Groups of homotopy classes of phantom maps (Q679799)

A map \(f : E \rightarrow F\) of spectra is said to be \textit{phantom} if the composite \(W \mathop{\longrightarrow}\limits^{g} E \mathop{\longrightarrow}\limits^{f} F\) is zero for each finite spectrum \(W\) and each map \(g : W \rightarrow E\). Similarly, as a space version, given two pointed \(CW\)-complexes \(X\) and \(Y\), a map \(f : X \rightarrow Y\) is called a \textit{phantom map} if the composite \(K \mathop{\longrightarrow}\limits^{g} X \mathop{\longrightarrow}\limits^{f} Y\) is inessential for each finite complex \(K\) and any map \(g : K \rightarrow X\). Phantom maps were introduced by \textit{J. Adams} and \textit{G. Walker} [Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 60, 699--700 (1964; Zbl 0126.18603)]. Let \(\mathrm{Ph}(X,Y)\) be the subset of \([X,Y]\) consisting of homotopy classes of phantom maps, and let \(\mathrm{SPh}(X,Y)\) denote the subset of \(\mathrm{Ph}(X,Y)\) consisting of homotopy classes of \textit{special phantom maps}, defined by the exact sequence of pointed sets \[ 0 \longrightarrow \mathrm{SPh}(X,Y) \longrightarrow \mathrm{Ph}(X,Y) \mathop{\longrightarrow}\limits^{{e_Y}_\sharp} \mathrm{Ph}(X,\check Y), \] where \(e_Y : Y \rightarrow \check Y = \prod_{p} Y_{(p)}\) is the local expansion. \textit{W. Meier} [C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. A 281, 787--789 (1975; Zbl 0319.55021)] and \textit{C. A. McGibbon} [Comment. Math. Helv. 68, No. 2, 263--277 (1993; Zbl 0799.55007)] showed that if \(X\) is a connected \(CW\)-complex and if \(Y\) is a nilpotent \(CW\)-complex of finite type with \(\pi_1\) finite, then \(\mathrm{Ph}(X,Y)\) has a natural, divisible, abelian group structure when \(X\) is a co-\(H_0\)-space or \(Y\) is an \(H_0\)-space. \textit{W. Meier} [Q. J. Math., Oxf. II. Ser. 29, 469--481 (1978; Zbl 0398.55014)] and \textit{A. Zabrodsky} [Isr. J. Math. 58, 129--143 (1987; Zbl 0638.55020)] stated that, under suitable conditions, there is a noncanonical bijection \[ \mathrm{Ph}(X,Y) \approx \prod_{i >0} H^i (X; \pi_{n+1} (Y) \otimes \widehat{\mathbb Z} / \mathbb Z), \] where \(\widehat{\mathbb Z}\) is the product \(\prod_{p} \widehat{\mathbb Z}_{p}\) of the \(p\)-completions of \(\mathbb Z\). Let \(\mathcal{CW}\) be the category of pointed connected \(CW\)-complexes and homotopy classes of maps and let \(\mathcal{N}\) be the full subcategory of the category \(\mathcal{CW}\) consisting of nilpotent \(CW\)-complexes of finite type. Let \(\mathcal{Q}\) be the full subcategory of \(\mathcal{CW}^{\mathrm{op}} \times \mathcal{N}\) consisting of \((X,Y)\) satisfying that the rational cohomology cup products or the rational Whitehead products are trivial for each degree. A space \(X\) is said to be \(n {1 \over 2}\)-\textit{connected} if \(\pi_i (X)\) is zero for \(i \leq n\) and \(\pi_{n+1}(X)\) is locally finite. Define the classes \(\mathcal A\), \(\mathcal B\), \(\mathcal A'\), and \(\mathcal B'\) by {\parindent=10mm \begin{itemize}\item[{\(\mathcal A =\)}] the class of \({1 \over 2}\)-connected Postnikov spaces, the classifying spaces of compact Lie groups, \({1 \over 2}\)-connected infinite loop spaces and their iterated suspensions, \item[{\(\mathcal B =\)}] the class of nilpotent finite complexes, the classifying spaces of compact Lie groups and their iterated loop spaces, \item[{\(\mathcal A' =\)}] the class of \(1{1 \over 2}\)-connected Postnikov spaces of finite type and their iterated suspensions, and \item[{\(\mathcal B' =\)}] the class of \(BU\), \(BO\), \(B\mathrm{Sp}\), \(B\mathrm{SO}\), \(U/\mathrm{Sp}\), \(\mathrm{Sp}/U\), \(\mathrm{SO}/U\), \(U/\mathrm{SO}\), and their iterated loop spaces. \end{itemize}} In this paper, the author gives a sufficient condition for \(\mathrm{Ph}(X,Y)\) and \(\mathrm{SPh}(X,Y)\) to have natural group structures. More precisely, if \((X,Y)\) is an object of the category \(\mathcal{Q}\), then \(\mathrm{Ph}(X,Y)\) and \(\mathrm{SPh}(X,Y)\) have natural divisible abelian group structures for which \(\mathrm{SPh}(X,Y)\) is a subgroup of \(\mathrm{Ph}(X,Y)\). The author also shows that if the pair \((X,Y)\) is in \(\mathcal A \times \mathcal B\) or \(\mathcal A' \times \mathcal B'\), then there are bijections \[ \begin{aligned}\mathrm{Ph}(X,Y) &\approx \prod_{i >0} H^i (X; \pi_{n+1} (Y) \otimes \widehat{\mathbb Z} / \mathbb Z),\text{ and } \\ \mathrm{SPh}(X,Y) &\approx \prod_{i >0} H^i (X; \pi_{n+1} (Y) \otimes \check{\mathbb Z} / \mathbb Z), \end{aligned} \] where \(\check{\mathbb Z}\) is the product \(\prod_p \mathbb{Z}_{(p)}\) of the \(p\)-localizations of \(\mathbb Z\). In particular, if \((X,Y)\) is in \(\mathcal Q\), the bijections above can be taken to be natural isomorphisms of abelian groups as a direct generalization of the works of W. Meier and A. Zabrodsky on the expression of the set \(\mathrm{Ph}(X,Y)\).