Reducibility by continuous functions and Wadge degrees (Q2874887)

This paper reviews the classical properties of the notion of Wadge reducibility of subsets of topological spaces, focusing primarily on subsets of the Baire space \(\omega^\omega\). Recall that if \(X\) and \(Y\) are topological spaces and \(A\) and \(B\) are subsets of \(X\) and \(Y\) respectively, then we say that \(A\) is \textit{Wadge reducible} to \(B\), denoted \(A\leq_WB\), if there is a continuous function \(f:X\to Y\) such that \(f^{-1}(B)=A\). Intuitively speaking, this means that \(A\) is no more complicated than \(B\). When \(X\) and \(Y\) are both taken to be the Baire space, then \(A\leq_W B\) if and only if Player II has a winning strategy in a certain game called the \textit{Wadge game} \(W(A,B)\).NEWLINENEWLINEThe article presents proofs of two seminal results concerning the Wadge hierarchy for subsets of Baire space. The first, called \textit{Wadge's lemma}, asserts that if \(\Gamma\) is a class of subsets of Baire space for which the game \(W(A,B)\) is determined for every pair of sets \(A\) and \(B\) belonging to \(\Gamma\) (e.g. \(\Gamma=\) the Borel subsets of Baire space), then either \(A\leq_W B\) or \(B\leq_W A^c\). The second result, called the Martin-Monk theorem, asserts that if \(\Gamma\) is as in the assumption of Wadge's lemma and, additionally, every element of \(\Gamma\) has the Baire property (e.g., again, \(\Gamma=\) the Borel subsets of Baire space), then the relation \(\leq_W\) is well-founded on \(\Gamma\).NEWLINENEWLINEThe article concludes with arguments demonstrating how the aforementioned two results fail if Baire space is replaced by the real line.NEWLINENEWLINEFor the entire collection see [Zbl 1280.03005].