Depth and Toomer's invariant (Q1807559)

The depth of \(H\), a cocommutative Hopf algebra over a field \(k\), is defined as the least integer \(p\) for which \(\text{Ext}_H^{p,\ast}(k, H)\) is nontrivial. The Toomer invariant is defined using the Milnor-Moore spectral sequence with \(E^2_{p,q} \cong \text{Tor}_{p,q}^{H_*(\Omega X;k)}(k,k)\) and converging to \(H_*(X;k) \cong H_*(B\Omega X;k)\). In this case, \(e_k(X)\) is the largest integer \(s\) with \(E^\infty_{s,\ast} \neq \{0\}\). \textit{G. H. Toomer} [Math.~Z.~138, 123-143 (1974; Zbl 0287.55007)] proved that, for any field \(k\), \(e_k(X) \leq \text{cat}(X)\), the Lyusternik-Shnirel'man category of the space. The author relates the depth of \(H_*(\Omega X;k)\) with \(e_k(X)\) to prove \[ \text{depth} H_*(\Omega X;k) \leq e_k(X) \] for \(X\) a simply-connected, locally finite space for which the evaluation map: \[ ev_{C^*(X;k)} \mathit{Ext}_{C^*(X;k)}(k, C^*(X;k)) \to H^*(X;k) \] is not the zero map. The proof is based on the work of Félix, Halperin, Lemaire, and Thomas on the homology of loop spaces. The free minimal model, \((T(V),d) \to (C^*(X;k), d)\), a homology isomorphism, contains the cobar construction on \(C_*(X;k)\) and hence relates directly to \(H_*(\Omega X;k)\). The inequality follows from the Milnor-Moore spectral sequence. Examples are given for which the depth equals the Toomer invariant and for which the depth is strictly less than Toomer's invariant.