1. Introduction
The need for theories that cope with uncertainty emerges from daily experiences with complicated challenges requiring ambiguous facts. In 1965, the theory of fuzzy sets (
-sets ) was first defined by Zadeh [
1] as a suitable approach to address uncertainty cases that cannot be efficiently managed using classical techniques. The concept of an
-set of a nonempty set
M is a mapping
(where
). Over the last decades, the research on fuzzy sets has had a vital role in mathematics and applied sciences and garnered significant attention due to its ability to handle uncertain and vague information in various real-life applications such as artificial intelligence [
2,
3], control systems [
4,
5], decision making [
6,
7], image processing [
8,
9], etc. The integration between
-sets and some uncertainty approaches such as soft sets (
-sets) and rough sets (
-sets) has been discussed in [
10,
11,
12]. The concept of a fuzzy topology (
-topology) was presented in 1968 by Chang [
13]. Several authors have successfully generalized the theory of general topology to the fuzzy setting with crisp methods. According to Šostak [
14], the notion of an
-topology being a crisp subclass of the class of
-sets and fuzziness in the notion of openness of an
-set have not been considered, which seems to be a drawback in the process of fuzzification of a topological space. Therefore, Šostak [
14] defined a novel definition of an
-topology as the concept of openness of
-sets. It is an extension of an
-topology introduced by Chang [
13]. Thereafter, many researchers (see [
15,
16,
17,
18,
19,
20,
21,
22,
23]) have redefined the same notion and studied
, being unaware of Šostak’s work.
The generalizations of
-open sets play an effective role in an
-topology through their ability to improve on many results and to open the door to display and investigate several fuzzy topological notions such as
-continuity [
15,
16],
-connectedness [
16],
-compactness [
16,
17], etc. Overall, the notions of
k-
-semi-open,
k-
-pre-open,
k-
-
-open, and
k-
-
-open sets were defined and studied by the authors of [
20,
22] on
in the sense of Šostak [
14]. Also, Kim et al. [
20] defined and discussed some weaker forms of
-continuity called
-semi-continuity (resp.
-pre-continuity and
-
-continuity) between
in the sense of Šostak. Furthermore, Abbas [
22] explored and characterized the notions of
-
-continuous (resp.
-
-irresolute) functions between
in the sense of Šostak [
14]. Additionally, Kim and Abbas [
23] introduced some types of
k-
-compactness on
in the sense of Šostak.
The notion of fuzzy soft sets (
-sets) was first presented in 2001 by the author of [
24], which combines the
-set [
25] and
-set [
1]. Thereafter, the notion of an
-topology was defined, and many of its properties such as
-continuity,
-closure operators,
-interior operators, and
-subspaces were introduced in [
26,
27]. Moreover, the notions of
k-
-regularly open,
k-
-pre-open, and
k-
-
-open sets were introduced by the authors of [
28,
29] based on the approach developed by Aygünoǧlu et al. [
26]. Overall, Taha [
30] introduced and discussed the notions of
-almost (resp.
-weakly)
k-minimal continuity, which are weaker forms of
-
k-minimal continuity [
29] based on the approach developed by Aygünoǧlu et al. [
26].
We lay out the remainder of this manuscript as follows:
Section 2 contains some basic definitions that help in understanding the obtained results.
In
Section 3, we define a novel class of
-open sets called
k-
-
-open sets on
in the sense of Šostak [
14]. This class is contained in the class of
k-
-
-open sets and contains all
k-
-
-open,
k-
-pre-open, and
k-
-semi-open sets. Some properties of
k-
-
-open sets, along with their mutual relationships, are discussed with the help of some illustrative examples. After that, we define the concepts of
-
-closure and
-
-interior operators and study some of their properties.
In
Section 4, we explore and investigate the concepts of
-
-continuous (resp.
-
-irresolute) functions between
and
. Moreover, we define and study the concepts of
-almost (resp.
-weakly)
-continuous functions, which are weaker forms of
-
-continuous functions.
In
Section 5, we introduce and discuss some novel
-functions using
k-
-
-open and
k-
-
-closed sets called
-
-open (resp.
-
-irresolute open,
-
-closed,
-
-irresolute closed, and
-
-irresolute homeomorphism) functions. Also, we present and investigate some new types of
-separation axioms called
k-
-
-regular (resp.
k-
-
-normal) spaces. However, we display and discuss some new types of
-compactness called
k-
-almost (resp.
k-
-nearly)
-compact sets.
