A classification of Baire-1 functions

In this paper we give some topological characterizations of
bounded Baire-1 functions using some ranks. Kechris and Louveau classified the Baire-1 functions to the subclasses $\mathbb{B}^\xi _1(K)$ for every $\xi<\omega _1$ (where $K$ is a compact metric space). The first basic result of this paper is that for $\xi<\omega$, $f\in \mathbb{B}^{\xi+1}_1(K)$ iff there exists a sequence $(f_n)$ of differences of bounded semicontinuous functions on $K$ with $f_n\to f$ pointwise and $\gamma((f_n))\le \omega^\xi$ (where ``$\gamma$'' denotes the convergence rank). This extends the work of Kechris and Louveau who obtained this result for $\xi=1$. We also show that the result fails for $\xi\ge \omega$. The second basic result of the paper involves the introduction of a new ordinal-rank on sequences $(f_n)$, called the $\delta$-rank, which is smaller than the convergence rank $\gamma$. This result yields the following characterization of $\mathbb{B}^\xi _1(K): f\in \mathbb{B}^\xi _1(K)$ iff there exists a sequence $(f_n)$ of continuous functions with $f_n\to f$ pointwise and $\delta((f_n))\le \omega^{\xi-1}$ if $1\le \xi<\omega$, resp. $\delta((f_n))\le \omega^\xi$ if $\xi\ge \omega$.