Whitney levels and certain order arc spaces (Q2640927)

Let C(X) be the hyperspace of all nonempty subcontinua of a nondegenerate continuum X, with topology induced by the Hausdorff metric. Let \(\mu\) : C(X)\(\to [0,1]\) be a Whitney map, i.e. \(\mu (\{x\})=0\) for every \(x\in X\), \(\mu (X)=1\), and \(\mu (A)<\mu (B)\) if \(A\varsubsetneq B\). Let, further, \(\Gamma\) (X) be the subspace of C(X) consisting of order arcs (\(\alpha\in \Gamma (X)\) iff \(\alpha\) is an arc in C(X) and for every \(A_ 1\), \(A_ 2\in \alpha\) either \(A_ 1\subset A_ 2\) or \(A_ 2\subset A_ 1)\). The paper deals with some sets \(\Lambda^ t_ s(X)\) of order arcs (0\(\leq s\leq t\leq 1)\) defined by means of \(\mu\). The author studies relationships between \(\Lambda^ t_ s(X)\) and \(\mu^{- 1}([s,t]).\) Theorem 3.1 and Corollaries 3.4 and 3.5 say which topological properties of one of these two spaces are shared by the other. As a consequence, some known results concerning Whitney properties are obtained (Corollary 3.6). Further, the author proves that the evaluation map e: \(\Lambda\) \({}^ t_ s\to \mu^{-1}([s,t])\) is a shape equivalence (Theorem 4.1) but it need not be a homotopy equivalence (Ex. 4.10). In the reviewer's opinion, the most interesting result is Theorem 3.2, which gives a condition necessary and sufficient for two ANR continua to be homotopy equivalent.