Relative plus constructions (Q6173826)

This paper presents a very general and functorial version of the Quillen plus construction with respect to an arbitrary connective homology theory \(h\). Given a connected space \(X\) and an \(h\)-perfect normal subgroup \(H\) of \(\pi_1(X)\), the construction yields a space \(X_H^{+h}\) and an \(h\)-acyclic map \(X\to X_H^{+h}\) that induces the quotient by \(H\) map on fundamental groups. When \(h\) is ordinary homology with coefficients in a ring \(R\), then the outcome coincides with the construction introduced by Broto-Levi-Oliver [\textit{C. Broto} et al., Ann. \(K\)-Theory 6, No. 3, 425--480 (2021; Zbl 1479.55025)] of a relative plus construction that is obtained by cell attachments. Let \(h\) be a connecive homology theory and let \(I\) be the set of primes \(p\) such that the coefficients group \(h_*(pt)\) is uniquely \(p\)-divisible. Let \(J\) be the complement of \(I\) among all primes. The \emph{\(h\)-characteristic group} \(S_h\) is defined to be the direct sum of all cyclic groups of order \(p\) for all \(p\in J\) if \(h_*(pt)\) is a torsion group and \(\mathbb{Z}[I^{-1}]\) if \(h_*(pt)\) is not a torsion group. A theorem of Bousfield then states that \(h\) has the same acyclic spaces as \(H_*(-, S_h)\). Thus, to understand the plus construction with respect to the generalised homology theory \(h\), it suffices to study the plus construction associated to ordinary homology theory with coefficients in \(S_h\). The paper refers to a group \(H\) as \(S\)-perfect, where \(S\) is an abelian group, if its first ordinary homology with coefficients in \(S\) vanishes. The main result of the paper, Theorem 5.2, is the statement that for a connective homology theory \(h\) with an associated \(h\)-characteristic group \(S_h\), a connected space \(X\) and an \(S_h\)-perfect normal subgroup \(H\) of \(\pi_1(X)\), there is a space \(X_H^{+h}\) and a map \(q\colon X\to X_H^{+h}\) that is terminal among all \(h\)-acyclic maps that annihilate the subgroup \(H\) in \(\pi_1(X)\). On the way of proving this, the authors show that the map \(q\) induces the expected quotient on \(\pi_1\) and an isomorphism on \(h\) homology (Theorem 4.6). The main advantages of the construction is functoriality and its universal property. The authors also clarify certain technical point in the analogous non-functorial construction of Broto-Levi-Oliver of a relative plus construction.