Recent advances and open problems in first-return analysis (Q2496987)

The report is based on the recent authors' works. It is aimed at determining two-dimensional analogs of the one-dimensional concept of the first-return continuity. The authors deal with real-valued functions defined on the \(n\)-dimensional cube \(I^n= [-1,1]\times\cdots\times [-1,1]\) in Euclidean \(n\)-space \(\mathbb{R}^n\). A trajectory is any sequence \(\overline x = (x_n)^\infty_1\) of distinct points in \(I^n\) whose range is dense in \(I^n\). Any countable dense subset of \(I^n\) becomes a trajectory if it is enumerated. The symbol \(B(x,\rho)\) denotes the open ball and \(r(B(x,\rho))\) is defined as the first element of the trajectory \(\overline x\) that falls inside the ball \(B(x,\rho)\). Let \(x\in I^n\) and let \(\overline x= (x_n)\) be a trajectory. The first-return route to \(x\), \((w_k)^\infty_1\), is defined recursively via \(w_1= x_1\), \(w_{k+1}= r(B(x,\| x- w_k\|))\) if \(x\neq w_k\) and \(w_{k+1}= w_k\) if \(x= w_k\). A function \(f: I^n\to \mathbb{R}\) is first-return recoverable with respect to \(\overline x\) at \(x\) provided that \(\lim_{k\to\infty} f(w_k)= f(x)\). If this happens for each \(x\in I^n\), then \(f\) is first-return recoverable with respect to \((x_n)\). \(f\) is said to be first-return recoverable if it is first-return recoverable with respect to some trajectory. Theorem: A function \(f: I^n\to\mathbb{R}\) belongs to Baire class one if and only if \(f\) is first-return recoverable. By an analogous way, for a function \(f: I^2\to\mathbb{R}\) notions of arcwise first-return approachable, radially first-return approachable, sectionally first-return approachable and radially-sectorially first-return approachable are introduced and investigated. The reached results concern the set of point of discontinuity of \(f\).