On Hawaiian groups of some topological spaces (Q411797)

The \(n\)-Hawaiian earring group of a pointed topological space \((X,x_0)\) is the set of all pointed homotopy classes of maps \((\mathbb{H}^n,0)\to (X,x_0)\), where \(\mathbb{H}^n\) is an \(n\)-dimensional Hawaiian earring (i.e., the metric one point union of \(n\)-dimensional spheres of diameters \(1/m\) for \(m=1,2,\ldots\)) and \(0\in \mathbb{H}^n\) is the intersection of the spheres in \(\mathbb{H}^n\). It is denoted by \(\mathcal{H}_n(X,x_0)\). Similarly one can define \(\mathcal{H}_\infty(X,x_0)\) by taking \(\mathbb{H}^\infty\) to be the metric one point union of \(m\)-dimensional spheres of diameters \(1/m\) for \(m=1,2,\ldots\). The groups \(\mathcal{H}_*(X,x_0)\) (unlike the classical homotopy groups) depend on the choice of the basepoint \(x_0\), not just on its path component. Furthermore, they may distinguish between contractible spaces and spaces that deformation retract to \(x_0\), i.e., spaces \((X,x_0)\) for which the pointed identity map on \((X,x_0)\) is homotopic (rel \(x_0\)) to the constant map at \(x_0\). For example, \(\mathcal{H}_1(C(\mathbb{H}^1),x_0)\) is nontrivial for a well chosen \(x_0\), where \(C(\mathbb{H}^1)\) is the cone over \(\mathbb{H}^1\). The paper studies the relationship between \(\mathcal{H}_n(X,x_0)\) and the weak direct product \(\prod \pi_n (X,x_0)\) of countable many copies of \(\pi_n (X,x_0)\). Furthermore, it examines the behavior of \(\mathcal{H}_*\) for spaces obtained as weak joins, cones and bundles. Some results are motivated by [\textit{U. H. Karimov} and \textit{D. Repovš}, Russ. Math. Surv. 61, No. 5, 987--989 (2006; Zbl 1151.55009)] and depend on local properties of \((X,x_0)\).