Normal and conormal maps in homotopy theory (Q422147)

The authors define and study the notions of normal and conormal maps in the context of twisted homotopical categories, and explore the consequences of the general theory to the categories of simplicial sets and chain complexes. A twisted homotopical category is a homotopical category (i.e., a category with a class of its arrows distinguished as weak equivalences such that the ``two out of six'' property holds) which is monoidal and such that the monoidal structure and the homotopy structure are compatible in the sense that there is a twisting structure (as part of the definition) satisfying certain properties listed in Definition 1.5. In particular, the homotopy information is considerably less restrictive than that of a Quillen model structure and the compatibility with the monoidal structure of a different nature than that embodied by the pushout-product axiom of monoidal model categories. The definition of homotopy normality is motivated by the fact that a subgroup \(N\) of \(G\) is normal precisely when the quotient \(G/N\) admits a group structure such that \(G\to G/N\) is a homomorphism. Homotopy normality is achieved by considering homotopy quotients and suitable multiplicative structures. In more detail, by defining extended bundles in a monoidal category (a notion related to Nomura-Puppe sequences) and then utilizing the homotopy structure to define a pair \((f,g)\), where \(f\) is a map of monoids and \(g\) is a map of comonoids, to be normal if the associated extended bundles are equivalent. When applied to the category of simplicial sets it is shown that homotopy normal maps can be characterized by a homotopy property analogous to normal subgroups being precisely kernels of surjective homomorphisms. It is also shown that any map of simplicial sets is homotopy conormal as well as that homotopy fibres of simplicial maps give rise to homotopy normal maps of simplicial groups, relating to the classical dual Nomura-Pupper sequence, but using the much simpler homotoplical setting of a twisted homotoplical category rather than a Quillen model structure. Normality and conormality in the context of chain complexes are also studied. The approach taken by the authors and the careful presentation of the results show very elegantly that the rather meager homotopy information in a twisted homotopical category is sufficient to obtain strong homotopy theoretic results and thus exposing an inherent simplicity of some classical results. The article contains two appendices: ``Twisting functions and twisting cochains'' and ``Twisting structures''.