On the splitting of mapping spaces between classifying spaces. I (Q1096211)

If H is a simple Lie group of rank 1 and \(G_ 1\), \(G_ 2\) are compact, connected Lie groups with finite fundamental groups, it is proved that in both the free and based categories, the space of mappings from \(B(G_ 1\times G_ 2)\) to BH is weakly equivalent to the push out over BH (free) or wedge (based) of the mapping spaces of \(BG_ 1\) and \(BG_ 2\) into BH. One of the corollaries is that the set of homotopy classes of maps from the product of h copies of \(HP^{\infty}\) to k copies of \(HP^{\infty}\) is equivalent to the set of (k\(\times h)\)-matrices with entries equal to 0 or \((2r+1)^ 2\) for any \(r\in Z\). The proofs use many recent results in the literature, particularly work on the ``Sullivan conjecture'' associated with the names of Miller and Zabrodsky and also cohomology models of classifying spaces of connected Lie groups using locally finite groups due to Friedlander and Mislin.