The homotopy types of \(Sp(3)\)-gauge groups (Q1694806)

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 \(\mathcal{G}_k\) denote the gauge group of the principal \(G\)-bundle \(P_k\). It is known that the gauge groups \(\{\mathcal{G}_k\}_{k\in \mathbb{Z}}\) have only finitely many distinct homotopy types. In this paper, the author studies the homotopy type classification problem of the gauge groups \(\{\mathcal{G}_k\}_{k\in \mathbb{Z}}\) when \(G=SP(3)\). More precisely, he proves that if there is a homotopy equivalence \(\mathcal{G}_k\simeq \mathcal{G}_{l}\) then \((84,k)=(84,l)\), where \((a,b)\) denotes the greatest common divisor of \(| a|\) and \(| b|\) for integers \(a,b\in \mathbb{Z}\). Moreover, he shows that if \((336,k)=(336,l)\), then there is a \(p\)-local homotopy equivalence \(\mathcal{G}_k\simeq_p \mathcal{G}_{l}\) for any prime \(p\) or for \(p=0\). As an application he also obtains that for any odd prime \(p\geq 3\), there is a \(p\)-local homotopy equivalence \(\mathcal{G}_k\simeq_p\mathcal{G}_l\) iff \((21,k)=(21,l)\). The proof is based on the calculation of the order of the Samelson product \(Sp(1)\wedge Sp(3)\mathop{\longrightarrow}\limits^{\langle \iota,1\rangle}Sp(3)\) and the fact that there is a homotopy equivalence \(B\mathcal{G}_k\simeq \mathrm{Map}_k(S^4,BG)\).