Nielsen numbers for based maps, and for noncompact spaces (Q1368897)

In earlier work of the second author [ibid. 37, No. 3, 257-265 (1990; Zbl 0713.55001)], a ``surplus Nielsen number'' \(\text{SN} (f;X-A)\) was introduced that is a homotopy-invariant lower bound for the number of fixed points of a map of pairs of finite polyhedra \(f:(X,A) \to (X,A)\) that lie in \(X-A\). In this paper, the authors refine that theory in the special case that \(A\) is a point \(x_*\) and use that refinement in two different but related ways. In the first, defining \(N_*(f)= \text{SN} (f;N-x_*) +1\) produces a based-homotopy-invariant lower bound for the number of fixed points of a based map \(f:(X,x_*) \to (X,x_*)\). A notable feature of the based Nielsen number is that contains precise geometric information even when \(x_*\) is a local cut point of \(X\). Specifically, \(f\) is based-homotopic to a map with \(N_* (f)\) fixed points on \(X-x_*\) provided that \(X-x_*\) itself has no local cut points and is not a 2-manifold. The second use of the refined surplus Nielsen number concerns proper maps \(f:X\to X\) of noncompact spaces. If \(X^\infty =X\cup \{\infty\}\), the one-point compactification of \(X\), is a finite polyhedron, then a Nielsen-type number \(N^\infty(f)\) is defined by setting \(N^\infty(f) = \text{SN} (f^\infty; Y^\infty- \{\infty\})\) where \(f^\infty\) is the extension of \(f\) to \(X^\infty\). In particular, \(N^\infty (f)\) is an isotopy-invariant lower bound for the number of fixed points of homeomorphisms. Unlike other Nielsen-type theories for maps of noncompact spaces, \(N^\infty (f)\) can be defined even when \(f\) is not ``compactly fixed'', that is, \(f\) is not assumed to have a compact fixed point set. The paper concludes with a Nielsen-type theory for maps of pairs \(f:(X, A) \to(X,A)\) where \(A\) is assumed to be compact but \(X\) is not compact.