\(\sigma\)-continuous functions and related cardinal characteristics of the continuum (Q2057283)

A function \(f:X\to Y\) is said to be \(\sigma\)-continuous, if there exists a countable cover \(\mathcal{C}\) of \(X\) such that \(f{\restriction}C\) is continuous for all \(C\in\mathcal{C}\). If, moreover, \(\mathcal{C}\) consists of closed sets, then \(f\) is said to be \(\bar\sigma\)-continuous. The problem of finding a (Borel) function \(f:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\) which is not \(\sigma\)-continuous is not trivial and was first asked by Lusin. Let \(\mathfrak{c}_\sigma\) (resp.\ \(\mathfrak{c}_{\bar\sigma}\)) denote the largest cardinal \(\kappa\) such that every function \(f:X\to\mathbb{R}\) defined on a subset \(X\subset\mathbb{R}\) of cardinality \(<\kappa\) is \(\sigma\)-continuous (resp.\ \(\bar\sigma\)-continuous). Let \(\mathcal{M}\) and \(\mathcal{N}\) denote the ideal of meager sets and the ideal of Lebesgue measure zero sets in \(\mathbb{R}\), respectively. Let \(\mathfrak{p}\), \(\mathfrak{b}\), \(\mathfrak{q}_0\), and \(\mathfrak{q}\) denote the pseudo-intersection cardinal number, the bounding number, the least cardinality of a set of reals which is not a \(Q\)-set, and the least cardinal \(\kappa\) such that no set of reals of cardinality \(\kappa\) is a \(Q\)-set, respectively. The author proves that \(\mathfrak{p}\le\mathfrak{q}_0=\mathfrak{c}_{\bar\sigma}= \min\{\mathfrak{c}_\sigma,\mathfrak{b},\mathfrak{q}\}\le\mathfrak{c}_\sigma\le \min\{\text{non}(\mathcal{M}),\text{non}(\mathcal{N})\}\).