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.     

The bar complex of an E-infinity algebra

The standard reduced bar complex B(A) of a differential graded algebra A inherits a natural commutative algebra structure if A is a commutative algebra. We address an extension of this construction in the context of E-infinity algebras. We prove that the bar complex of any E-infinity algebra can be equipped with the structure of an E-infinity algebra so that the bar construction defines a functor from E-infinity algebras to E-infinity algebras. We prove the homotopy uniqueness of such natural E-infinity structures on the bar construction.We apply our construction to cochain complexes of topological spaces, which are instances of E-infinity algebras. We prove that the n-th iterated bar complexes of the cochain algebra of a space X is equivalent to the cochain complex of the n-fold iterated loop space of X, under reasonable connectedness, completeness and finiteness assumptions on X.     

Maps into homotopy coalgebras

Let X be a k-fold homotopy coalgebra of order j with respect to the pair of adjoint functors Σk and Ωk. We show that, under some connectivity conditions on the map , Y inherits a k-fold homotopy coalgebra structure of the same order for which f is a morphism of homotopy coalgebras. In particular, this holds for skeleta of homotopy coalgebras under some mild assumptions. As a consequence, we complete results on [M. Arkowitz, M. Golasiński, Homotopy coalgebras and k-fold suspensions, Hiroshima Math. J. 27 (1997) 209-220] and [T. Ganea, Cogroups and suspensions, Invent. Math. 9 (1970) 185-197] by detecting k-fold suspensions among skeleta of k-fold homotopy coalgebras.     

2-Categorical aspects of strong shape

For every pair (C,K) of groupoid enriched categories, we define two related categories S(C,K) and SS(C,K). In the case (C,K)=(TOP,ANR) they are isomorphic, respectively, to the classical shape category Sh(TOP) of Mardeši? and Segal and to the strong shape category of topological spaces SSh(1)(TOP) of height 1, defined by Lisicá and Mardeši?. Moreover, for (C,K)=(CM,ANR), where CM is the category of compact metric spaces, there is an isomorphism SSh(CM)≅SS(CM,ANR). A new characterization of topological strong shape equivalences is also given.     

Model structures on exact categories

We define model structures on exact categories, which we call exact model structures. We look at the relationship between these model structures and cotorsion pairs on the exact category. In particular, when the underlying category is weakly idempotent complete, we get Hovey’s one-to-one correspondence between model structures and complete cotorsion pairs. We classify the right and the left homotopy relation in terms of the cotorsion pairs and look at examples of exact model structures. In particular, we see that given any hereditary abelian model category, the full subcategories of cofibrant, fibrant and cofibrant-fibrant subobjects each has natural exact model structures equivalent to the original model structure. These model structures each has interesting characteristics. For example, the cofibrant-fibrant subobjects form a Frobenius category, whose stable category is the same as the homotopy category of its model structure.     

Ganea and Whitehead definitions for the tangential Lusternik-Schnirelmann category of foliations

This work solves the problem of elaborating Ganea and Whitehead definitions for the tangential category of a foliated manifold. We develop these two notions in the category S-Top of stratified spaces, that are topological spaces X endowed with a partition F and compare them to a third invariant defined by using open sets. More precisely, these definitions apply to an element (X,F) of S-Top together with a class A of subsets of X; they are similar to invariants introduced by M. Clapp and D. Puppe.If (X,F)∈S-Top, we define a transverse subset as a subspace A of X such that the intersection S∩A is at most countable for any S∈F. Then we define the Whitehead and Ganea LS-categories of the stratified space by taking the infimum along the transverse subsets. When we have a closed manifold, endowed with a C¹-foliation, the three previous definitions, with A the class of transverse subsets, coincide with the tangential category and are homotopical invariants.     

The realization space of a Π-algebra: a moduli problem in algebraic topology

A Π-algebra A is a graded group with all of the algebraic structure possessed by the homotopy groups of a pointed connected topological space. We study the moduli space R(A) of realizations of A, which is defined to be the disjoint union, indexed by weak equivalence classes of CW-complexes X with , of the classifying space of the monoid of self homotopy equivalences of X. Our approach amounts to a kind of homotopical deformation theory: we obtain a tower whose homotopy limit is R(A), in which the space at the bottom is BAut(A) and the successive fibres are determined by Π-algebra cohomology. (This cohomology is the analog for Π-algebras of the Hochschild cohomology of an associative ring or the André-Quillen cohomology of a commutative ring.) It seems clear that the deformation theory can be applied with little change to study other moduli problems in algebra and topology.     

Three models for the homotopy theory of homotopy theories

Given any model category, or more generally any category with weak equivalences, its simplicial localization is a simplicial category which can rightfully be called the “homotopy theory” of the model category. There is a model category structure on the category of simplicial categories, so taking its simplicial localization yields a “homotopy theory of homotopy theories”. In this paper we show that there are two different categories of diagrams of simplicial sets, each equipped with an appropriate definition of weak equivalence, such that the resulting homotopy theories are each equivalent to the homotopy theory arising from the model category structure on simplicial categories. Thus, any of these three categories with the respective weak equivalences could be considered a model for the homotopy theory of homotopy theories. One of them in particular, Rezk’s complete Segal space model category structure on the category of simplicial spaces, is much more convenient from the perspective of making calculations and therefore obtaining information about a given homotopy theory.     

