Algebraic characterization of finite (branched) coverings
Tom 158 / 1998
Fundamenta Mathematicae 158 (1998), 165-180
DOI: 10.4064/fm-158-2-165-180
Streszczenie
Every continuous map X → S defines, by composition, a homomorphism between the corresponding algebras of real-valued continuous functions C(S) → C(X). This paper deals with algebraic properties of the homomorphism C(S) → C(X) in relation to topological properties of the map X → S. The main result of the paper states that a continuous map X → S between topological manifolds is a finite (branched) covering, i.e., an open and closed map whose fibres are finite, if and only if the induced homomorphism C(S) → C(X) is integral and flat.
