Topological Hausdorff dimension and level sets of generic continuous functions on fractals

TL;DR

This paper refines the understanding of the relationship between a new topological Hausdorff dimension and the level sets of generic continuous functions on fractals, providing precise results and characterizations.

Contribution

It makes previous theorems more precise, characterizes spaces where generic level sets attain maximal dimension, and extends results to self-similar fractals.

Findings

Supremum of Hausdorff dimensions of level sets is attained.

Unique level set of maximal Hausdorff dimension exists.

For self-similar spaces, generic level sets have dimension (K)-1.

Abstract

In an earlier paper (arxiv:1108.4292) we introduced a new concept of dimension for metric spaces, the so called topological Hausdorff dimension. For a compact metric space $K$ let $\dim_{H}K$ and $\dim_{tH} K$ denote its Hausdorff and topological Hausdorff dimension, respectively. We proved that this new dimension describes the Hausdorff dimension of the level sets of the generic continuous function on $K$, namely $\sup{\dim_{H}f^{-1}(y) : y \in \mathbb{R}} = \dim_{tH} K - 1$ for the generic $f \in C(K)$, provided that $K$ is not totally disconnected, otherwise every non-empty level set is a singleton. We also proved that if $K$ is not totally disconnected and sufficiently homogeneous then $\dim_{H}f^{-1}(y) = \dim_{tH} K - 1$ for the generic $f \in C(K)$ and the generic $y \in f(K)$. The most important goal of this paper is to make these theorems more precise. As for the first result, we prove that the supremum is actually attained on the left hand side of the first equation above, and also show that there may only be a unique level set of maximal Hausdorff dimension. As for the second result, we characterize those compact metric spaces for which for the generic $f\in C(K)$ and the generic $y\in f(K)$ we have $\dim_{H} f^{-1}(y)=\dim_{tH}K-1$. We also generalize a result of B. Kirchheim by showing that if $K$ is self-similar then for the generic $f\in C(K)$ for every $y\in \inter f(K)$ we have $\dim_{H} f^{-1}(y)=\dim_{tH}K-1$. Finally, we prove that the graph of the generic $f\in C(K)$ has the same Hausdorff and topological Hausdorff dimension as $K$.