Mappings which are stable with respect to the property \(\dim f(X)\geq k\) (Q1309821)

The authors systematically study the class of \(k\)-stable maps, i.e. maps \(f\) defined on compact metric spaces \(X\) which are stable with respect to the property \(\dim f(X)\geq k\). They begin by a presentation of the basic properties of \(k\)-stable maps and with some examples. They show that for maps into the \(k\)-dimensional Euclidean space \(E_ k\) \(k\)-stability is equivalent to the existence of a stable value and to essentiality. In the second part they show that the space \(\text{Dec} (X)\) of upper semicontinuous decompositions of \(X\) is the natural frame for studying \(k\)-stability. They prove that light maps on \(k\)-dimensional spaces are \(k\)-stable. As an application they give an elementary short proof of the Dranishnikov-West theorem. In the third part they obtain two criteria for stability which are the stable analogues of those of Vainstein, Keesling and Jung. These are then applied in the last, fourth part of the paper which is devoted to an analysis of the so-called Chogoshvili conjecture which, in turn was the main motivation for this work. They present some weaker versions of this conjecture and some related examples. \{Reviewer's remark: In spring 1995 A. N. Dranishnikov constructed a counterexample to the Chogoshvili conjecture\}.