Coarse metric approximation (Q260560)

The paper under review is concerned with large scale structures, which are motivated by the large-scale approach to metric spaces. In [\textit{T. Miyata} and \textit{Ž. Virk}, Fundam. Math. 223, No. 1, 83--97 (2013; Zbl 1288.54025)] a class of functions called coarsely \(n\)-to-\(1\) functions were introduced. A function \(f:X\to Y\) between large scale structures is called coarsely \(n\)-to-\(1\) if for every uniformly bounded cover \(\mathcal{U}_Y\) of \(Y\) there is a uniformly bounded cover \(\mathcal{U}_X\) of \(X\) such that \(f^{-1}(U)\) can be written as a union of at most \(n\) elements from \(\mathcal{U}_X\) for each \(U\in\mathcal{U}_Y\). In the first part of the paper, the authors introduce a generalization of this concept called coarsely finite-to-\(1\) maps. A map is called coarsely finite-to-\(1\) if the \(n\) and the cover \(\mathcal{U}_X\) from the definition of \(n\)-to-\(1\) is allowed to vary given any uniformly bounded cover \(\mathcal{U}_Y\). The concept of coarsely \(n\)-to-\(1\) maps was used in [loc. cit.] to characterize asymptotic dimension. In an analogous way, the current paper characterizes the so-called large scale finitistic spaces in terms of coarsely finite-to-\(1\) maps. A metric space (or more generally a large scale structure) \(X\) is said to be large scale finitistic if for every uniformly bounded cover \(\mathcal{U}\) there is a uniformly bounded cover \(\mathcal{V}\) with bounded multiplicity so that \(\mathcal{U}\) is a refinement of \(\mathcal{V}\). The second part of the paper describes coarse metric approximation as a large-scale dual to the corresponding construction of uniform spaces. This tool is used to obtain coarse versions of the Dimension Raising Theorem, Finite-to-One Mapping Theorem and the characterization of large scale finitistic spaces for general coarse structures.