Compacta admitting retractions close to the identity map (Q1983268)

A classical topic in continuum theory is the study of \(\mathcal G\)-like continua. Recall that a continuum \(X\) is called \(\mathcal G\)-like, where \(\mathcal G\) is a collection of spaces, if \(X\) is a limit of inverse sequences consisting of spaces from \(\mathcal G\). Equivalently, for each \(\epsilon >0\), \(X\) admits an \(\epsilon\)-map onto a space from \(\mathcal G\). The classes of arc-like (or chainable), circle-like, triod-like (or, more generally, tree-like) continua have been and remain subjects of active research, as well as sources of various examples, in particular, of indecomposable continua with specific properties. In the paper under review, the author considers variations of the above definition. Namely, the classes of continua which are internally \(\mathcal G\)-like, retractably \(\mathcal G\)-like, and retractably \(\mathcal G\)-like onto a nested sequence are considered. A continuum is called internally (retractably) \(\mathcal G\)-like if for any \( \epsilon >0\) there exists a subset \(Y\) of \(X\) with \(Y\) being from \(\mathcal G\), and an \(\epsilon\)-map (resp. \(\epsilon\)-retraction) of \(X\) onto \(Y\). The main goal of the paper is to relate various \(\mathcal G\)-likeness properties to a representation of a continuum as an inverse limit of a sequence of compacta from \(\mathcal G\) with surjective bonding maps, which form a homeomorphically covered (hc) sequence. The latter means, that, starting from a particular \(k\), all spaces \(X_i\) (\(i \ge k\)) in the sequence contain non-degenerate subspaces \(Y_i\), such that the \((i+1)\)-th bonding map \(g^{i+1}_i\), restricted to \(Y_{i+1}\), is a homeomorphism onto its image, containing \(Y_i\). Of a particular interest are surjective hc-sequences, for which one additionally assumes that \( g^{i+1} (Y_{i+1}) = X_i\). Further, a type of such sequences very important for applications is formed by inverse sequences with a single bonding surjective map \(g\colon M \to M\), possessing a surjective expanding pair. This means that there exists a compactum \(K\) in \(M\) such that \(g\) restricted on \(K\) is a homeomorphism onto \(M\). Note that tent maps exhibit such property. The author proves, in a sequence of theorems, that continua admitting the described representations (often with some additional requirements) have interesting \(\mathcal G\)-likeness type properties (in particular, the property of being retractably \(\mathcal G\)-like onto a nested sequence). In the case of tree-like continua which are limits of hc-sequences, various statements about indecomposability are obtained. Further, using the techniques developed in the paper, the author studies indecomposable arc-like continua from the perspective of topological rays, densely embedded in such continua. The paper is concluded with examples of continua representable as limits of hc-sequences.