Separately continuous functions with a given rectangular set of points of discontinuity (Q2157483)

We say that a function \(f(x,y)\) is separately continuous if at any point the restricted functions \(f_x(y)\) and \(f_y(x)\) are continuous as functions of one variable. In the manuscript, the authors investigate the problem of existence of a separately continuous function \(f\colon X\times Y\to\mathbb{R}\) defined on a product of topological spaces \(X\) and \(Y\) with a given discontinuity points set of the form \(A\times B\). Using an approach based on the classical Schwartz function they prove that there exists a separately continuous function \(f\colon X\times Y\to\mathbb{R}\) whose discontinuity points set is equal to the product \(A\times B\) of nowhere dense functionally closed sets in a quite general case of spaces \(X\) and \(Y\). Moreover, they show that if \(X=Y=\beta\omega\), where \(\beta\omega\) is the Čech-Stone compactification of the countable discrete space \(\omega\), and \(A=B=\beta\omega\setminus\omega\), then there is no separately continuous function \(f\colon X\times Y\to\mathbb{R}\) whose discontinuity points set is equal to \(A\times B\).