In
Section 6, we close this paper with conclusions and propose future papers.
3. Some Characterizations of -Fuzzy -Open Sets
Here, we define and study a new class of
-open sets called
k-
-
-open sets on
in the sense of Šostak [
14]. Also, we explore and investigate the concepts of
-
-closure and
-
-interior operators.
Definition 7. Let be an and . An -set is said to be as follows:
(1) k--γ-open set if .
(2) k--γ-closed set if .
Remark 1. The complement of k--γ-open sets (resp. k--γ-closed sets) are k--γ-closed sets (resp. k--γ-open sets).
Proposition 1. In an , for each and , we have the following:
(1) Every k--pre-open set is k--γ-open.
(2) Every k--γ-open set is k--β-open.
(3) Every k--semi-open set is k--γ-open.
Proof. (1) If
is a
k-
-pre-open set,
Thus, is a k---open set.
(2) If
is a
k-
-
-open set,
Thus, is a k---open set.
(3) If
is a
k-
-semi-open set,
Thus, is a k---open set. □
Remark 2. From the previous discussions and definitions, we have the following diagram: Remark 3. The converse of the above diagram fails, as Examples 1, 2, and 3 will show.
Example 1. Let , and define as follows: , , and . Define as follows: Thus, is an --γ-open set, but it is neither --pre-open nor --α-open.
Example 2. Let , and define as follows: , and . Define as follows: Thus, is an --γ-open set, but it is not --semi-open.
Example 3. Let , and define as follows: , and . Define as follows: Thus, is an --β-open set, but it is not --γ-open.
Definition 8. In an , for each and , we define an -γ-closure operator as follows:
Proposition 2. In an , for each and , an -set is k--γ-closed iff .
Proof. This is easily proved from Definition 8. □
Theorem 1. In an , for each and , an -operator satisfies the following properties:
(1) .
(2) .
(3) if .
(4) .
(5) .
(6) .
Proof. Examples (1), (2), and (3) are easily proved by Definition 8:
(4) From (2) and (3),
. Now, we show that
. If
does not contain
, there are
and
with
Since , by Definition 8, there are as a k---closed set and with . Since , then . Again, this is by the definition of , . Hence, , which is a contradiction for . Thus, . Therefore, .
(5) Since and , hence by (3), , and . Thus, .
(6) From Proposition 2 and the fact that
is a
k-
-
-closed set, then
□
Definition 9. In an , for each and , we define an -γ-interior operator as follows:
Proposition 3. Let be an , , and let . Then, we have the following:
(1) ;
(2) .
Proof. (1) For each and , we have = .
(2) This is similar to that of (1). □
Proposition 4. In an , for each and , an -set is k--γ-open iff .
Proof. This is easily proved from Definition 9. □
Theorem 2. In an , for each , and , an -operator satisfies the following properties:
(1) .
(2) .
(3) if .
(4) .
(5) .
Proof. The proof is similar to that of Theorem 1. □
4. On Fuzzy -Continuity and -Irresoluteness
Here, we define and discuss the concepts of --continuous and --irresolute functions between and . We also define and study the concepts of -almost and -weakly -continuous functions, which are weaker forms of --continuous functions.
Definition 10. An -function is defined as follows:
(1) -γ-continuous if is a k--γ-open set for every , with and ;
(2) -γ-irresolute if is a k--γ-open set for every k--γ-open set and .
Remark 4. From the previous definitions, we have the following diagram: Remark 5. The converse of the above diagram fails, as Examples 4–6 will show.
Example 4. Let , and define as follows: , , . Define -topologies as follows: Thus, the identity -function is -γ-continuous, but it is neither -pre-continuous nor -α-continuous.
Example 5. Let , and define as follows: , , . Define -topologies as follows: Thus, the identity -function is -γ-continuous, but it is not -semi-continuous.
Example 6. Let , and define as follows: , . Define -topologies as follows: Thus, the identity -function is -β-continuous, but it is not -γ-continuous.
Theorem 3. An -function is -γ-continuous iff for any and any with containing , there is that is k--γ-open containing , with and .
Proof. (⇒) Let and , with containing , and then . Since , then we obtain (say). Hence, is k---open containing , with .
(⇐) Let and , with and . According to the assumption, there is that is k---open containing , with . Hence, , and . Thus, , so is a k---open set. Then, h is --continuous. □
Theorem 4. Let be an -function, and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent for every and :
(1) h is -γ-continuous.
(2) is k--γ-closed for every , with .
(3) .
(4) .
