The plus construction, Postnikov towers and universal central module extensions (Q1860700)

Given a space \(X\), Quillen's plus construction yields a new space \(X^{+}\) and a universal map \(\eta: X\rightarrow X^{+}\) that induces isomorphisms in all homology theories and quotients out the maximal perfect subgroup of \(\pi_1X\). The fiber of \(\eta\), \(AX\), is the acyclization of \(X\), as defined by Dror. This paper studies the homotopy of \(X^{+}\) and \(AX\) in terms of that of \(X\) by using universal properties of the fibration sequence \(AX\rightarrow X\rightarrow X^{+}\). The principal result of the paper relates the homotopy of a connected CW-complex \(X\) to that of the plus construction applied to the Postnikov tower of \(X\). More precisely, the authors construct a natural commutative diagram of exact sequences \[ \begin{matrix} H_{1}(\widetilde G; \pi _{n}X)&\longrightarrow &I[\widetilde G]\otimes _{\widetilde G} \pi _{n}X&\longrightarrow &\pi_{n}(X)&\longrightarrow&H_{0}(\widetilde G;\pi _{n}X)\cr \downarrow&&\downarrow&&\downarrow= &&\downarrow\cr \pi_{n+1}\Phi&\longrightarrow &\pi_{n}F&\longrightarrow &\pi_{n}X&\longrightarrow &\pi _{n}\Phi \end{matrix} \] in which each vertical arrow is an isomorphism. The spaces \(\Phi\) and \(F\) are the fibers of the maps \((P_{n}X)^{+}\rightarrow (P_{n-1}X)^{+}\) and \(AP_{n}X\rightarrow AP_{n-1}X\), respectively, where \(P_{n}X\) is the \(n\)th stage of the Postnikov tower for \(X\). The group \(\widetilde G\) is the universal central extension of the maximal perfect subgroup \(G\) of \(\pi_{1}X\), and \(I[\widetilde G]\) is the augmentation ideal of the integral group ring of \(\widetilde G\). This result is proved using properties of \(\Pi\)-central fibrations (fibration sequences \(F{\buildrel i\over \rightarrow} E\rightarrow B\) in which all Whitehead products \([i_{*}\alpha, \beta]\) vanish for \(\alpha \in \pi_{p}F\) and \(\beta \in \pi_{q}E\), \(p,q\geq 1\)) and the concept of perfect modules and their central extensions developed in the first two sections of the paper. In the last section of the paper, the main result is used to express the acyclic Postnikov invariants of \(X\), arising from Dror's acyclic Postnikov tower, whose \(n\)th stage is \(AP_{n}AX\), to the ordinary Postnikov invariants of \(X\).