On countable-to-one maps (Q864462)

In this paper the authors assume that every space is Hausdorff and all maps are continuous and onto. A family \(\mathcal{B}\) of subsets of a space \(X\) is said to be an \(\aleph_{0}\)-weak base for \(X\) if \(\mathcal{B}=\cup\{\mathcal{B}_{x}(n): x\in X, n\in\mathbb{N} \}\) and satisfies: (1) for each \(x\in X\), \(n\in\mathbb{N}\), \(\mathcal{B}_{x}(n)\) is closed under finite intersections and \(x\in\cap \mathcal{B}_{x}(n)\), and (2) a subset \(U\) of \(X\) is open if and only if whenever \(x\in U\) and \(n\in \mathbb{N}\), there exists a \(\mathcal{B}_{x}(n)\) such that \(\mathcal{B}_{x}(n)\subset U\). \(X\) is called \(\aleph_{0}\)-weakly first-countable or weakly quasi-first countable in the sense of Sirois-Dumais if \(\mathcal{B}_{x}(n)\) is countable for each \(x\in X\), \(n\in\mathbb{N}\). If \(\mathcal{B}_{x}(n)=\mathcal{B}_{x}(1)\) for each \(n\in\mathbb{N}\), then \(\mathcal{B}\) is said to be a weak base for \(X\). Weakly first countable spaces or \(g\)-first countable spaces in the sense of Arhangel'skiĭ [op. cit.] are spaces where \(\mathcal{B}_{x}(1)\) is countable for each \(x\in X\). This paper considers the question: Are quotient countable-to-one images of metric spaces and quotient \(s\)-images of metric spaces coincident? The main results are the following: Theorem 1. The following are equivalent for a space \(X\): (1) \(X\) has a point countable base, (2) \(X\) is an open \(s\)-image of a metric space, and (3) \(X\) is an open, countable-to-one image of a metric space. Theorem 2. \(X\) is a quotient, countable-to-one image of a metric space if and only if \(X\) has a point countable \(\aleph_{0}\)-weak point base. Theorem 3. The following are equivalent for a space \(X\): (1) \(X\) is a quotient, countable-to-one image of a separable metric space, (2) \(X\) is a quotient, \(\sigma\)-compact image of a separable metric space, (3) \(X\) is \(\aleph_{0}\)-weakly first-countable and a quotient image of a separable metric space, (4) \(X\) has a countable \(\aleph_{0}\)-weak base, and (5) \(X\) is an \(\aleph_{0}\)-weakly first countable and an \(\aleph_{0}\)-space (where \(\aleph_{0}\) means that \(X\) has a countable \(cs\)-network). Theorem 4. If \(X\) is a Fréchet space which is determined by a countable cover of closed metric subsets, then \(X\) is a closed, countable-to-one image of a metric space. The authors also give an negative answer to the following two questions posed by \textit{Y. Tanaka} [Quest. Answers Gen. Topology 11, No. 2, 215--233 (1993; Zbl 0788.54033)] and \textit{G. Gruenhage, E. Michael} and \textit{Y. Tanaka} [Pac. J. Math. 113, 303--332 (1984; Zbl 0561.54016)], respectively: (1) Does every open map preserve a weakly first-countable space?, and (2) Are quotient \(s\)-images of metric spaces preserved by open \(s\)-maps? The paper also contains several interesting questions.