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

Richard Balka, Zoltan Buczolich, Marton Elekes

Published 2011-08-29, updated 2012-08-04Version 2

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 $K$.