(A \cap B\) does not separate \(Z\). The authors show that \(\mathcal{A}\) can be extended to a complete pretree \(P\) of closed subsets of \(Z\) which cover \(Z\) and, for any \(A, B, C \in P\), \(C\) does not separate \(A\), and for \(A, B \not\subseteq C\), \(C \in (A,B)\) implies \(C\) separates \(A\) from \(B\), and if \(C\) separates \(A\) from \(B\) then there exists \(D \subseteq C\) with \(D \in (A, B)\). Using a result of [\textit{P. Papasoglu} and \textit{E. Swenson}, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 6, 1759--1784 (2006; Zbl 1182.54039)], if the collection \(\mathcal{A}\) of cuts of \(Z\) is preseparable, then \(P\) (and thus \(\mathcal{A}\)) embeds in an \(\mathbb{R}\)-tree.