Coepi maps and generalizations of the Hopf extension theorem. (Q1398192)

Hopf has shown that a map \(f:S^{n-1}\to\mathbb R^n\) on the unit sphere in \(\mathbb R^n\) with the property that each extension has \(0\in \mathbb R^n\) in the image, is equivalent to say that \(f\) has nonzero degree. This result has been generalized for maps defined on open and bounded subsets \(\Omega\subseteq X\) of Banach spaces. For maps of the form \(F=\text{id}-\varphi\) where \(\varphi\) is a so-called strictly condensing map, \(F\) is 0-epi, the Hopf result was obtained by \textit{E. Giorgieri} and \textit{M. Väth} [J. Funct. Anal. 187, 183--199 (2001; Zbl 1021.47029)]. In the paper under review, the purpose is to generalize this result for coincidences where id is replaced by a so-called Vietoris map. The author uses the Kryszewski-Górniewicz index and replaces this hypothesis of \(F\) to be 0-epi by what he calls \(F\) be \(f\)-coadmissible and \(f\)-coepi. It turns out that this is the correct hypothesis to obtain the generalization. The coincidence index (which is an integer) is studied from the axiomatic point of view, and under certain hypotheses it is unique. The compact and noncompact case are studied carefully and in detail. The precise hypotheses and statements are too long to state here and we thus omit them.