arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Stephen Theriault.
Let $\mathcal{G}_k$ be the gauge group of the principal $SU(4)$-bundle over $S^4$ with second Chern class $k$ and let $p$ be a prime. We show that there is a rational or $p$-local homotopy equivalence $Ω\mathcal{G}_k\simeqΩ\mathcal{G}_{k'}$ if and only if $(60,k)=(60,k')$.
Using integral methods we recover and generalize some results by Félix, Halperin and Thomas on the growth of the rational homology groups of free loop spaces, and obtain a new family of spaces whose $p$-torsion in homotopy groups grows exponentially and satisfies Moore's Conjecture for all but finitely many primes. In view of the results, we conjecture that there should be a strong connection between exponential growth in the rational homotopy groups and the $p$-torsion homotopy groups for any prime $p$.
Methods are developed to relate the action of a principal fibration to relative Whitehead products in order to determine the homotopy type of certain spaces. The methods are applied to thoroughly analyze the homotopy type of the based loops on certain cell attachments. Key examples are (n-1)-connected Poincare Duality complexes of dimension 2n or 2n+1 with minor cohomological conditions.
We analyze a general family of fibrations which, after looping, have sections. Methods are developed to determine the homotopy type of the fibre and the homotopy classes of the map from the fibre to the base. The methods are driven by applications to two-cones, Poincare Duality complexes, the connected sum operation, and polyhedral products.
Beben and Wu showed that if $M$ is a $(2n-2)$-connected $(4n-1)$-dimensional Poincaré Duality complex such that $n\geq 3$ and $H^{2n}(M;\mathbb{Z})$ consists only of odd torsion, then $ΩM$ can be decomposed up to homotopy as a product of simpler, well studied spaces. We use a result from \cite{BT2} to greatly simplify and enhance Beben and Wu's work and to extend it in various directions.
Let $G$ be a simply-connected, simple compact Lie group of type $\{n_{1},\ldots,n_{\ell}\}$, where $n_{1}\le\cdots \le n_{\ell}$. Let $\mathcal{G}_k$ be the gauge group of the principal $G$-bundle (namedright{P}{}{S^{4}}) whose isomorphism class is determined by the the second Chern class having value $k\in\mathbb{Z}$. We calculate the mod-$p$ homology of the classifying space $B\mathcal{G}_k$ provided that $n_{\ell}<p-1$ and $p$ does not divide $k$.
We analyse the homotopy types of gauge groups for principal $U(n)$-bundles over lens spaces.
If $K$ is a simplicial complex on $m$ vertices the flagification of $K$ is the minimal flag complex $K^f$ on the same vertex set that contains $K$. Letting $L$ be the set of vertices, there is a sequence of simplicial inclusions $L\to K\to K^f$. This induces a sequence of maps of polyhedral products $(\underline X,\underline A)^L\stackrel g\longrightarrow(\underline X,\underline A)^K\stackrel f\longrightarrow (\underline X,\underline A)^{K^f}$. We show that $Ωf$ and $Ωf\circΩg$ have right homotopy inverses and draw consequences. For a flag complex $K$ the polyhedral product of the form $(\underline{CY},\underline Y)^K$ is a co-$H$-space if and only if the $1$-skeleton of $K$ is a chordal graph, and we deduce that the maps $f$ and $f\circ g$ have right homotopy inverses in this case.
The notion of a dual polyhedral product is introduced as a generalization of Hovey's definition of Lusternik-Schnirelmann cocategory. Properties established from homotopy decompositions that relate the based loops on a polyhedral product to the based loops on its dual are used to show that if X is a simply-connected space then the weak cocategory of X equals the homotopy nilpotency class of the based loops on X. This answers a fifty year old question posed by Ganea. The methods are applied to determine the homotopy nilpotency class of quasi-p-regular exceptional Lie groups and sporadic p-compact groups.
We determine the number of distinct fibre homotopy types for the gauge groups of principal $Sp(2)$-bundles over a closed, simply-connected four-manifold.
If $G$ is a compact connected Lie group and $T$ is a maximal torus, we give a wedge decomposition of $ΣG/T$ by identifying families of idempotents in cohomology. This is used to give new information on the self-maps of $G/T$.
Moore's Conjecture is shown to hold for generalized moment-angle complexes and a criterion is proved that determines when a polyhedral product is elliptic or hyperbolic.
The $p$-local homotopy types of gauge groups of principal $G$-bundles over $S^4$ are classified when $G$ is a compact connected exceptional Lie group without $p$-torsion in homology except for $(G,p)=(\mathrm{E}_7,5)$.
We give $p$-local homotopy decompositions of the suspensions of real toric spaces for odd primes $p$. Our decomposition is compatible with the one given by Bahri, Bendersky, Cohen, and Gitler for the suspension of the corresponding real moment-angle complex, or more generally, the polyhedral product. As an application, we obtain a stable rigidity property for real toric spaces.
In this paper we study the relationship between the moment-angle complex Z_k and the Davis-Januskiewicz space DJ(K) for a class of complexes K named missing-face complexes. If K has n vertices we consider the homotopy fibration sequence Z_k --> DJ(K) --> M where M is a product of n copies of infinite complex projective space. We observe that for such K, Z_k is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres, and then show that under this equivalence the map Z_k --> DJ(K) is homotopic to a wedge sum of higher Whitehead products and iterated Whitehead products.
We answer a problem posed by Panov, which is to describe the relationship between the wedge summands in a homotopy decomposition of the moment-angle complex corresponding to a disjoint union of k points and the connected sum factors in a diffeomorphism decomposition of the moment-angle manifold corresponding to the simple polytope obtained by making k vertex cuts on a standard d-simplex. This establishes a bridge between two very different approaches to moment-angle manifolds.
We give p-local homotopy decompositions of the loop spaces of compact, simply-connected symmetric spaces for quasi-regular primes. The factors are spheres, sphere bundles over spheres, and their loop spaces. As an application, upper bounds for the homotopy exponents are determined.
We study the homotopy types of moment-angle complexes, or equivalently, of complements of coordinate subspace arrangements. The overall aim is to identify the simplicial complexes K for which the corresponding moment-angle complex Z_K has the homotopy type of a wedge of spheres or a connected sum of sphere products. When K is flag, we identify in algebraic and combinatorial terms those K for which Z_K is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres, and give a combinatorial formula for the number of spheres in the wedge. This extends results of Berglund and Joellenbeck on Golod rings and homotopy theoretical results of the first and third authors. We also establish a connection between minimally non-Golod rings and moment-angle complexes Z_K which are homotopy equivalent to a connected sum of sphere products. We go on to show that for any flag complex K the loop spaces of Z_K and DJ(K) are homotopy equivalent to a product of spheres and loops on spheres when localised rationally or at any odd prime.