Simple homotopy types and finite spaces

We present a new approach to simple homotopy theory of polyhedra using finite topological spaces. We define the concept of collapse of a finite space and prove that this new notion corresponds exactly to the concept of a simplicial collapse. More precisely, we show that a collapse X↘Y of finite spaces induces a simplicial collapse K(X)↘K(Y) of their associated simplicial complexes. Moreover, a simplicial collapse K↘L induces a collapse X(K)↘X(L) of the associated finite spaces. This establishes a one-to-one correspondence between simple homotopy types of finite simplicial complexes and simple equivalence classes of finite spaces. We also prove a similar result for maps: We give a complete characterization of the class of maps between finite spaces which induce simple homotopy equivalences between the associated polyhedra. This class describes all maps coming from simple homotopy equivalences at the level of complexes. The advantage of this theory is that the elementary move of finite spaces is much simpler than the elementary move of simplicial complexes: It consists of removing (or adding) just a single point of the space.     

A counter-example to a conjecture of Félix

If X is a simply connected space of finite type, then the rational homotopy groups of the based loop space of X possess the structure of a graded Lie algebra, denoted L_X. The radical of L_X, which is an important rational homotopy invariant of X, is of finite total dimension if the Lusternik-Schnirelmann category of X is finite.Let X be a simply connected space with finite Lusternik-Schnirelmann category. If dimL_X<∞, i.e., if X is elliptic, then L_X is its own radical, and therefore the total dimension of the radical of L_X in odd degrees is less than or equal to its total dimension in even degrees (Friedlander and Halperin (1979) [8]). Félix conjectured that this inequality should hold for all simply connected spaces with finite Lusternik-Schnirelmann category.We prove Félix’s conjecture in some interesting special cases, then provide a counter-example to the general case.     

Many homotopy categories are homotopy categories

We show that any category that is enriched, tensored, and cotensored over the category of compactly generated weak Hausdorff spaces, and that satisfies an additional hypothesis concerning the behavior of colimits of sequences of cofibrations, admits a Quillen closed model structure in which the weak equivalences are the homotopy equivalences. The fibrations are the Hurewicz fibrations and the cofibrations are a subclass of the Hurewicz cofibrations. This result applies to various categories of spaces, unbased or based, categories of prespectra and spectra in the sense of Lewis and May, the categories of L-spectra and S-modules of Elmendorf, Kriz, Mandell and May, and the equivariant analogues of all the afore-mentioned categories.     

Lifting homotopy T-algebra maps to strict maps

The settings for homotopical algebra—categories such as simplicial groups, simplicial rings, _A∞$A_{\infty }$ spaces, _E∞$E_{\infty }$ ring spectra, etc.—are often equivalent to categories of algebras over some monad or triple T. In such cases, T is acting on a nice simplicial model category in such a way that T descends to a monad on the homotopy category and defines a category of homotopy T-algebras. In this setting there is a forgetful functor from the homotopy category of T-algebras to the category of homotopy T-algebras.     

Splitting monoidal stable model categories

If C is a stable model category with a monoidal product then the set of homotopy classes of self-maps of the unit forms a commutative ring, [S,S]^C. An idempotent e of this ring will split the homotopy category: [X,Y]^C≅e[X,Y]^C⊕(1−e)[X,Y]^C. We prove that provided the localised model structures exist, this splitting of the homotopy category comes from a splitting of the model category, that is, C is Quillen equivalent to L_eSC×L_(1−e)SC and [X,Y]^L_eSC≅e[X,Y]^C. This Quillen equivalence is strong monoidal and is symmetric when the monoidal product of C is.     

Universal spaces for homotopy limits of modules over coaugmented functors (I)

For a coaugmented functor J on spaces, we consider J-modules and finite J-limits. The former are spaces X which are retracts of JX via the natural map. The latter are homotopy limits of J-modules arranged in diagrams whose shape is finite dimensional. Familiar examples are generalised Eilenberg MacLane spaces, which are the SP^∞-modules. Finite SP^∞-limits are nilpotent spaces with a very strong finiteness property. We show that the cofacial Bousfield-Kan construction of the functors J_n is universal for finite J-limits in the sense that every map X→Y where Y is a finite J-limit, factors through such natural map X→J_nX, for some n<∞.     

