Low rank cohomology of the classifying spaces of gauge groups over 3-manifolds (Q2471380)

Let \(G\) be a simply connected compact Lie group and \(M\) a closed orientable 3-manifold. In this situation the classifying space of the gauge group of principal \(G\)-bundles over \(M\) is identified with the function space \(\text{Map}(M, BG)\). A result from \textit{K. Kuribayashi} [Manuscr. Math. 114, No. 3, 305-325 (2004; Zbl 1066.55015)] describes the cohomology of \(\text{Map}(M, BG)\) with coefficients over a ring \(R\) which satisfies \(\text{Tor}_{\mathbb Z}(\mathbb Z/2,R)=0\) for degree \(\leq 3\), under the hypothesis that the integral cohomology of \(BG\) is torsion free. The purpose of this paper is to show the result without assuming that hypothesis, and the proofs are different. The author replaces the space \(BG\) by an infinite loop space \textbf{B} which is \(7\)-homotopy equivalent to \(BG\). Then he uses that \textbf{B} is a double loop space together with a cell decomposition of an orientable \(3\)-manifold to perform the calculation. The main result is Theorem 1.2 which states: Let \(G\) be a simply connected compact simple Lie group and \(M\) a closed orientable \(3\)-manifold. We denote \(H^i(\text{Map}(M,BG))\) by \(H^i\). Then we have \(H^0 \cong \mathbb Z\), \(H^1 \cong H^1(\Omega^2G)\), \(H^2 \cong H_2(M)\), \(H^3 \cong H^1(\Omega^2G)\otimes H_2(M)\oplus H_1(M)\oplus H^3(\Omega^2G)\). Moreover, the cup product \(H^1 \otimes H^2 \to H^3\) maps \(H^1 \otimes H^2\) isomorphically onto the direct summand \(H^1(\Omega^2G) \otimes H_2(M)\subset H^3\). As observed the general case of a simply connected compact Lie group follows from the above.