Detecting homotopy equivalences in base-point-free homotopy (Q1077004)

This paper is related to the authors' other papers [ibid. 13, 239-253 (1982; Zbl 0481.55007); 22, 297-299 (1986; Zbl 0594.55008)]. A map f: (X,x)\(\to (Y,y)\) of connected CW-complexes is called a pre-homotopy equivalence if the induced map \(f_{\#}: [K,X]\to [K,Y]\) is a bijection for every finite complex K where [K,X] denotes the set of homotopy classes of maps where the base points are not necessarily held fixed during homotopy. This paper studies the question whether a pre-homotopy equivalence is a homotopy equivalence. Although the answer to this question, in general, is known to be ''no'', an example is given, an affirmative answer is conjectured when Y is homotopy equivalent to a finite dimensional complex. The following results supporting this conjecture are proved: A pre- homotopy equivalence f: (X,x)\(\to (Y,y)\) is a homotopy equivalence provided (A) or (B) given below are satisfied. (A) Y has finite dimension n and the n-th integral homology group of the universal cover of Y is nonvanishing. (B) The fundamental group of Y is free. Moreover, a necessary and sufficient condition for f, as above, to be a homotopy equivalence is given and it is shown that this condition involves the fundamental group of Y and comes fairly close to being satisfied when Y is finite dimensional.