Higher topological complexity of aspherical spaces (Q1738933)

\textit{M. Farber} [Discrete Comput. Geom. 29, No. 2, 211--221 (2003; Zbl 1038.68130)] defined a numerical topological invariant $\text{TC}(X)$ of a topological space $X$. Later \textit{Y. B. Rudyak} [Topology Appl. 157, No. 5, 916--920 (2010; Zbl 1187.55001)] generalized Farber's definiton by introducing higher topological complexity $\text{TC}_n(X), n=2,3, \ldots $ of a space $X$; here Farber's $\text{TC}$ turns out to be the $\text{TC}_2$. It is worth saying that (higher) topological complexity has well-known applications to robotics. \par It is easy to see that $\text{TC}_n(X)$ is a homotopy invariant of $X$. So, we have a purely algebraic invariant $\text{TC}_n(\pi):=\text{TC}_n(K(\pi,1))$ of the (discrete) group $\pi$, and the main goal of the paper is to get a purely algebraic description of $\text{TC}_n(\pi)$. Note that the case $n=2$ was treated by Farber-Grant-Lupton-Oprea earlier, cf. [\textit{M. Farber} et al., ``Bredon cohomology and robot motion planning'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1711.10132}]. \par The authors describe $\text{TC}_n(\pi)$ in terms of classifying spaces for equivariant Bredon cohomology of $\pi$ (Theorem 3.1), and this is the main result of the paper. Concerning other results, the authors give new lower bounds for $\text{TC}_n$. This allows them to evaluate higher topological complexity of certain groups, e.g. Higman's groups and the right angled Artin groups. Finally, take $X$ and consider the $\text{TC}$-generating function $\sum_n \text{TC}_{n+1}(X)x^n$. The authors demonstrate many examples of $K(\pi,1)$-spaces such that the correponding $\text{TC}$-generating functions are rational.