Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1106.0412

Up to one approximations of sectional category and topological complexity

Jean-Paul Doeraene·Mohammed El Haouari
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

James' sectional category and Farber's topological complexity are studied in a general and unified framework. We introduce `relative' and `strong relative' forms of the category for a map. We show that both can differ from sectional category just by 1. A map has sectional or relative category less than or equal to $n$ if, and only if, it is `dominated' (in some sense) by a map with strong relative category less than or equal to $n$. A homotopy pushout can increase sectional category but neither homotopy pushouts, nor homotopy pullbacks, can increase (strong) relative category. This makes (strong) relative category a convenient tool to study sectional category. We completely determine the sectional and relative categories of the fibres of the Ganea fibrations. As a particular case, the `topological complexity' of a space is the sectional category of the diagonal map. So it can differ from the (strong) relative category of the diagonal just by 1. We call the strong relative category of the diagonal `strong complexity'. We show that the strong complexity of a suspension is at most 2.

Explore related subjects

math.AT

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Jean-Paul Doeraene, Mohammed El Haouari. 2011-06-02. Up to one approximations of sectional category and topological complexity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.topol.2013.02.001

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Homogeneous Milnor fibers and Kato--Matsumoto bounds via simplicial multiwedges

For every $n\geq 3$ and $s\geq 2$, we construct a homogeneous polynomial of degree $n(n+1)/2$ whose Milnor fiber is exactly $2s$-connected and whose rational cohomology contains a strictly defined nontrivial $n$-fold Massey product on classes of degree $2s+1$, implying that the Milnor fiber is non-formal, while attaining the Kato--Matsumoto connectivity bound. Our construction is based on the simplicial multiwedges of the nerve complexes of simple polytopes introduced by Limonchenko, combined with Suciu's realization of weighted homogeneous Milnor fibers. We thereby answer two problems posed by Suciu.

math.AT↗
arXiv2026

The homotopy types of directed path and trace spaces

We construct a saturated directed space with a Hausdorff $\Delta$-generated underlying space and two distinct points such that the trace space between them is homeomorphic to a square, whereas the directed path space has a nontrivial fundamental group. In particular, the canonical quotient map is not a weak homotopy equivalence. The same conclusion holds for regular directed paths modulo increasing homeomorphisms.

math.AT↗
arXiv2026

Moduli spaces of geometric functorial field theories

We develop tools to compute moduli spaces of geometric functorial field theories as mapping spaces of equivariant simplicial presheaves. Given a d-dimensional geometric structure F, presented as a presheaf on the site of smooth families of d-manifolds, we define its Cartesian realization, which is an O(d)-equivariant simplicial presheaf on the site of Cartesian spaces. We use Cartesian realizations to present the moduli space of functorial field theories with geometric structure F as a mapping space between O(d)-equivariant simplicial presheaves. In a companion paper, we use this result to compute the moduli space of smooth one-dimensional oriented Riemannian functorial field theories valued in an arbitrary smooth symmetric monoidal infinity-category.

math.AT↗