Implications of large-cardinal principles in homotopical localization

The existence of arbitrary cohomological localizations on the homotopy category of spaces has remained unproved since Bousfield settled the same problem for homology theories in the decade of 1970. This is related with another open question, namely whether or not every homotopy idempotent functor on spaces is an f-localization for some map f. We prove that both questions have an affirmative answer assuming the validity of a suitable large-cardinal axiom from set theory (Vopěnka's principle). We also show that it is impossible to prove that all homotopy idempotent functors are f-localizations using the ordinary ZFC axioms of set theory (Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms with the axiom of choice), since a counterexample can be displayed under the assumption that all cardinals are nonmeasurable, which is consistent with ZFC.     

Mixing model structures

We prove that if a category has two Quillen closed model structures (W₁,F₁,C₁) and (W₂,F₂,C₂) that satisfy the inclusions W₁⊆W₂ and F₁⊆F₂, then there exists a “mixed model structure” (Wm,Fm,Cm) for which Wm=W₂ and Fm=F₁. This shows that there is a model structure for topological spaces (and other topological categories) for which Wm is the class of weak equivalences and Fm is the class of Hurewicz fibrations. The cofibrant spaces in this model structure are the spaces that have CW homotopy type.     

Homomorphisms of homotopy coalgebras

In this paper we consider the theory of higher order homotopy coalgebras as a collection of spaces between co-H-spaces and suspensions, which dualizes Stasheff's theory of Ak-spaces when these are defined through Ak-structures. Moreover we extend two Berstein-Hilton theorems which deal with the primitive homotopy type of a suspension and the class of a suspension map, respectively.     

On the homotopy groups of separable metric spaces

The aim of this paper is to discuss the homotopy properties of locally well-behaved spaces. First, we state a nerve theorem. It gives sufficient conditions under which there is a weak n-equivalence between the nerve of a good cover and its underlying space. Then we conclude that for any (n−1)-connected, locally (n−1)-connected compact metric space X which is also n-semilocally simply connected, the nth homotopy group of X, πn(X), is finitely presented. This result allows us to provide a new proof for a generalization of Shelah?s theorem (Shelah, 1988 [18]) to higher homotopy groups (Ghane and Hamed, 2009 [8]). Also, we clarify the relationship between two homotopy properties of a topological space X, the property of being n-homotopically Hausdorff and the property of being n-semilocally simply connected. Further, we give a way to recognize a nullhomotopic 2-loop in 2-dimensional spaces. This result will involve the concept of generalized dendrite which introduce here. Finally, we prove that each 2-loop is homotopic to a reduced 2-loop.     

Operads,configuration spaces and quantization

We review several well-known operads of compactified configuration spaces and construct several new such operads, [`(C)]\bar C, in the category of smooth manifolds with corners whose complexes of fundamental chains give us (i) the 2-coloured operad of A <sub>∞</sub>-algebras and their homotopy morphisms, (ii) the 2-coloured operad of L <sub>∞</sub>-algebras and their homotopy morphisms, and (iii) the 4-coloured operad of openclosed homotopy algebras and their homotopy morphisms. Two gadgets — a (coloured) operad of Feynman graphs and a de Rham field theory on [`(C)]\bar C — are introduced and used to construct quantized representations of the (fundamental) chain operad of [`(C)]\bar C which are given by Feynman type sums over graphs and depend on choices of propagators.     

Realization of 2-solvable nilpotent groups as groups of classes of homotopy self-equivalences

Let X be a 1-connected CW-complex of finite type and ε_?(X) be the group of homotopy classes of self-equivalences of X which induce the identity on homotopy groups. In this paper, we prove that every finitely generated 2-solvable rational nilpotent group is realizable as ε_?(X) where X is the rationalization of a 1-connected CW-complex of finite type.     

