Higher homotopy operations and André-Quillen cohomology (Q424573)

The homotopy groups \(\pi_*X\) of any pointed space \(X\) have a natural \(\Pi\)-algebra structure. Thus it is natural to ask whether a given abstract \(\Pi\)-algebra \(\Lambda\) can be realized by the homotopy groups of a pointed space. To solve the problem we first consider an algebraic free simplicial resolution of \(\Lambda\). This resolution can be realized by a lax simplicial space \(\widehat W_\bullet\). If \(\widehat W_\bullet\) can be rectified to a strict simplicial space \(W_\bullet\), then \(\Lambda\) is realized as the homotopy groups of the geometric realization of \(W_\bullet\). To solve this rectification problem two approaches are known. The first one is the algebraic approach of Dwyer, Kan and Stover, which constructs inductively two sequences of André-Quillen cohomology obstructions: one sequence for the realization of \(\Lambda\), and the other for two such realizations to be homotopy equivalent. The second one is the geometric approach, which yields obstructions to the successive rectification problem in the form of higher homotopy operations. The aim of the paper is to make explicit the close connection between these two approaches by showing that the higher homotopy operations correspond in a systematic way to the André-Quillen obstruction classes. The authors first provide an explicit construction of the cocycles representing the cohomology obstructions; then they provide a similar explicit construction of certain minimal values of the higher homotopy operations; and finally they show that these two constructions correspond under an evident map.