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.     

The bitwisted Cartesian model for the free loop fibration

Using the notion of truncating twisting function from a simplicial set to a cubical set a special, bitwisted, Cartesian product of these sets is defined. For the universal truncating twisting function, the (co)chain complex of the corresponding bitwisted Cartesian product agrees with the standard Cartier (Hochschild) chain complex of the simplicial (co)chains. The modelling polytopes Fn are constructed. An explicit diagonal on Fn is defined and a multiplicative model for the free loop fibration ΩY→ΛY→Y is obtained. As an application we establish an algebra isomorphism H^∗(ΛY;Z)≈S(U)⊗Λ(s−1U) for the polynomial cohomology algebra H^∗(Y;Z)=S(U).     

Homology rings of homotopy associative H-spaces

Let X be a homotopy associative mod p H-space for p an odd prime. The homology H_*(X;Fp) is an associative ring, but not necessarily commutative. We study conditions when for elements of H_*(X;Fp). Under certain conditions imply for l=p−2 or p−1. These methods can be used to prove results about homology commutators that were previously obtained using the adjoint action [H. Hamanaka, S. Hara, A. Kono, Adjoint action of Lie groups on the loop spaces and cohomology of exceptional Lie groups, Transform. Group Theory (1996) 44-50, Korea Adv. Inst. Sci. Tech.; A. Kono, K. Kozima, The adjoint action of a Lie group on the space of loops, J. Math. Soc. Japan 45 (3) (1993) 495-509; A. Kono, J. Lin, O. Nishimura, Characterization of the mod 3 cohomology of E₇, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 131 (10) (2003) 3289-3295]. We also generalize results of Kane [R. Kane, Torsion in homotopy associative H-spaces, Illinois J. Math. 20 (1976) 476-485] to nonfinite mod p homotopy associative H-spaces.     

On the direct image of intersections in exact homological categories

Given a regular epimorphism f:X?Y in an exact homological category C, and a pair (U,V) of kernel subobjects of X, we show that the quotient (f(U)∩f(V))/f(U∩V) is always abelian. When C is nonpointed, i.e. only exact protomodular, the translation of the previous result is that, given any pair (R,S) of equivalence relations on X, the difference mappingδ:Y/f(R∩S)?Y/(f(R)∩f(S)) has an abelian kernel relation. This last result actually holds true in any exact Mal'cev category. Setting Y=X/T, this result says that the difference mapping determined by the inclusion T∪(R∩S)?(T∪R)∩(T∪S) has an abelian kernel relation, which casts a new light on the congruence distributive property.     

A contribution to the closed geodesic problem

The closed geodesic problem has been solved by many authors under additional hypothesis. In this paper we develop a new way to solve this problem, by defining finitely many obstruction classes. This permits to enlarge significantly the family of manifolds for which this problem is solved. Our method which relies on the concept of A_∞-section of a homomorphism of differential graded algebras, shows explicitly how the natural structure of shc-algebra on the singular cochains of a space comes into play.     

On homotopy rigidity of the functor ΣΩ on co-H-spaces

In this paper we study the homotopy rigidity property of the functors ΣΩ and Ω. Our main result is that both functors are homotopy rigid on simply-connected p-local finite co-H-spaces. The result is obtain by a subtle interplay of homotopy decomposition techniques, modular representation theory and the counting principle.     

On the Grothendieck construction for ∞-categories

We provide, among other things: (i) a Bousfield–Kan formula for colimits in ∞-categories (generalizing the 1-categorical formula for a colimit as a coequalizer of maps between coproducts); (ii) ∞-categorical generalizations of Barwick–Kan's Theorem B_n and Dwyer–Kan–Smith's Theorem C_n (regarding homotopy pullbacks in the Thomason model structure, which themselves vastly generalize Quillen's Theorem B); and (iii) an articulation of the simultaneous and interwoven functoriality of colimits (or dually, of limits) for natural transformations and for pullback along maps of diagram ∞-categories.     

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.     

A remark on K-theory and S-categories

It is now well known that the K-theory of a Waldhausen category depends on more than just its (triangulated) homotopy category (Invent. Math. 150 (2002) 111). The purpose of this note is to show that the K-theory spectrum of a (good) Waldhausen category is completely determined by its Dwyer-Kan simplicial localization, without any additional structure. As the simplicial localization is a refined version of the homotopy category which also determines the triangulated structure, our result is a possible answer to the general question: “To which extent K-theory is not an invariant of triangulated derived categories? ”     

Homotopy algebras and the inverse of the normalization functor

In this paper, we investigate multiplicative properties of the classical Dold-Kan correspondence. The inverse of the normalization functor maps commutative differential graded algebras to E_∞-algebras. We prove that it in fact sends algebras over arbitrary differential graded E_∞-operads to E_∞-algebras in simplicial modules and is part of a Quillen adjunction. More generally, this inverse maps homotopy algebras to weak homotopy algebras. We prove the corresponding dual results for algebras under the conormalization, and for coalgebra structures under the normalization resp. the inverse of the conormalization.