Exponents of \([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (Y)]\) (Q2312908)

For any prime \(p\), let \(\pi_n (X;p)\) be the \(p\)-primary component of the \(n\)th homotopy group \(\pi_n (X)\) of a pointed \(0\)-connected space \(X\) for \(n \geq 1\). The \textit{\(p\)-primary homotopy exponent} of \(X\) is the least integer \(\exp_p (X) = p^t\), if it exists, so that \(x^{p^t} =1\) for all elements \(x\) in \(\pi_\ast (X;p)\). In [Ann. Math. (2) 63, 407--429 (1956; Zbl 0071.17101)], \textit{I.M. James} showed that \(\exp_2 (\mathbb{S}^{2n+1}) \leq 2^{2n}\). In [J. Inst. Polytechn., Osaka City Univ., Ser. A 7, 103--145 (1956; Zbl 0073.18303)], \textit{H. Toda} developed a relationship between \(p\)-primary components of the homotopy groups of suitable spheres. \textit{P. S. Selick} proved that \(\exp_p (\mathbb{S}^{3}) = p\) in [Topology 17, 407--412 (1978; Zbl 0403.55021)], and that the \(2\)-primary homotopy exponent increases at most by a factor of \(2\) as one passes from \(\mathbb{S}^{4n-1}\) to \(\mathbb{S}^{4n+1}\) in [ibid. 23, 97--99 (1984; Zbl 0524.55010)]. In this paper, the authors investigate the exponents of the total Cohen groups \([J(\mathbb{S}^{r}),\Omega (Y)] = [\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (Y)]\) for any \(r \geq 1\), where \(J(X)\) is the James construction of \(X\), and \(Y\) is the \(N\)-sphere \(\mathbb{S}^N\), a space with the homotopy type of \(\Sigma(n)/G\) for a homotopy \(n\)-sphere \(\Sigma(n)\) with a free action of a discrete group \(G\), the complex projective space \(\mathbb{C}P^n , n \geq 1\) or the quaternionic projective space \(\mathbb{H}P^n , 1 \leq n \leq \infty\). More precisely, the authors show that if \(p \neq 2\), then \[ \exp_p ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\mathbb{S}^N)] ) = \exp_p (\mathbb{S}^N), \] and that if \(N\) is odd, then \[ \exp_2 ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\mathbb{S}^N)] = \exp_2 (\mathbb{S}^N) \] and if \(N\) is even, then it is less than or equal to \(2\exp_2 (\mathbb{S}^N)\). More interestingly, the authors prove that \[ \begin{cases} \exp_p ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\Sigma (n)/G)]) = \exp_p ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\Sigma (n))]) &\text{ for }n, r \geq 1\text{ and any prime }p; \\ \exp_p ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\mathbb{R}P^n )]) = \exp_p ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\mathbb{S}^n)]) &\text{ for }n, r \geq 1\text{ and any prime }p; \\ \exp_p ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\mathbb{C}P^n )]) = \exp_p ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\mathbb{S}^{2n+1})]) &\text{ for }n, r \geq 1\text{ and any prime }p; \\ \exp_2 ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\mathbb{H}P^\infty )]) \leq 2 \exp_2 (\mathbb{S}^4) &\text{ for }r \geq1; \mathrm{ and }\\ \exp_p ([\Omega (\mathbb{S}^{r+1}), \Omega (\mathbb{H}P^\infty )]) = p^3 &\text{ for }r \geq1\text{ and any odd prime }p. \end{cases} \] For the entire collection see [Zbl 1411.55001].