Iterated wreath product of the simplex category and iterated loop spaces (Q2370163)

According to \textit{G. Segal} [``Categories and cohomology theories'', Topology 13, 293--312 (1974; Zbl 0284.55016)], reduced \(\Gamma\)-spaces are models for infinite loop spaces. His construction is based on an iterative use of reduced simplicial spaces as models for 1-fold loop spaces. The purpose of the paper under review is to interpolate between these two constructions. In fact, the author shows that the homotopy theory of \(n\)-fold loop spaces can be described inside the category of reduced \(\Theta_n\)-spaces, where \(\Theta_n\) is a certain iterated wreath product of the simplex category \(\Delta\). A sequence of functors from \(\Theta_n\) to \(\Gamma\) allows for an alternative description of the Segal spectrum associated to a \(\Gamma\)-space. This yields a canonical reduced \(\Theta_n\)-set model for each Eilenberg-MacLane space. The number of \((n+ k)\)-dimensional cells of the resulting CW-complex of type \(K(\mathbb{Z}_2, n)\) is the \(k\)th generalized Fibonacci number of order \(n\). In general, the realization of the canonical reduced \(\Theta_n\)-set for an Eilenberg-MacLane space of type \(K(\mathbb{Z}_2, n)\) is a reduced CW-complex with \(f^k_{n,\pi}\) cells of dimension \(n+ k\). The number \(f^k_{n,\pi}\) only depends on the order of the group \(\pi\). In particular, \(f^k_n= f^k_{n,\mathbb{Z}_2}\) counts the number of pruned \(n\)-trees (i.e., trees whose input vertices are all of height \(n\)) with \(n+ k\) edges. This number is a generalized Fibonacci number of order \(n\) \((n\geq 1)\) which satisfies the following recursion formula: \[ f^k_n+ f^{k+ 1}_n+\cdots+ f^{k+ n-1}_n= f^{k+ n}_n, \] where \(f^k_n= 0\) for \(k< 0\), and \(f^0_n= 1\). In particular, the sequence \((f^k_2)_{k\geq 0}\) is the classical Fibonacci number sequence. Another result says that for any \(n\geq 1\) and any group \(\pi\) of order \(p\), if \(f^k_{n,\pi}= 0\) for \(k< 0\) and \(f^0_{n,\pi}=p- 1\), then the recursion formula \[ (p- 1)(f^k_{n,\pi}+ f^{k+ 1}_{n,\pi}+\cdots+ f^{k+ n- 1}_{n,\pi})= f^{k+ n}_{n,\pi} \] holds. The generating function \(f_{n,\pi}(t)= \sum_{k\geq 0} f^k_{n,\pi} t^k\) of these generalized weighted Fibonacci numbers is rational; in fact, it can be verified that \[ f_{n,\pi}(t)= {p-1\over 1- (p- 1)(t+ t^2+\cdots+ t^n)}. \] Therefore, the generating function \[ K(\pi, n)(t)= \sum_{d\geq 0} c_d(|K(\pi, n)|_{\Theta_n}) t^d \] for the number \(c_d(|K(\pi, n)|_{\Theta_n})\) of \(d\)-cells of the CW-complex \(|K(\pi, n)|_{\Theta_n}\) is rational again: \[ K(n,\pi)(t)= 1+ t^n f_{n,\pi}(t)= {1-(p- 1)(t+ t^2+\cdots+ t^{n- 1})\over 1-(p- 1)(t+ t^2+\cdots+ t^n)}. \] This gives as virtual Euler-Poincaré characteristic \(\chi(K(\pi, n))= K(\pi,n)(-1)\). A final result says that \(\chi(K(\pi, n))= p^{(-1)^n}\) for any group \(\pi\) of order \(p\). This suggests the existence of an Euler-Poincaré characteristic for a quite large class of CW-complexes, which would simultaneously be homotopy invariant, additive with respect to cellular attachments, and multiplicative with respect to fibrations. The last result reflects the multiplicativity. At the present, it remains however unexplained why the above-defined characteristic should be an additive homotopy invariant outside the context of finite CW-complexes.