(5) .
Proof. (1) ⇔ (2): The proof follows and Definition 10.
(2) ⇒ (3): Let
. By (2), we have that
is
k-
-
-closed. Thus,
Therefore,
.
(3) ⇒ (4): Let . By (3), . Thus, .
(4) ⇔ (5): The proof follows and Proposition 3.
(5) ⇒ (1): Let , with . By (5), we obtain . Then, . Thus, is k---open, so h is --continuous. □
Lemma 2. Every -γ-irresolute function is -γ-continuous.
Proof. The proof follows Definition 10. □
Remark 6. The converse of Lemma 2 fails, as Example 7 will show.
Example 7. Let , and define as follows: , . Define -topologies as follows: Thus, the identity -function is -γ-continuous, but it is not -γ-irresolute.
Theorem 5. Let be an -function, and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent for every and :
(1) h is -γ-irresolute.
(2) is k--γ-closed for every k--γ-closed set .
(3) .
(4) .
(5) .
Proof. (1) ⇔ (2): The proof follows and Definition 10.
(2) ⇒ (3): Let
. By (2), we have that
is
k-
-
-closed. Thus,
Therefore,
.
(3) ⇒ (4): Let . By (3), . Thus, .
(4) ⇔ (5): The proof follows and Proposition 3.
(5) ⇒ (1): Let
be a
k-
-
-open set. By (5),
Thus,
. Therefore,
is
k-
-
-open, so
h is
-
-irresolute. □
Proposition 5. Let , , let be , and let and be two -functions. Then, the composition is -γ-irresolute (resp. -γ-continuous) if h is -γ-irresolute, and f is -γ-irresolute (resp. -γ-continuous).
Proof. The proof follows Definition 10. □
Definition 11. An -function is called -almost γ-continuous if for every , with and .
Lemma 3. Every -γ-continuous function is -almost γ-continuous.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 10 and 11. □
Remark 7. The converse of Lemma 3 fails, as Example 8 will show.
Example 8. Let , and define as follows: , . Define -topologies as follows: Thus, the identity -function is -almost γ-continuous, but it is not -γ-continuous.
Theorem 6. An -function is -almost γ-continuous iff for any and any with containing , there is that is k--γ-open containing , with and .
Proof. (⇒): Let and , with containing , and then . Since , then (say). Therefore, is k---open containing , with .
(⇐): Let and , with such that . According to the assumption, there is that is k---open containing , with . Hence, , and . Thus, . Therefore, h is -almost -continuous. □
Theorem 7. Let be an -function, , and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent:
(1) h is -almost γ-continuous.
(2) is k--γ-open for every k--regularly open set .
(3) is k--γ-closed for every k--regularly closed set .
(4) for every k--γ-open set .
(5) for every k--semi-open set .
Proof. (1) ⇒ (2): Let and be a k--regularly open set, with . Hence, by (1), there is that is a k---open set, with and . Thus, , and . Therefore, , so is k---open.
(2) ⇒ (3): If is k--regularly closed, then by (2), is k---open. Thus, is k---closed.
(3) ⇒ (4): If
is
k-
-
b-open, and since
is
k-
-regularly closed, then by (3),
is
k-
-
-closed. Since
, hence,
(4) ⇒ (5): The proof follows from the fact that any k--semi-open set is k---open.
(5) ⇒ (3): If is k--regularly closed, then is k--semi-open. By (5), . Hence, is k--b-closed.
(3) ⇒ (1): If
and
with
such that
, then
. Since
is
k-
-regularly closed, then by (3), we have that
is
k-
-
-closed. Hence,
is
k-
-
-open, and
Thus,
. Therefore,
h is
-almost
-continuous. □
Definition 12. An -function is called -weakly γ-continuous if for every with and if .
Lemma 4. Every -γ-continuous function is -weakly γ-continuous.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 10 and 12. □
Remark 8. The converse of Lemma 4 fails, as Example 9 will show.
Example 9. Let , and define as follows: , . Define -topologies as follows: Thus, the identity -function is -weakly γ-continuous, but it is not -γ-continuous.
Theorem 8. An -function is -weakly γ-continuous iff for any and any with containing , there is that is k--γ-open containing , with and .
Proof. (⇒): Let and , with containing ; then, . Since , then (say). Hence, is k---open containing , with .
(⇐): Let and with such that . According to the assumption, there is that is k---open containing , with . Hence, , and . Thus, . Therefore, h is -weakly -continuous. □
Theorem 9. Let be an -function, and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent:
(1) h is -weakly γ-continuous.
