The set of cyclic-element preserving maps (Q1946998)

This interesting paper studies which maps preserve generalized Gottlieb groups of one space into another. K. Varadarajan defined a \textit{cyclic map}, in 1969, as a map which lifts \( g:K \rightarrow X\) to \(\bar g: K \rightarrow Map(X,X; 1_X)\) such that the evaluation map \( \omega : Map(X,X; 1_X) \rightarrow X\), satisfies \( \omega \circ \bar g = g\). (This is not the more general approach that the authors use, but the mapping spaces are equivalent to their approach via the exponential law and it is easier for the reviewer to describe.) So the Gottlieb groups were defined to be the images of the the homotopy groups \(\pi_*( X^X, 1_X; x_0)\) in \(\pi_*( X, x_0)\) under \(\omega_*\). In this case \(K = S^n\). Now consider a fixed map \(j: A \rightarrow X\). Then we have \(S^n \rightarrow (X^A, j)\) with \(\omega \circ \bar g = g\). Hence the \(j\)-Gottlieb group \({G^j}_n(X)\) is defined as the image of \(\omega_*:\pi_n( X^A, j;a_0) \rightarrow \pi_n( X, x_0)\). The main interest of the authors is to find maps \(f:X \rightarrow Y\) which preserve the generalized Gottlieb groups \(G^j_* (X)\) and \(G^k_* (Y)\) where \(j : A \rightarrow X\) and \(k: B \rightarrow Y\) where \(j\) and \(k\) are fixed maps. That is maps inducing homomorphisms \(f_*\) on the homotopy groups which restrict to homomorphisms \(G^j_* (X )\rightarrow G^k_* (Y)\), thus preserving the elements (called cyclic elements) of the generalized Gottlieb groups, \(G^j_* (X)\) and \(G^k_* (Y)\). The set of these maps is called the \textit{set of cyclic-elements preserving maps from \(X\) to \(Y\)} and is denoted by \(CP^{j,k}(X,Y)\). The authors give some examples of non trivial \(CP^{j,k}(X,Y)\). Then they can find a method for finding \(CP\) maps by assuming that a map \(g:A \rightarrow B\) forms a homotopy commutative square, so that \(g \circ k \sim j \circ f\). If \(g\) has a right homotopy inverse, then \(f\) is \(CP\). The authors then consider the homotopy set of those commutative diagrams, which they denote \([j,k]\) such that \(g \circ k \sim j \circ f\). Then \(CP[j,k]\) denotes the set of those commutative squares for which \(f\) is \(CP\). The authors find examples using and related to work of of M. Arkowitz, G. Lupton, A. Murrillo on homotopy equivalences and H. Toda for sophisticated homotopy groups of spheres.