On \(H\)-spaces and exceptional Lie groups (Q1367051)

This paper sharpens results of \textit{F. Borel} [Comment. Math. Helv. 53, 73-91 (1978; Zbl 0372.55010)] and \textit{J. P. Lin} [Topology Appl. 25, 137-142 (1987; Zbl 0617.57024)], concerning the fundamental group and mod-2 cohomology of a homotopy-associative \(H\)-space that has the rational cohomology algebra of an exceptional Lie group. Part of the main result reads as follows: Suppose \(X\) is a connected, homotopy-associative \(H\)-space such that \(H_*(X;{\mathbb F}_2)\) is finite, and \(H^*(X;{\mathbb Q})\) is isomorphic as an algebra to \(H^*(G_2;{\mathbb Q})\), for the exceptional Lie group \(G_2\). Then \(\pi_1(X)=0\) and \(H^*(X;{\mathbb F}_2) \cong H^*(G_2;{\mathbb F}_2)\) as Hopf algebras over the Steenrod algebra. For this case, in which the exceptional Lie group is \(G_2\), the earlier result of Borel obtains that \(\pi_1(X)\) is either \(0\) or \({\mathbb Z}_2\), and the earlier result of Lin obtains \(H^*(X;{\mathbb F}_2) \cong H^*(G_2;{\mathbb F}_2)\) as algebras over the Steenrod algebra. Similar improvements of the two earlier results are obtained with the other exceptional Lie groups replacing \(G_2\). The main result is obtained by a careful analysis that combines the two earlier results with some mod-2 Serre spectral sequence calculations.