(2) if , with .
(3) .
(4) .
Proof. (1) ⇔ (2): The proof follows Proposition 3 and Definition 12.
(2) ⇒ (3): Let
. Hence, by (2),
Thus,
.
(3) ⇔ (4): The proof follows from Proposition 3.
(4) ⇒ (1): Let , with . Hence, by (4), . Thus, , so h is -weakly -continuous. □
Lemma 5. Every -almost γ-continuous function is -weakly γ-continuous.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 11 and 12. □
Remark 9. The converse of Lemma 5 fails, as Example 10 will show.
Example 10. Let , and define as follows: , . Define -topologies as follows: Thus, the identity -function is -weakly γ-continuous, but it is not -almost γ-continuous.
Remark 10. From the previous discussions and definitions, we have the following diagram: Proposition 6. Let , , and be , and let and be two -functions. Then, the composition is -almost γ-continuous if h is -γ-irresolute (resp. -γ-continuous) and g is -almost γ-continuous (resp. -continuous).
Proof. The proof follows the previous definitions. □
5. Further Selected Topics
Here, we introduce and establish some new -functions using k---open and k---closed sets, which are called --open (resp. --irresolute open, --closed, --irresolute closed, and --irresolute homeomorphism) functions. Also, we explore and study some new types of -compactness called k--almost and k--nearly -compact sets using k---open sets.
Definition 13. An -function is defined as follows:
(1) -γ-open if is a k--γ-open set for every with .
(2) -γ-closed if is a k--γ-closed set for every with .
(3) -γ-irresolute open if is a k--γ-open set for every k--γ-open set .
(4) -γ-irresolute closed if is a k--γ-closed set for every k--γ-closed set .
Lemma 6. (1): Each -γ-irresolute open function is -γ-open.
(2): Each -γ-irresolute closed function is -γ-closed.
Proof. The proof follows Definition 13. □
Remark 11. The converse of Lemma 6 fails, as Example 11 will show.
Example 11. Let , and define as follows: , . Define -topologies as follows: Thus, the identity -function is -γ-open, but it is not -γ-irresolute open.
Theorem 10. Let be an -function, and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent for every and :
(1) h is -γ-open.
(2) .
(3) .
(4) For every and every with and , there is is k--γ-closed with and .
Proof. (1) ⇒ (2): Since
, hence, by (1),
is
k-
-
-open. Thus,
(2) ⇒ (3): Set ; hence, by (2), . Thus,
(3) ⇒ (4): Let and , with such that . Since , . Hence, by (3), . Then, we have Thus, there is is k---closed with and
(4) ⇒ (1): Let , with . Set and ; then, . Hence, by (4), there is that is k---closed with and . Thus, . On the other hand, since , . Hence, , so is a k---open set. Therefore, h is --open. □
Theorem 11. Let be an -function, and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent for every and :
(1) h is -γ-closed.
(2) .
(3) .
(4) For every and every with and , there is that is k--γ-open with and .
Proof. The proof is similar to that of Theorem 10. □
Theorem 12. Let be an -function, and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent for every and :
(1) h is -γ-irresolute open.
(2) .
(3) .
(4) For every and every that define a k--γ-closed set with , there is that is k--γ-closed with and .
Proof. The proof is similar to that of Theorem 10. □
Theorem 13. Let be an -function, and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent for every and :
(1) h is -γ-irresolute closed.
(2) .
(3) .
(4) For every and every that define a k--γ-open set with , there is that is k--γ-open with and .
Proof. The proof is similar to that of Theorem 10. □
Proposition 7. Let be a bijective -function. Then, h is -γ-irresolute open iff h is -γ-irresolute closed.
Proof. The proof follows from the following:
□
Definition 14. A bijective -function is called -γ-irresolute homeomorphism if and h are -γ-irresolute.
The proof of the following corollary is easy and so is omitted.
Corollary 1. Let be a bijective -function, and let . Then, the following statements are equivalent for every and :
(1) h is an --irresolute homeomorphism.
(2) h is --irresolute closed and --irresolute.
(3) h is --irresolute open and --irresolute.
(4) .
(5) .
(6) .
(7) .
Definition 15. Let , , and let . An is defined as follows:
(1) k--γ-regular space if for each k--γ-closed set , there is with for such that , , and .
(2) k--γ-normal space if for each k--γ-closed set and , there is with for such that , , and .
