Proper gradient otopies (Q428778)

This paper shows that the inclusion of proper gradient local maps into the space of proper local maps induces a bijection of the respective otopy classes of these maps. A local map \(f: U\rightarrow \mathbb R^n\) is a continuous map from an open subset \(U \subset \mathbb R^n\) such that \(f^{-1}(0)\) is compact. \(f\) is proper if every preimage of a compact set is compact. A proper gradient local map is a proper local map which is the gradient of some \(C^1\)-real valued function on \(U\). An otopy is a continuous map \(h: \Omega \rightarrow \mathbb R^n\) so that \(h^{-1}(0)\) is compact where \(\Omega \) is an open set of \(\mathbb R^n\times I\). So an otopy is a local homotopy where \(h_t\) is a local map. Otopies were introduced by J.C. Becker and the Reviewer to study vector fields and their indices. Otopy classes are classified by the index of a vector field. In this paper the authors use the fact that they proved earlier that otopy classes of local maps and of proper local maps are classified by the degree of the maps to prove the more difficult fact that local proper gradient maps are also classified by their degrees up to otopy where the otopy runs through local proper gradient maps. This proof involves 5 steps, involving replacing the initial real valued function by a Morse function, then replacing the Morse function by a local quadratic function, then expanding \(U\) to big enough neighborhoods of critical points, then restricting the domains to disjoint unions of unit balls, and finally transforming the relevant matrices into diagonal forms.