Non-degenerate locally connected models for plane continua and Julia sets

Abstract

Suppose that a $X$ is an \emph{unshielded} plane continuum (i.e., $X$ coincides with the boundary of the unbounded complementary component of $X$). Then there exists a \emph{finest monotone} map $m:X\to L$, where $L$ is a locally connected continuum (i.e., $m^{-1}(y)$ is connected for each $y\in L$, and any monotone map $\varphi:X\to L'$ onto a locally connected continuum is a composition $\varphi=\varphi'\circ m$ where $\varphi':L\to L'$ is monotone). Such finest locally connected model $L$ of $X$ is easier to understand because $L$ is locally connected (in particular it can be described by a picture) and represents the finest but still understandable decomposition of $X$ into possibly complicated but pairwise disjoint \emph{fibers} (point-preimages) of $m$. However, in some cases (i.e., in case $X$ is indecomposable) $L$ is a singleton. In this paper we provide sufficient conditions for the existence of a non-degenerate model depending on the existence of certain subcontinua of $X$ and apply these results to the connected Julia sets of polynomials.