The homotopy types of \(G_{2}\)-gauge groups (Q2401556)

Let \(G\) be a simple, simply connected compact Lie group and let \(BG\) denote its classifying space. Let \(P_k\) denote the principal \(G\)-bundle over \(S^4\) with the second Chern number \(k\in \mathbb{Z}\cong [S^4,BG]\) and let \(\mathcal{G}_k(G)\) denote the gauge group of the principal \(G\)-bundle \(P_k\). We denote by \(X_{(p)}\) the \(p\)-localization (resp. \(\mathbb{Q}\)-localization) of a space \(X\) for a prime \(p\) (resp. for \(p=0\)). It is known that the gauge groups \(\{\mathcal{G}_k(G)\}_{k\in \mathbb{Z}}\) have only finitely many distinct homotopy types. In this paper, the authors study the homotopy type classification problem of the gauge groups \(\{\mathcal{G}_k(G)\}_{k\in \mathbb{Z}}\) when \(G\) is the exceptional Lie group \(G_2\). In particular, they prove that if there is a homotopy equivalence \(\mathcal{G}_k(G_2)\simeq \mathcal{G}_{k_1}(G_2)\) then \((84,k)=(84,k_1)\), where \((a,b)\) denotes the greatest common divisor of \(| a|\) and \(| b|\) for integers \(a,b\in \mathbb{Z}\). Moreover, they show that if \((168,k)=(168,k_1)\), then there is a \(p\)-local homotopy equivalence \(\mathcal{G}_k(G_2)\simeq_p \mathcal{G}_{k_1}(G_2)\) for any prime \(p\) or for \(p=0\). Their proof is based on the calculation of the order of the Samelson product \(S^3\wedge G_2\overset{\langle \iota,1\rangle}{\longrightarrow}G_2\) and the fact that \(B\mathcal{G}_k\simeq \mathrm{Map}_k(S^4,BG)\).