On the homotopy groups of separable metric spaces (Q554421)

For any cover \(\mathcal U\) of a topological space \(X\) we can define the Čech nerve \(N\) of the cover which is an abstract simplicial complex and define the polyhedron \(N\) (same notation) associated to \(N\). In particular if \(\mathcal U\) is a locally finite open cover of a normal space \(X\), then there is a \(\mathcal U\)-canonical map \(f:X\to N\). So we can try to get some information about \(X\) by means of the polyhedron \(N\). In this paper the authors study some homotopy properties of separable metric spaces which have good local homotopy properties. The main obtained result says: Suppose \(X\) is an \((n-1)\)-connected and locally \((n-1)\)-connected separable metric space and \(\mathcal V\) is an open cover by \((n-1)\)-connected open subsets of \(X\). Also, suppose \(\mathcal U\) is a locally finite refinement of \(\mathcal V\) which is a \((2,n)\)-set simple open cover of \(X\) with the nerve \(N\). Then \(\pi_n(N)\) is isomorphic to \(\pi_n(X)\). That \(\mathcal U\) is \((2,n)\)-set simple in the above theorem means that each \(n\)-loop in \(X\) which lies in the union of two members of \(\mathcal U\) is contractible in \(X\). The paper also contains some further related results of such type.