Rational homotopy type. A constructive study via the theory of the \(I^ *\)-measure (Q1820463)

This book is an introduction to \textit{D. Sullivan}'s theory of minimal models [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 47(1977), 269-331 (1978; Zbl 0374.57002)] and not to rational homotopy as the title indicates. The fundamental work of \textit{D. Quillen} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 90, 205-295 (1969; Zbl 0191.537)] as well as the one of \textit{A. K. Bousfield} and \textit{V. K. A. M. Gugenheim} [Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 179 (1976; Zbl 0338.55008)] which establish the equivalence between the homotopy categories of 1-connected topological spaces and differential graded algebras are not quoted. In fact the author ''had to limit himself to a presentation of the most fundamental part of the theory'' in his own terminology and notations. The foundations of the Sullivan theory are restated in detail in chapters II, III, IV. In chapter V it is shown how the minimal model of a homogeneous space G/H can be obtained from the Koszul complex of the pair (G,H). In the last chapter a proof is given of the theorem ''The fibre of the model is the model of the fibre'' in case of orientable fibrations [\textit{P.-P. Grivel}, Ann. Inst. Fourier 29, No.3, 17-37 (1979; Zbl 0381.55008)]. The isomorphism, as graded vector spaces, between \(\Pi\) (X)\(\otimes {\mathbb{Q}}\) and the space of generators of the minimal model of the 1-connected space X, is deduced from this last result. The author insists on the constructibility of the minimal model. Constructibility is defined in chapter I and an axiomatic definition of the minimal model of a finite complex, called the \(I^*\)-measure, is given in chapter VI.