Making holes in the hyperspace suspension (Q2324527)

A point \(p\) in a unicoherent (metric) continuum \(X\) is defined to \textit{make a hole in} \(X\) if \(X\setminus\{p\}\) is not unicoherent (i.e., it is the union of two closed connected subsets whose intersection is not connected). Such a point is to a unicoherent continuum as a cut point is to a general continuum, so we also refer to it as a \textit{hole point}. In [\textit{S. B. Nadler jun.}, Houston J. Math. 5, 125--132 (1979; Zbl 0403.54020)] the hyperspace suspension is defined and shown\(-\)among other things\(-\)to be unicoherent. In the present paper the authors study hole (and non-hole) points in the hyperspace suspension \(HS(X)\), defined as the quotient \(C(X)/F_1(X)\), where \(C(X)\) (resp., \(F_1(X)\)) is the hyperspace of subcontinua (resp., degenerate subcontinua) of \(X\). Two distinguished points of \(HS(X)\) are \(X\) itself and \(F_X\), the result of identifying the points of \(F_1(X)\), and the authors show that neither of these is a hole point. Among other results are the following: (1) Let \(A\in HS(X)\setminus\{X,F_X\}\). If \(X\setminus\mbox{Int}(A)\) is connected then \(A\) is a non-hole point, and if \(A\) is irreducible between \(p,q\in X\) such that \(\mbox{Bd}(X)=\{p,q\}\) and \(X\setminus\mbox{Int}(A)\) is not connected, then \(A\) is a hole point. (2) \(HS(X)\) has no hole points if \(X\) is locally connected with no free arcs. (3) Let \(A\in HS(X)\), where \(X\) is a metric compactification of the ray \([0,\infty)\). Then \(A\) is a hole point if and only if \(A\) is a free arc whose end points are not in \(\mbox{Int}(A)\). (4) Let \(A\in HS(X)\), where \(X\) is a smooth dendroid. Then \(A\) is a hole point if and only if \(A\) is a simple arc in \(X\). (5) If \(X\) is either indecomposable or circularly chainable, then no point of \(HS(X)\) is a hole point.