Fold-maps and the space of base point preserving maps of spheres (Q700275)

Let \(N\) and \(P\) be smooth \(n\)-dimensional manifolds. A smooth map germ of \((N,x)\) into \((P,y)\) has a singularity of fold type at \(x\) if it is of the form \((x_1,\dots,x_{n-1},x_n)\mapsto (x_1,\dots,x_{n-1},x_n^2)\) under suitable local coordinate systems of \(M\) and \(P\). A map \(f:N\to P\) is said to be a fold-map if it has only fold singularities. For a connected close oriented manifold \(P\) a fold-cobordism class of a fold-map into \(P\) of degree \(m\) is defined by a certain cobordism equivalence. The set of such fold-cobordism classes is denoted by \(\Omega_{\text{fold},m}(P)\). Let \(F^m=\lim_{k\to\infty} F^m_k\), where \(F^m_k\) denotes the space of all base point preserving maps of degree \(m\) of \(S^{k-1}\). The author proves that there exists a surjection of \(\Omega_{\text{fold},m}(P)\) to the set of homotopy classes \([P, F^m]\) which induces many fold-bordism invariants.