Homotopy dominations by polyhedra with polycyclic-by-finite fundamental groups (Q2577120)

The author continues her interesting papers on some problems of K. Borsuk concerning infinite chains of polyhedra or FANR's ordered by the relation of domination (in the homotopy or shape category) [\textit{D. Kołodziejczyk}, Fundam. Math. 151, No. 1, 39--46 (1996; Zbl 0862.55007); ibid. 178, No. 3, 189--202 (2003; Zbl 1060.55003); ibid. 180, No. 1, 1--9 (2003; Zbl 1060.55004); Topology Appl. 112, No. 3, 289--295 (2001; Zbl 0988.55007); Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 129, No. 1, 303--309 (2001; Zbl 0958.55012)]. In connection with these problems, \textit{K. Borsuk} introduced [Russ. Math. Surv. 34, No. 6, 24--26 (1979; Zbl 0453.55010)] the following notions: The capacity \(C(A)\) of a compactum \(A\) is the cardinality of the class of shapes of all compacta \(X\) such that \(Sh(X)\leq Sh(A)\). A system consisting of \(k\) compacta \(X_1,X_2,\dots, X_k\) is a chain of length \(k\) for a compactum \(A\) if \(Sh(X_1)< Sh(X_2)<\cdots < Sh(X_k)\leq < Sh(A)\). The depth \(D(A)\) of a compactum \(A\) is the least upper bound of the lengths of all chains for \(A\). If this upper bound is infinite we write \(D(A)= \aleph_0\). In her article from 1996, answering `the most interesting question': Is the capacity of each polyhedron finite?, the author showed an example of a polyhedron dominating infinitely many different homotopy types of polyhedra (see also the last paper cited above). The author proved that such phenomena are even frequent, that for every non-Abelian poly-\(\mathbb{Z}\)-group \(G\), there exists a polyhedron \(P\) with \(\pi_1(P)\cong G\) dominating infinitely many polyhedra of different homotopy types. Thus, there exist polyhedra with polycyclic or nilpotent fundamental groups with this property. Using those examples, the author gaves also a positive answer to the other question of Borsuk stating that there exist polyhedra (with polycyclic fundamental groups) with infinite capacity and finite depth. The author showed that all the polyhedra with finite fundamental groups, nilpotent polyhedra, and some others, dominate only finitely many different shapes (or homotopy types). Further she observed that a polyhedron \(P\) has finite depth if and only if: there exists an integer \(k\) such that each sequence \(\cdots\leq Sh(X_i)\leq\cdots\leq Sh(X_1)\leq Sh(P)\) contains at most \(k\) different shapes. In the present paper the author shows that for polyhedra with polycyclic-by-finite fundamental groups there are no infinite sequences of this kind. This implies the solutions of some questions of \textit{K. Borsuk} included in his books [Theory of Retracts, Monografie Matematyczne, Vol. 44, PWN, Warsaw, 1967 and Theory of Shape, Monografie Matematyczne, Vol. 59, PWN, Warsaw, 1975] concerning infinite sequences of shape or homotopy dominations between FANR's or ANR's, for FANR's with first shape groups and ANR's with such fundamental groups. (A group \(G\) is polycyclic if it has a finite normal series \(G= G_0\supseteq G_1\supseteq\cdots\supseteq G_l= 1\) (\(G_i\triangleleft G\), for \(i= 1,\dots, l\)) for which each factor \(G_{i-1}/G_i\) is infinite cyclic of finite cyclic. \(G\) is polycyclic-by-finite if it is an extension of a polycyclic group by finite group, i.e., there exists a polycyclic group \(H\triangleleft G\) such that \(G/H\) is finite). The main results of the paper are the following. Theorem 1. Assume that \(P\) is a polyhedron with polycyclic-by-finite fundamental group \(\pi_1(P)\). Let \(P= X_0,X_1,X_2,\dots\) be a sequence of CW-complexes with maps \(f_i: X_{i-1}\to X_i\), for \(i= 1,2,\dots\), inducing epimorphisms \(\pi_1(X_{i-1})\to \pi_1(X_i)\) and epimorphisms \(H_k(\widetilde X_{i-1})\to H_k(\widetilde X_i)\), for \(k= 2,3,\dots\). Then there exists an integer \(i_0\) such that for \(i> i_0\), \(f_i: X_{i-1}\to X_i\) are homotopy equivalences. (\(\widetilde X\) is, as usually, the universal covering space of \(X\).) Corollary 1. Assume that \(P\) is a polyhedron and \(P= X_0,X_1,X_2,\dots\) is a sequence of spaces with dominations \(d_i: X_{i-1}\to X_i\) and converse maps \(u_i: X_i\to X_{i-1}\) (i.e. \(d_iu_i\simeq id_{X_i}\)), for \(i= 1,2,\dots\)\ . If \(\pi_1(X_i)\) of some \(X_i\) in this sequence is polycyclic-by-finite, then there exists an integer \(i_0\) such that for \(i> i_0\), \(d_i\) and \(u_i\) are homotopy equivalences. Corollary 2. Assume that \((X_1, x_1),(X_2, x_2),\dots\) is a sequence of FANR's with shape dominations \(\underline d_i: X_{i-1}\to X_i\) and converse shape morphisms \(\underline u_i: X_i\to X_{i-1}\) (i.e. \(\underline d_i\underline u_i= \underline{id}_{X_i})\), for \(i= 1,2,\dots\)\ . If \(\vec\pi_1(X_i, x_i)\) of some \((X_i, x_i)\) in this sequence is polycyclic-by-finite, there exists an integer \(i_0\) such that for \(i> i_0\), \(\underline d_i\) and \(\underline u_i\) are shape equivalences. The author finishes with the conjecture that each polyhedron \(P\) whose fundamental group \(\pi(P)\) is polycyclic-by-finite has finite depth. Conjecture. Let \(P\) be a polyhedron with polycyclic-by-finite fundamental group \(\pi_1(P)\). Then there exists an integer \(k\) such that each sequence \(\cdots\leq X_{i+1}\leq X_i\leq\cdots\leq X_2\leq X_1\leq P\) contains at most \(k\) different homotopy types.