Refinable and monotone maps revisited (Q2469557)

The authors extend some results about refinable maps from papers by \textit{J. Ford} and \textit{J. W. Rogers} [Colloq. Math. 39, 263--269 (1978; Zbl 0417.54011)] and \textit{H. Kato} and \textit{A. Kodama} [Fundam. Math. 113, 119--129 (1981; Zbl 0473.54021)]. All the spaces are metric and separable. A map is a continuous function. A map \(f\colon X\to Y\) is monotone provided that \(f^{-1}(C)\) is connected for each connected subset \(C\) of \(Y\). A surjective map \(f\colon X\to Y\) between compact metric spaces is refinable if for every \(\varepsilon>0\) there exists a map \(f_\varepsilon:X\to Y\) such that \(\text{diam}(f^{-1}(y))<\varepsilon\) for all \(y\in Y\) and \(\sup\{d(f(x),f_\varepsilon(x)\;|\;x\in X\}<\varepsilon\). A space \(X\) is \(Y\)-like if for any \(\varepsilon >0\) there is a map \(g: X\to Y\) such that diam\((g^{-1}(y))<\varepsilon\) for all \(y\in Y\). A continuum is a compact connected metric space. A continuum \(X\) is indecomposable if it is not the union of two of its proper subcontinua. A graph is a space homeomorphic to a one-dimensional polyhedron. An arc (a simple closed curve) is a space homeomorphic to the unit interval \([0,1]\) (the unit circle \(S^1\)). The main results of the paper are: Theorem 2.3. If \(G\) is an arbitrary graph and \(X\) is a \(G\)-like continuum, then a surjection \(f\colon X\to G\) is refinable if and only if \(f\) is monotone. Theorem 2.4. A graph \(G\) is an arc or a simple closed curve if and only if each \(G\)-like continuum \(X\) which contains no boundary indecomposable subcontinuum can be monotonely mapped onto \(G\). Theorem 3.5. If \(X= \varprojlim(X_n,f_n)\) is the inverse limit of compact spaces with refinable bonding maps \(f_n:X_{n+1}\to X_n\), the the projection \(\pi_n:X\to X_n\) is a refinable map for each positive integer \(n\). The authors also present two examples, constructed using inverse limits, which show that neither complete regularity nor total regularity is preserved under refinable maps.