Infinite-word languages and continuous mappings (Q1082087)

The author proposes in this paper to consider a topology specifically chosen to reflect the notion of a limit of a set of words in a way that may be more useful than the traditional one. One way to construct such a topology is to require that, for each set W, the limit points of W are identical to the upper bounds of all infinite chains contained in W. This requirement defines a unique topology denoted by T. The properties of T are examined in this paper. To this end the sets \(A^{\infty}\) of all words, \(A^*\) of all finite words and \(A^{\omega}\) of all infinite words are considered and a partial order in \(A^{\infty}\) is defined. A set \(W\subseteq A^{\infty}\) is called a chain if, for each pair x,y\(\in W\), either \(x\leq y\) or \(y\leq x\). Each infinite chain has a unique upper bound and each chain has a least upper bound. A subset \(W\subseteq A^{\infty}\) is also called a language. The space \(A^{\infty}\) with the topology T is completely regular but not normal; it is also strongly zero-dimensional and locally compact. As a consequence, of the fact that the sets usually studied in connection to \(\omega\)-automata are closely related to functionally closed sets of T (continuous inverse images of the set \(\{\) \(0\}\), zero-sets), a number of known results can be expressed and proved in terms of continuous mappings. The sections following after ''Definitions and notation'' have the headings: Operators Lim and Clm; The topology T: open sets and closed sets; Basis; Continuous mappings; Sequences and convergence; Functionally open and functionally closed sets; Separation and disconnectedness; Some infinite unions and intersections; Retracts; Pseudometrics; Compactness.