Loop near-rings and unique decompositions of \(H\)-spaces (Q728325)

Let \(X\) be a connected \(H\)-space and write \(\mathrm{End}(X):= [X,X]\) for the set of homotopy classes of maps from \(X\) to itself. In the paper under review, the authors are interested in showing an algebraic characterization of indecomposable and strongly indecomposable \(H\)-spaces which in turn gives unique decomposition theorems for products of \(H\)-spaces. An \(H\)-space is said to be indecomposable if \(0_X\) and \(1_X\) are the only idempotents in \(\mathrm{End}(X)\). First, they show that \(\mathrm{End}(X)\) is a loop near-ring; that is, a set with binary operations \(+\) and \(\cdot\) where the set is a loop with respect to \(+\) and a monoid with respect to \(\cdot\). We further require that \(\cdot\) distributes over \(+\) and that \(n\cdot 0=0\). Section 2 is devoted to proving that the decomposition of an \(H\)-space into products of strongly indecomposable factors is essentially unique. Here \(X\) is strongly indecomposable if \(\mathrm{End}(X)\) has a unique maximal subloop. Finally, the authors are able to show that in the special case that the \(H\)-space is finite \(p\)-local, then indecomposable implies strongly indecomposable, immediately yielding a unique decomposition theorem in the case that \(X\) is a \(p\)-local \(H\)-space.