No label defined (Q4040688)

Filters form the main tool in the definition and study of both convergence spaces and Cauchy spaces, and it is the relationship between these two types of spaces which is of particular interest to the author's work. A convergence structure on a set X is a function q that assigns to each point x of X a set q(x) of filters on X, subject to three axioms; an element \({\mathfrak F}\) of q(x) is said to converge to x. A Cauchy structure on a set X is a set C of filters on X, subject to three axioms; an element \({\mathfrak F}\) of C is called Cauchy filter. Every Cauchy structure C on X gives rise to a convergence structure q on X where \({\mathfrak F}\in q(x)\) signifies \({\mathfrak F}\cap \dot x\in C\). A convergence space is a set X endowed with a convergence structure; a Cauchy space is a set X endowed with a Cauchy structure and the convergence structure deduced from it (such as the real line). Continuous mappings between convergence spaces preserve convergent filters and their limit points; Cauchy continuous mappings between Cauchy spaces preserve Cauchy filters. The set of all continuous (resp. Cauchy continuous) real functions on a convergence (resp. Cauchy) space X is denoted \({\mathcal C}(X)\) (resp. \(\Gamma\) (X)). The first two chapters contain the basic definitions and the motivation for the author's work. (An explanation of topological categories and reflective subcategories would be helpful!) Chapter 3 deals with the properties of \(\Gamma\) (X) where X is an arbitrary Cauchy space. It is shown that \(\Gamma\) (X) is a uniformly closed subalgebra of \({\mathcal C}(X)\) with the following additional properties: the constant functions belong to \(\Gamma\) (X); \(u\in \Gamma (X)\) implies \(| u| \in \Gamma (X)\); \(\Gamma\) (X) is composition and bounded inversion closed. In chapter 4, the following problem is solved. Given a Cauchy structure C on a set X, find necessary and sufficient conditions on \(\Gamma\) (X,C) for the existence of a convergence structure q on X such that \(\Gamma (X,C)={\mathcal C}(X,q)\) (theorems 4.1.24 and 4.1.26). In chapter 5, the following problem is solved. Given a set \(\Phi\) of real functions on a set X, find necessary and sufficient conditions on \(\Phi\) for the existence of a Cauchy structure C on X such that \(\Phi =\Gamma (X,C)\) (theorems 5.1.3 and 5.3.7). In chapter 6, the following problem is studied. Given a convergence space X, a subalgebra \(\Phi\) of \({\mathcal C}(X)\) and a property (Q) of convergence spaces (such as being pseudotopological) find necessary or sufficient conditions on \(\Phi\) for the existence of an extension Y of X satisfying (Q) such that \(\Phi ={\mathcal C}(Y)| X.\) There are several misprints. Let me mention three occurrences: in def. 4.1.6, one needs non-empty \(G_{\delta}\)-sets; in example 4.1.21, the first and second assertions are reversed; in the proof of th. 5.3.7, the ``if'' and ``only if'' parts are reversed. The author's ``adoption'' of the terminology of Bourbaki has to be taken with a grain of salt. Here are a few examples: closure for adherence (p. 7); T1 for accessible (p. 8); compact for quasi-compact (p. 10); realcompact for replete (p. 65). I found very annoying the emulation of German letters in the notation of filters by underlining, and the clumsy representation of image filters by stack f(\({\mathfrak F})\). The monograph under review is based on the authors Habilitation Thesis. Although not part of the main stream of Mathematics, the topics are well researched, presented and organized.