\(Spin\;(n)\) is not homotopy nilpotent for \(n{\geq}7\) (Q2367224): Difference between revisions

An interesting class of problems is the following: the functor [-,\(X\)] is a group if \(X\) is an \(H\)-space. Under what circumstances does this functor take values in various subcategories of groups. When [-,\(X\)] is always nilpotent, then the space is called homotopy nilpotent. \textit{M. J. Hopkins} conjectured that all finite connected homotopy associative \(H\)- spaces are homotopy nilpotent. The author shows this is false for all \(\text{Spin}(n)\) and \(\text{SO}(n)\) for \(n\geq 7\). Then, using a very recent result of \textit{N. Yagita} which classifies homotopy nilpotence of any simply connected compact Lie group \(G\) localized at a prime \(p\), by whether \(H_ *(G;x)\) has \(p\)-torsion, the author sketches a proof that any connected compact Lie group is not homotopy nilpotent. The author also observes that a statement equivalent to homotopy nilpotence due to Hopkins was in fact different from the statement that Hopkins actually wrote down.