Borel on the Questions Versus Borel on the Answers

Abstract

We consider morphisms (also called Galois-Tukey connections) between binary relations that are used in the theory of cardinal characteristics. In [8] we have shown that there are pairs of relations with no Borel morphism connecting them. The reason was a strong impact of the first of the two functions that constitute a morphism, the so-called function on the questions. In this work we investigate whether the second half, the function on the answers' side, has a similarly strong impact. The main question is: Does the nonexistence of a Borel morphism imply the non-existence of a morphism that is only Borel on the answers' side? We give sufficient conditions for an affirmative answer. The results are applied to the unsplitting relations where it has been open whether there is a morphism that is Borel on the answers' side.Mathematics Subject Classification: 03E15, 03335, 03355.