The homotopy types of \(SU(4)\)-gauge groups over \(S^8\) (Q2324556)

Let \(G\) be a compact connected Lie group and let \(\pi:P\to X\) be a principal \(G\)-bundle over a space \(X\). Then the gauge group of \(P\) is the topological group consisting of \(G\)-equivariant automorphisms of \(P\). When \(X=S^8\) and \(G=SU(4)\), principal \(SU(4)\)-bundles over \(S^8\) are classified by their fourth Chern classes \(k\in\mathbb{Z}\) up to isomorphism. Denote the isomorphism class of principal \(SU(4)\)-bundles with fourth Chern class \(k\) by \(P_k\) and its associated gauge group by \(\mathcal{G}(P_k)\). By a famous result of Atiyah and Bott, the classifying space \(B\mathcal{G}(P_k)\) is homotopy equivalent to a connected component of the mapping space \(\text{Map}(S^8, BSU(4))\). Consider the evaluation fibration \(\Omega^7_0SU(4)\to B\mathcal{G}(P_k)\to BSU(4)\). Extending it to the left gives a boundary map \(\partial_k:SU(4)\to\Omega^7_0SU(4)\), which encodes important information about the homotopy types of \(\mathcal{G}(P_k)\). Let the order of \(\partial_1\) be the minimum number \(m\) such that \(m\circ\partial_1\) is null homotopic, and let \((a,b)\) be the greatest common factor of \(a\) and \(b\). Kishimoto, Kono and Tsutaya showed that \((m,k)=(m,l)\) if and only if \(\mathcal{G}(P_k)\simeq\mathcal{G}(P_l)\) after localization plus some extra conditions. So calculating the order of \(\partial_1\) essentially classifies the homotopy types of \(\mathcal{G}(P_k)\). In this article the authors study the homotopy types of \(\mathcal{G}(P_k)\) by giving bounds on the order \(m\) of \(\partial_1\). In Section 3 the authors give a lower bound on \(m\) using unstable \(K^1\)-theory and then prove a necessary condition of the equivalence \(\mathcal{G}(P_k)\simeq\mathcal{G}(P_l)\). In Section 4 they show a stable splitting of \(\Sigma^7SU(4)\) and use it to give an upper bound on \(m\). Together with other known results, they give a sufficient condition for equivalence.