Uniqueness of the \((n,m)\)-fold hyperspace suspension for continua (Q2679801)

Let \(n,m\in\mathbb{N}\) with \(m\leq n\) and let \(X\) be a continuum (a compact, connected and non-empty metric space). The symbols \(C_{n}(X)\) and \(F_{n}(X)\) denote the hyperspaces of all nonempty closed subset of \(X\) with at most \(n\) components, and with at most \(n\) points of \(X\), respectively, both with the Hausdorff metric. The \((n,m)\)-fold hyperspace suspension of \(X\) is defined as the quotient \(C_{n}(X)/F_{m}(X)\), obtained by shrinking \(F_{m}(X)\) to a point in \(C_{n}(X)\), topologized with the quotient topology. In the paper under review, the authors present some properties of this hyperspace. In particular, if \(X\) is a meshed continuum, \(Y\) is a continuum and \(C_n(X)/F_m(X)\) is homeomorphic to \(C_n(Y)/F_m(Y)\), then \(X\) is homeomorphic to \(Y\). Furthermore, they prove that, if \(X\), \(Y\) are almost meshed locally connected continua such that \(C_n(X)/F_m (X)\) is homeomorphic to \(C_n (Y)/F_m(Y)\), then \(X\) is homeomorphic to \(Y\) , for each \(n>2\) and \(m>1\). The paper provides examples of almost meshed locally connected continua \(X\) which do not have unique hyperspace \(C_n(X)/F_m(X)\).