Self-closeness numbers of rational mapping spaces (Q6148307)

For a pointed connected CW complex \(X\), let \([X,X]\) denote the monoid consisting of all pointed homotopy classes of self-maps \(f:X\to X\) whose multiplication is induced from the composition of maps. Let \(\mathcal{E}(X)\subset [X,X]\) denote the group of self-homotopy equivalences of \(X\). For each integer \(n\geq 0\), let \(\mathcal{A}^n_{\#}(X)\subset [X,X]\) denote the subset consisting of all \(f\in [X,X]\) inducing isomorphisms on the homotopy groups \(\pi_k(\cdot )\) for any \(k\leq n\). Note that \(\mathcal{A}^n_{\#}(X)\) is a monoid such that there is the following filtration of submonoids \[ \mathcal{A}^1_{\#}(X)\supset \mathcal{A}^2_{\#}(X)\supset\cdots \supset \mathcal{A}^n_{\#}(X)\supset \mathcal{A}^{n+1}_{\#}(X)\supset \cdots \mathcal{A}^{\infty}_{\#}(X)=\mathcal{E}(X). \] Recall that \(\mathcal{A}^n_{\#}(X)=\mathcal{E}(X)\) if \(\dim X=n\). Then the self-closeness number \(\mathrm{N}\mathcal{E}(X)\) is defined as \(\mathrm{N}\mathcal{E}(X)=\min \{n:\mathcal{A}^n_{\#}(X)=\mathcal{E}(X)\}. \) By the Hopf degree theorem, for a closed oriented manifold \(M\) of dimension \(m\), the mapping degree gives a one-to-one correspondence the path component of \(\mbox{Map}(M,S^m)\) and \(\mathbb{Z}\), and we denote by \(\mbox{Map}(M,S^m;k)\) the path component of degree \(k\). It is known that the rational homotopy type of path components \(\{\mbox{Map}(M,S^m;k):k\in \mathbb{Z}\}\) is two and they are represented by \(\mbox{Map}(M,S^m;1)\) and \(\mbox{Map}(M,S^m;0)\). \par In this paper, the author considers the problem whether the self-closeness number distinguishes the rational homotopy type of \(\{\mbox{Map}(M,S^m;k):k=0,1\}\) or not (for \(m\) even). In particular, he computes the self-closeness number of them for a rational Poincaré complex \(X\) of dimension \(2n\) with finite \(\pi_1\), and he obtains the following result: \begin{align*} N\mathcal{E}(\mbox{Map}(X,S^{2n};1)_{(0)}) &=4n-1 \\ N\mathcal{E}(\mbox{Map}(X,S^{2n};0)_{(0)}) &= \begin{cases} 2n & \mbox{ if }X\mbox{ is primitive,} \\ d(X) & \mbox{ if }X\mbox{ is not primitive,} \end{cases} \end{align*} where \(d(X)\) denotes the least integer \(d\) such that \(H^d(X;\mathbb{Q})\not= 0\) with \(d\geq n\). As an application, he proves that the self-closeness number distinguishes the rational homotopy types of \(\mbox{Map}(X,S^{2n};k)\) for \(k=0,1\), when \(X\) is a rational Poincaré complex of dimension \(2n\) with finite \(\pi_1\). \par The proof is based on standard techniques of rational homotopy theory (Sullivan model, etc.), the Brown-Szczarba models for \(\mbox{Map}(X,S^{2n})\) and the computation of the self-closeness number \(N\mathcal{E}(\Lambda V,d)\) of a minimal Sullivan algebra \((\Lambda V,d)\).