Higher topological complexity and its symmetrization (Q740534)

The `topological complexity' \(\mathrm{TC}(X)\) of a space \(X\) defined by Farber is essentially the Švarc genus of the fibration equivalent to the diagonal \(\Delta: X \to X\times X\). Rudyak extended this to the iterated diagonal \(\Delta_n : X \to X^n\), leading to the notion of `higher topological complexity' \(\mathrm{TC}_n(X)\). In this paper, the authors compute \(\mathrm{TC}_n(X)\) for important examples (\S 3). Next they introduce two versions of `symmetric topological complexity': \(\mathrm{TC}_n^S(X)\) and \(\mathrm{TC}_n^\Sigma(X)\), the first one extending a notion of Farber and Grant, the second one being a homotopy invariant (\S 4). Finally they discuss some considerations about the case of spheres (\S 5). The authors prove that \(\mathrm{TC}_n(S^{k_1} \times S^{k_2} \times \dots \times S^{k_m}) = m(n-1)+l\) where \(l\) is the number of even dimensional spheres, extending the well-known fact that \(\mathrm{TC}(S^k) =\) 1 if \(k\) is odd and 2 if \(k\) is even. They also prove that for every closed simply connected symplectic manifold \(M^{2m}\) we have \(\mathrm{TC}_n(M) = nm\). They define \(\mathrm{TC}_n^\Sigma(X)\) as the least integer \(k\) which satisfies \(X^n = A_0 \cup \dots \cup A_k\), where each \(A_i\) is open, symmmetric and admits a continuous equivariant section \(s_i: A_i \to X^{J_n}\) for the map \(e_n: X^{J_n} \to X^n\) which is the fibration equivalent to the iterated diagonal \(\Delta_n : X \to X^n\). The fibration \(e_n\) induces a fibration at the level of orbit spaces of the action of the symmetric group \(\Sigma_n\) on the configuration spaces: \(\epsilon_n: Y_n(X) = e_n^{-1} (\mathrm{Conf}_n (X))/\Sigma_n \to \mathrm{Braid}_n(X) = \mathrm{Conf}_n(X) / \Sigma_n\). The authors prove that if \(X\) is a Euclidean neighborhood retract, then \(\mathrm{genus}(\epsilon_n) \leq \mathrm{TC}_n^\Sigma(X) \leq \mathrm{genus}(\epsilon_n) + \dots + \mathrm{genus}(\epsilon_2) + n-1\). This suggests the definition (for \(n \geq 2\)): \(\mathrm{TC}_n^S(X) = \mathrm{genus}(\epsilon_n) + \dots + \mathrm{genus}(\epsilon_2) + n-1\). It is shown that if \(k\) is a positive odd integer, for \(X = S^k\) and \(i \geq 2\), \(\mathrm{genus}(\epsilon_i) \geq 1\); further, \(\mathrm{genus}(\epsilon_i) = 1\) provided \(k = 1\). Finally the authors show that \(\mathrm{TC}_n^S(S^1) = 2(n-1)\), extending the known equality \(\mathrm{TC}_2^S(S^k) = 2\) (valid for any \(k > 0\)).