Fractals for minimalists (Q2182705)

The authors consider isotone and continuous maps \(T: \mathscr{P}(X)\to\mathscr{P}(X)\) where \(X\) is an arbitrary set and \(\mathscr{P}(X)\) its power set. Their main result shows that for any family \(\mathscr{T}:=\{T_\gamma : \mathscr{P}(X)\to\mathscr{P}(X)\,|\, \gamma\in \Gamma\}\) of isotone maps there exists a smallest \(\mathscr{T}\)-fractal, i.e., a smallest, with respect to set containment, \(H\in \mathscr{P}(X)\) satisfying the invariance condition \[ H = \bigcup_{\gamma\in \Gamma} T_\gamma (H). \] The result is based on an improved version of the Knaster-Tarski fixed point theorem. Several examples relating to attractors of iterated functions systems are given.