An integral model structure and truncation theory for coherent group actions (Q1678484)

Given a simplicial group, \(G\), the simplicially enriched category of \(G\)-spaces and \(G\)-equivariant morphisms can be identified as \(\mathcal{S}^{\mathbb{B}G}\), where \(\mathbb{B}G\) is the simplicially enriched groupoid having a single object, corresponding to \(G\), and \(\mathcal{S}\) is the category of simplicial sets. In this setting there is a Quillen model category structure on \(\mathcal{S}^{\mathbb{B}G}\). If one wants to study non-strict \(G\)-actions, one can equally well use the classifying space \(\overline{W}(G)\) and the slice category \(\mathcal{S}/\overline{W}(G)\) and a corresponding model category structure. Taking into account how these constructions change with changes to the given \(G\), with homomorphisms inducing functors between the different model categories for different simplicial groups, one is led to ask, given a family \(\mathcal{F}\) of model categories parametrised by a model category \(\mathcal{M}\), could the family be integrated together to give a big category of all spaces with simplicial group actions. One might try to use a form Grothendieck construction \(\int_{\mathcal{M}}\mathcal{F}\), together with some model category structure on it, fibred, in an appropriate sense, over \(\mathcal{M}\). The authors in a previous article [Adv. Math. 281, 1306--1363 (2015; Zbl 1333.18024)] gave such an \textbf{integral model structure} in general, including as examples the two cases \(\mathcal{S}^{\mathbb{B}G}\) and \(\mathcal{S}/\overline{W}(G)\), giving what they called \textbf{global homotopy theories} for group actions. In the paper under review, the authors examine in detail a third example, which from some viewpoints behaves better than either of the previous cases. There is a notion of Segal group, in which the simplicial group structure is encoded in a homotopy coherent way. The homotopy theory of simplicial groups is equivalent to that of Segal groups. In [Theory Appl. Categ. 30, 1287--1305 (2015; Zbl 1334.55005)], the second author defined and studied a notion of a Segal group action over a fixed Segal group and constructed a model category for such objects, which was proved to be Quillen equivalent to \(\mathcal{S}^{\mathbb{B}G}\), where \(G\) is a simplicial group model of the Segal group. Here the authors adapt that construction to the setting of the integral model structure. This uses a good model category structure for Segal groups. They prove that the resulting integral model structure is equivalent to the previously explored ones. In a final section, the authors examine truncation theory in integral model categories, exploring the existence of convergent Postnikov towers for Segal group actions.