Extending Baire-one functions on compact spaces (Q2182472)

The following question was formulated by \textit{O. F. K. Kalenda} and \textit{J. Spurný} in [Topology Appl. 149, No. 1--3, 195--216 (2005; Zbl 1075.54011)]: Let \(X\) be a hereditarily Baire completely regular space and \(f\) be a Baire-one function on \(X\). Can \(f\) be extended to a Baire-one function on \(\beta X\)? In the paper under review, the authors answer this question in the negative. To this end, they introduce a new notion of \textit{functionally countably fragmented map}. A function \(f:X\to Y\) between a topological space \(X\) and a metric space \(Y\) is functionally countably fragmented iff, for each \(\varepsilon>0\) there exists a countable ordinal \(\kappa\) and a sequence \(\mathcal{U}(\varepsilon)=\{ U_\xi :\xi<\kappa\}\) of functionally open sets in \(X\) such that (a) \(\emptyset=U_0\subset U_1\subset\ldots\subset U_\kappa=X\); (b) \(U_\gamma=\bigcup_{\xi<\gamma}U_\xi\) for every limit ordinal \(\gamma<\kappa\); (c) diam\(f(U_{\xi+1}\setminus U_\xi)<\varepsilon\) for all \(\xi<\kappa\). The main result in the first part of the article says that for a Baire-one function \(f:X\to\mathbb{R}\) defined on a completely regular space \(X\) the following conditions are equivalent: (i) \(f\) is functionally countably fragmented; (ii) \(f\) can be extended to a Baire-one function on \(\beta X\). In the second part of the paper, the authors construct an example of a completely regular hereditarily Baire (even scattered) space \(X\) and a Baire-one function \(f:X\to [0,1]\) which is not functionally countably fragmented and consequently can not be extended to a Baire-one function on \(\beta X\).