Rational spaces in resolving classes (Q2630447)

Work of \textit{E. Dror Farjoun} [Cellular spaces, null spaces and homotopy localization. Berlin: Springer-Verlag (1995; Zbl 0842.55001)], \textit{W. Chachólski} [Prog. Math. 136, 95--118 (1996; Zbl 0856.55011)] and others in the 1990s established the basic theory of closed classes of spaces. Their work also demonstrated the utility of the `classes of spaces' point of view in generalizing and understanding classical theorems more deeply. For example, the Blakers-Massey excision theorem was shown by Chachólski to be a consequence of a cellular inequality involving the fibers of various maps in the diagram comparing a homotopy pushout square to a homotopy pullback square. These classes and the relation \(\ll\) constitute a lattice, and it is natural to explore its structure and inquire as to how complicated it can be. Even among rational spaces there is a great deal of structure. For example, \textit{K. Hess} and \textit{P.-E. Parent} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 354, No. 11, 4571--4583 (2002; Zbl 1012.55015)] found sublattices isomorphic to a certain quotient of the Witt lattice of quadratic forms. A central tool used by Hess and Parent was a characterization of cellular inequalities between rational spaces: if \(X\) and \(Y\) are simply-connected rational spaces of finite type and the same connectivity, \(n-1\), then \(X \ll Y\) if and only if there is a map \(\bigvee X \to Y\) that is surjective on \(\pi_n\). These ideas are ripe for dualization. In [Fundam. Math. 178, No. 2, 97--108 (2003; Zbl 1052.55015); ibid. 217, No. 2, 171--187 (2012; Zbl 1251.55010)], the reviewer defined a resolving class to be a nonempty class of (pointed) spaces that is closed under weak homotopy equivalence and homotopy limits. The smallest such class containing the space \(X\) is denoted \(\mathcal{R}(X)\), and the relation \(Y\in \mathcal{R}(X)\) is denoted \(X \prec Y\). There is then a lattice of resolving classes, and its structure is a natural thing to explore. In the paper under review, the author carries out a program analogous to that of Hess and Parent. He provides a characterization of \(X \prec Y\) for rational spaces of finite type: if \(X\) and \(Y\) both have connectivity \(n-1\), then \(Y \prec X\) if and only if there is a map \(X \to \prod Y\) injective on \(\pi_n\). Using this, it is shown that the exact same quotient of the Witt lattice embeds into the lattice of resolving classes of rational spaces. Interestingly, the algebra involved in the new result is very similar to the algebra Hess and Parent use, but it is not yet clear how to make a topological connection between the two embeddings. The paper concludes with an interesting list of further questions.