Theorem 14. Let be an , , , and . Then, the following statements are equivalent:
(1) is a k--γ-regular space.
(2) If for each k--γ-open set , there is with and
(3) If for each k--γ-closed set , there is with for such that , , and .
Proof. (1) ⇒ (2): Let for each k---open set ; then, . Since is k---regular, then there is with and such that , , and . Thus, , so .
(2) ⇒ (3): Let for each k---closed set ; then, . By (2), there is with and . Since , then is a k---open set, and . Again, by (2), there is with and . Hence, . Set , and thus, . Then, . Therefore, .
(3) ⇒ (1): This is easily proved by Definition 15. □
Theorem 15. Let be an , , , and . Then, the following statements are equivalent:
(1) is a k--γ-normal space.
(2) If for each k--γ-closed set and k--γ-open set , there is with and .
(3) If for each k--γ-closed set and , there is with for such that , , and .
Proof. The proof is similar to that of Theorem 14. □
Theorem 16. Let be a bijective -γ-irresolute and -open function. If is a k--γ-regular space (resp. k--γ-normal space), then is a k--γ-regular space (resp. k--γ-normal space).
Proof. If for each k---closed set and --irresolute function h, then is a k---closed set. Set , and then . Since is k---regular, there is with and such that , , and . Since h is bijective -open, then and Therefore, is a k---regular space. □
Theorem 17. Let be an injective -continuous and -γ-irresolute closed function. If is a k--γ-regular space (resp. k--γ-normal space), then is a k--γ-regular space (resp. k--γ-normal space).
Proof. If for each k---closed set and injective --irresolute closed function h, then is a k---closed set, and . Since is k---regular, there is with and such that , , and . Since h is -continuous, then , and , with , and . Hence, is a k---regular space. □
Theorem 18. Let be a surjective -γ-irresolute, -open, and -closed function. If is a k--γ-regular space (resp. k--γ-normal space), then is a k--γ-regular space (resp. k--γ-normal space).
Proof. The proof is similar to that of Theorem 16. □
Definition 16. Let be an , , and . An -set is called k--γ-compact if for each family with , there is a finite subset of Ω with .
Lemma 7. In an , every k--γ-compact set is k--compact.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 4 and 16. □
Theorem 19. Let be an -γ-continuous function. Then, is a k--compact set if is a k--γ-compact set.
Proof. Let with , and then is } (h is --continuous), with . Since is k---compact, there is a finite subset of with . Hence, . Therefore, is k--compact. □
Definition 17. Let be an , , and . An -set is called k--almost γ-compact if for each family with , there is a finite subset of Ω with .
Lemma 8. In an , every k--almost γ-compact set is k--almost compact.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 4 and 17. □
Lemma 9. In an , every k--γ-compact set is k--almost γ-compact.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 16 and 17. □
Remark 12. The converse of Lemma 9 fails, as Example 12 will show.
Example 12. Let , , and be defined as follows: Also, ℑ is defined on W as follows: Thus, W is --almost γ-compact, but it is not --γ-compact.
Theorem 20. Let be an -continuous function, and let . Then, is a k--almost compact set if is a k--almost γ-compact set.
Proof. Let
with
, and then
is
} (
h is
-
-continuous) such that
. Since
is
k-
-almost
-compact, there is a finite subset
of
with
. Since
h is an
-continuous function,
Hence,
. Therefore,
is
k-
-almost compact. □
Definition 18. Let be an , , and . An -set is called k--nearly γ-compact if for each family with , there is a finite subset of Ω with .
Lemma 10. In an , every k--nearly γ-compact set is k--nearly compact.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 4 and 18. □
Lemma 11. In an , every k--γ-compact set is k--nearly γ-compact.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 16 and 18. □
Remark 13. The converse of Lemma 11 fails, as Example 12 will show.
Example 13. Let , , and be defined as follows: Also, ℑ is defined on W as follows: Thus, W is --nearly γ-compact, but it is not --γ-compact.
Theorem 21. Let be -continuous and -open. Then, is a k--nearly compact set if is a k--nearly γ-compact set.
Proof. Let
with
; then,
is
} (
h is
-
-continuous) such that
. Since
is
k-
-nearly
-compact, there is a finite subset
of
such that
. Since
h is
-continuous and
-open,
Therefore,
is
k-
-nearly compact. □
Lemma 12. In an , every k--nearly γ-compact set is k--almost γ-compact.
Proof. The proof follows Definitions 17 and 18. □
Remark 14. From the previous discussions and definitions, we have the following diagram: