A partial classification of inverse limits with irreducible functions (Q906510)

Given compact Hausdorff spaces \(X\), \(Y\), a function \(F:X\to2^Y\) is called upper semi-continuous if its graph \(\{(x,y)\mid y\in F(x)\}\) is closed in \(X\times Y\). Suppose we are given sequences \(\mathbf{X}=(X_i)_{i\in\mathbb{N}}\) of continua and \(\mathbf{F}=(F_i)_{i\in\mathbb{N}}\) such that \(F_i:X_{i+1}\to 2^{X_i}\) is upper semi-continuous. Then \((\mathbf{X},\mathbf{F})\) is called an inverse sequence. Its inverse limit is the set of \((x_i)\in\prod_{i=1}^\infty X_i\) such that \(x_i\in F_i(x_{i+1})\) for all \(i\in\mathbb{N}\). The definition of a function \(F:X\to2^X\) being irreducible, Definition 1.1, will not be repeated here. The inverse sequences considered in this paper involve a fixed space \(X\) and irreducible \(F:X\to2^X\), i.e., \(X_i=X\) and \(F_i=F\) for all \(i\). This is consistent with notions introduced in [the author, Topology Appl. 166, 15--31 (2014; Zbl 1288.54023)] where a sufficient condition was presented for the inverse limits of two irreducible functions to be homeomorphic. The objective of this work is to find conditions that will show when two such inverse limits are topologically distinct. The author considers irreducible functions on \(X=[0,1]\). In Section 2, a specific class of irreducible functions is considered and then a result is obtained showing which types of proper subcontinua can appear in their limits. This is used in Section 3 to help detect that certain inverse limits are not homeomorphic. In Section 4 the notion of endpoints for certain irreducible functions is considered and then some methods are used to determine precisely which points of the inverse limit are endpoints. In Section 5, four specific families of irreducible functions on \([0,1]\) are considered. The results of the previous sections are implemented in order to give a complete classification of the inverse limits of the functions from these four families.