Separated Lie models and the homotopy Lie algebra

A simply connected topological space X has homotopy Lie algebra π_∗(ΩX)⊗Q. Following Quillen, there is a connected differential graded free Lie algebra (dgL) called a Lie model, which determines the rational homotopy type of X, and whose homology is isomorphic to the homotopy Lie algebra. We show that such a Lie model can be replaced with one that has a special property that we call being separated. The homology of a separated dgL has a particular form which lends itself to calculations.     

Topological methods in solvability theory of multidimensional pair integral operators with homogeneous kernels of compact type

The problem of getting effective Fredholm conditions for operators with bihomogeneous kernels reduces to the question of invertibility for families of operators with homogeneous kernels and to the calculation of homotopy invariants for spaces of Fredholm and invertible operators of that type. The purpose of the present paper is to study integral operators with homogeneous kernels of compact type in L _p (? ⁿ ), 1 < p < +??. The classes of homotopy equivalence for the spaces of Fredholm and invertible operators in the C*-algebra of pair operators with homogeneous kernels of compact type are calculated by means of operator K-theory.     

The relationship between the diagonal and the bar constructions on a bisimplicial set

The aim of this paper is to prove that the homotopy type of any bisimplicial set X is modelled by the simplicial set , the bar construction on X. We stress the interest of this result by showing two relevant theorems which now become simple instances of it; namely, the Homotopy colimit theorem of Thomason, for diagrams of small categories, and the generalized Eilenberg-Zilber theorem of Dold-Puppe for bisimplicial Abelian groups. Among other applications, we give an algebraic model for the homotopy theory of (not necessarily path-connected) spaces whose homotopy groups vanish in degree 4 and higher.     

CoHochschild homology of chain coalgebras

Generalizing the work of Doi and of Idrissi, we define a coHochschild homology theory for chain coalgebras over any commutative ring and prove its naturality with respect to morphisms of chain coalgebras up to strong homotopy. As a consequence we obtain that if the comultiplication of a chain coalgebra C is itself a morphism of chain coalgebras up to strong homotopy, then the coHochschild complex admits a natural comultiplicative structure. In particular, if K is a reduced simplicial set and C_∗K is its normalized chain complex, then is naturally a homotopy-coassociative chain coalgebra. We provide a simple, explicit formula for the comultiplication on when K is a simplicial suspension.The coHochschild complex construction is topologically relevant. Given two simplicial maps g,h:K→L, where K and L are reduced, the homology of the coHochschild complex of C_∗L with coefficients in C_∗K is isomorphic to the homology of the homotopy coincidence space of the geometric realizations of g and h, and this isomorphism respects comultiplicative structure. In particular, there is an isomorphism, respecting comultiplicative structure, from the homology of to H_∗L|K|, the homology of the free loops on the geometric realization of K.     

Shape fibrations and strong shape theory

The notion of shape fibration was introduced by Marde?i? and Rushing. In this paper we use ‘fibrant space’ techniques in strong shape theory to prove that every shape fibration p:E → B of compact metric spaces is contained in a map of fibrant spaces p′:E′→B′ which enjoys a certain lifting property and whose homotopy properties reflect the strong shape properties of the map p. Standard methods for studying Hurewicz fibrations are readily applied to the map p' and in this way we obtain a number of strong shape generalizations of results of Marde?i? and Rushing. We also prove the following theorem which answers a question of Rushing: A shape fibration of compact metric spaces which is a strong shape equivalence is an hereditary shape equivalence. Since the converse was known, this gives a characterization of hereditary shape equivalences.     

Non-cancellation and a related phenomenon for the lens spaces

THIS PAPER investigates the structure of the semigroup Σ generated by a set S of non-cancellation examples in the homotopy category. The featured spaces are the 3-dimensional Lens spaces L_p.q. Their products L_p.q × S³ with the 3-sphere S³ are shown to have the same simple-homotopy type, while their own products are shown to determine a unique-division semigroup.