On spaces of the same strong \(n\)-type (Q1977359)

Two connected CW complexes \(X\) and \(Y\) are said to be of the same \(n\)-type if their \(n\)'th Postnikov approximations are homotopy equivalent, \(X^{(n)} \simeq Y^{(n)}\). Denote by \(SNT(X)\) the set of homotopy types of spaces that have the same \(n\)-type as \(X\) for all \(n \geq 1\). Although some good results are known about \(SNT(X)\), current understanding of it remains quite incomplete. This paper proves results about a certain subset of \(SNT(X)\), denoted \(SNT_{\pi}(X)\). This subset, roughly speaking, consists of those homotopy types in \(SNT(X)\) for which the \(n\)-equivalences are compatible after passing to homotopy groups. Examples illustrate that \(SNT_{\pi}(X)\) contains more than just the homotopy type of \(X\), and does not equal \(SNT(X)\), in general. The authors show that if \(X\) is simply connected, then \(SNT_{\pi}(X)\) can be described in terms of a certain \(\lim^1\) set (Theorem 1). This result is similar to an earlier result of Wilkerson, concerning \(SNT(X)\). The relation arises by considering the group of homotopy classes of self-homotopy equivalences that fix all homotopy groups, denoted \(\Aut _{\pi}(X)\). One obtains a system of groups, and hence a lim\(^1\) term, by `restricting' self maps to the Postnikov approximations. The authors also give a necessary and sufficient condition for the set \(SNT_{\pi}(X)\) to contain only the homotopy type of \(X\), under the additional hypotheses that \(X\) is of finite type and has finite-dimensional rational cohomology. The condition is that the homomorphism induced by `restriction', \(\Aut _{\pi}(X) \to \Aut _{\pi}(X^{(N)})\) has finite cokernel for some \(N\) (Theorem 2). As a bonus, the authors also establish a result concerning \(\Aut _{\pi}(X)\) for a simply connected rational space \(X\) with finite-dimensional rational cohomology. Denote by \(\Aut _{\pi}^r(X)\) the subgroup of homotopy classes of self-homotopy equivalences of \(X\) that fix homotopy groups through dimension \(r\). Thus \(\Aut _{\pi}(X)\) corresponds to \(r = \infty\). They show that, under the hypotheses, \(\Aut _{\pi}(X)\) is isomorphic to \(\Aut _{\pi}^N(X)\) for some (finite) \(N\). The result (Theorem 3) is stated in greater generality, but the proof given for the more general result is not valid. The authors have since written a detailed correction [ibid. 2, No. 8, 115-118 (2000)] that also contains many remarks and related results. In this correction, they point out that the last sentence of Theorem 3 must be omitted, together with the last paragraph of the proof.