Scalable spaces (Q2162740)

Let \(X\) and \(Y\) be sufficiently nice compact metric spaces, for example Riemannian manifolds or piecewise Riemannian simplicial complexes. An important question is: For what spaces \(Y\) is there always a constant \(K = K(X,Y)\), for any compact metric simplicial complex \(X\), such that any two homotopic \(L\)-Lipschitz maps \(X \to Y\) have a \(K(L+1)\)-Lipschitz homotopy? Furthermore an open conjecture by Gromov says that: ``The distortion of an element \(\alpha \in \pi_n(Y)\) is \(\Theta(L^n)\) if and only if \(\alpha\) has nontrivial image under the rational Hurewicz homomorphism, and \(\Omega(L^{n+1})\) otherwise.'' The main result of the article under review defines a new class of spaces in which the answers to the questions are particularly nice. ``Theorem A: The following are quivalent for a formal simply connected finite complex \(Y\): (i) There is a homomorphism \(H^*(Y) \to \Omega_\flat^*Y\) of differential graded algebras which sends each cohomology class to a representative of that class. Here \(\Omega_\flat^*Y\) denotes the flat forms, an algebra of not-necessarily-smooth differential forms studied by Whitney. (ii) There is a constant \(C(Y)\) and infinitely many (indeed, a logarithmically dense set of) \(p\in \mathbb{N}\) such that there is a \(C(Y)(p+1)\)-Lipschitz self-map which induces multiplication by \(p^n\) on \(H^n(Y;\mathbb{R})\). (iii) For all finite simplicial complexes \(X\), nullhomotopic \(L\)-Lipschitz maps \(X \to Y\) have \(C(X,Y)(L+1)\)-Lipschitz nullhomotopies. (iv) For all \(n < \dim Y\), homotopic \(L\)-Lipschitz maps \(S^n \to Y\) have \(C(Y)(L+1)\)-Lipschitz homotopies.'' The authors define scalable spaces based on the scaling maps of Property (ii). They summarize properties of scalable spaces and show that the strong form of the distortion conjecture does not always hold for non-scalable space, even those that are formal.