A fundamental group for digital images (Q2240095)

A \textit{digital image} \(X\) is a finite subset of \(\mathbb{Z}^n\), the \(n\)-fold Cartesian product of the set of all integers, together with an adjacency relation in \(\mathbb{Z}^n\). Let `\(\lfloor x \rfloor \)' be the greatest integer less than or equal to \(x\), and let \((\mathbb{Z}[1/k])^n\) be a subset of \(\mathbb{R}^n\) consisting of coordinates each of which is \(z/k\) for some integer \(z\) for \(k \geq 2\). The authors consider \[ S'(X,k) = \{ (x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n) \in (\mathbb{Z}[1/k])^n ~\vert~ (\lfloor x_1 \rfloor, \lfloor x_2 \rfloor, \ldots, \lfloor x_n \rfloor ) \in X \}, \] and then define the so-called \textit{\(k\)-subdivision} \(S(X,k)\) of \(X\) by \[ S(X,k) = \{ (kx_1, kx_2, \ldots, kx_n) \in \mathbb{Z}^n ~\vert~ (x_1, x_2, \ldots, x_n) \in S'(X,k) \}, \] and a canonical map \(\rho_k : S(X,k) \rightarrow X\) by \[ \rho_k ((y_1,y_2, \ldots, y_n)) = (\lfloor y_1/k \rfloor, \lfloor y_2/k \rfloor, \ldots, \lfloor y_n/k \rfloor ) \] as a basic ingredient in their approach which is a little bit different from the previous versions in digital topology. In this paper under review, the authors define their version of the digital fundamental group of a based digital image and establish some of its basic properties such as the independence of the choice of base points, the preservation of Cartesian products and equivalence relations, the calculation of the fundamental group of some digital images and so on. The authors also show that the digital fundamental group is preserved by \(k\)-subdivision; that is, the map \(\rho_k : S(X,k) \rightarrow X\) induces an isomorphism of digital fundamental groups as one of the main theorems in this paper whose proof and the technical results are given in Appendix A.