\(p\)-hyperbolicity of homotopy groups via \(K\)-theory (Q2126096)

The author investigates the growing behaviour of the number of \(p\)-torsion summands in the higher homotopy groups \(\pi_*(X)\) for a topological space \(X\) and a given prime \(p\) with respect to the degree. More precisely, following \textit{R. Huang} and \textit{J. Wu} [Math. Z. 295, No. 3--4, 1301--1321 (2020; Zbl 1452.55015)], a space is called \(p\)-hyperbolic if the number of \(p\)-torsion summands in the above homotopy groups up to degree \(m\) grows exponentially with \(m\), and it is called \(Z/p^r\)-hyperbolic if the number of \(Z/p^r\)-summands in the homotopy groups up to degree \(m\) grows exponentially for a specific exponent \(r\). There are two main results in the paper. The first main result states that the wedge of spheres \(S^{q_1} \vee S^{q_2}\) for natural numbers \(q_1, q_2>0\) is \(Z/p^r\)-hyperbolic for all positive intergers \(r\). The second result says that the suspension \(\Sigma X\) of a \(p\)-local finite type \(CW\)-complex \(X\) for an odd prime \(p\) is \(p\)-hyperbolic, provided there is a map \(f\) from \(S^{q_1} \vee S^{q_2}\) to \(\Sigma X\) that induces a surjection in reduced complex \(K\)-theory after tensoring with \(Z/p\). To prove the first result the author uses Hilton's homotopy decomposition of the loop space of \(S^{q_1} \vee S^{q_2}\) into a product of loop spaces of spheres (cf. [\textit{P. J. Hilton}, J. Lond. Math. Soc. 30, 154--172 (1955; Zbl 0064.17301)]). To achieve the second result the author uses the James model for the loop space \(\Sigma X\) as well as the Samelson product to detect enough non-trivial elements in the homotopy groups of \(\Sigma X\) that are coming from the image of the homotopy groups of the wedge of spheres \(S^{q_1} \vee S^{q_2}\) via the induced homomorphism \(\pi_*(f)\). While the argument for the first statement follows without to much difficulty, the argument for the second statement is quite involved. The theorems indeed yield plenty of examples for spaces which are \(p\)-hyperbolic, and plenty of them are also presented in the article. Earlier results on \(p\)-hyperbolicity already can be found in [Huang and Wu, loc. cit.], but also in the more recent source [\textit{Z. Zhu} and \textit{J. Pan}, Homology Homotopy Appl. 23, No. 1, 367--386 (2020; Zbl 1454.55005)].