Embedding \(E^ n/G\) in Euclidean space (Q794007)

This paper exploits results about cell-like decompositions of manifolds to obtain information about arbitrary upper semicontinuous \((=\) usc) decompositions. The main theorem attests that if G is a usc decomposition of Euclidean n-space \(E^ n\) for which the image of its nondegeneracy set in the decomposition space \(E^ n/G\) can be embedded \(E^ m\), then \(E^ n/G\) itself embeds as a closed subset of \(E^{n+m+1}\). The proof involves careful construction of a cell-like usc decomposition \(\tilde G\) of \(E^{n+m+1}\) whose intersection with \(E^ n\) coincides with G and then verification that \(\tilde G\) is shrinkable, achieved in most instances by applying \textit{R. D. Edwards'} Cell-like Approximation Theorem [see Notices Am. Math. Soc. 24, A-649 (1977) and Proc. int. Congr. Math., Helsinki 1978, Vol. 1, 111-127 (1980; Zbl 0428.57004)]. The most intricate case, where \(m=0\), demands manual shrinking techniques, since then Edwards' result does not readily apply. As a corollary, \(E^ n/G\) embeds in \(E^{n+2k+2}\) whenever G is a usc decomposition of \(E^ n\) whose nondegeneracy set has k-dimensional image in \(E^ n/G\), which is an improvement by (n-1)-dimensions over what had been known based upon dimension theory. The paper also presents examples demonstrating this result to be sharp in case n is odd.