Recognizing nullhomotopic maps into the classifying space of a Kac-Moody group (Q2672677)

Situations where nullhomotopic maps between (possibly \(p\)-completed) classifying spaces of groups can be detected by restriction to a maximal torus can be convenient. When \(K\) is a Kac-Moody group, the author shows that this is the case for: \begin{itemize} \item[1.] Maps \(B\Gamma \to BK^{\wedge}_p\), where \(\Gamma\) is a connected \(p\)-compact group or a connected Kac-Moody group. \item[2.] Maps \(B\Gamma \to BK\), where \(\Gamma\) is a connected, compact Lie group. \item[3.] Maps \(BK \to BK\), if \(K\) is indecomposable, non-affine and \(2\)-spherical. \end{itemize} More generally, if \(\Gamma\) is a connected compact Lie group or a connected Kac-Moody group, and \(B\Gamma \to BK\) is map whose restriction to the maximal torus is nullhomotopic, the abelian group of obstructions to the map being nullhomotopic is identified. It is given in terms of the odd-dimensional cohomology of \(B\Gamma\) and the subring of nilpotent elements in the even-dimensional cohomology of \(B\Gamma\), both with coefficients in \(\widehat{\mathbb{Q}}/\mathbb{Q}\). Here \(\widehat{\mathbb{Q}}\) is the ring of adeles of the rational numbers. This description of the group of obstructions easily gives examples of homotopically nontrivial maps \(B\Gamma \to BK\) which are nullhomotopic on restriction to the maximal torus. It is also used to show that these maps must be rationally nullhomotopic. The paper begins with an interesting class of candidates to the name of ``homotopy Kac-Moody groups'', for which some of the methods from the theory of \(p\)-compact groups apply. These are \(p\)-completions of homotopy colimits of diagrams of monomorphisms of connected \(p\)-compact groups, indexed over a finite, contractible poset. If \(BX\) and \(BY\) are such spaces, the weak homotopy type of the null component Map\((BX,BY)_0\) of the unpointed mapping space is identified with \(BY\). The article contains computations of rational cohomology of classifying spaces of Kac-Moody groups and higher limits, which can be of independent interest. An appendix clarifies how the results can be extended to the context of Kac-Moody groups associated to derived Kac-Moody Lie algebras.