On the p-regularity of Stiefel manifolds (Q910758)

A space of finite CW type is called p-regular if its localization at a prime p is homotopy equivalent to a product of a finite number of spheres localized at p. The author studies in this paper the p-regularity of real, complex and quaternionic Stiefel manifolds \(V_{n,k}\), \(W_{n,k}\) and \(X_{n,k}\). Let p be an odd prime and consider the sets, for the field \({\mathbb{F}}={\mathbb{C}}\) or \({\mathbb{H}}\), \(C_{n+k,k}({\mathbb{F}})=\{\sum^{k}_{j=1}\epsilon_ j(dn+dj-1):\quad \epsilon_ j=0\quad or\quad 1\},\Pi (n;p)=\{2pn+2j(p-1):\quad j=1,2,...\}\cup \{2(r_ n+1)(p-1)+2pn-1\}\)where \(d=\dim_{{\mathbb{R}}} {\mathbb{F}}\) and \(-n-1\equiv r_ n\), \(0<r_ n<p\), mod p. With these notations his main results are stated as follows. \(W_{n+k,k}\) is p- regular if \(k\leq p-1\) and \[ \cup^{k- 1}_{j=0}(C_{n+k,k}({\mathbb{C}})\cap \Pi (n+j;p))=\emptyset, \] and \(X_{n+k,k}\) is p-regular if \(k\leq (p-1)/2\) and \[ \cup^{k- 1}_{j=0}(C_{n+k,k-j}({\mathbb{H}})\cap \Pi (2n+2j+1;p))=\emptyset. \] In particular, \(W_{n+k,k}\) is p-regular if \(n\geq (k^ 2-2p-2)/(2p-2k)\), \(W_{mp+p,p}\) is p-regular if \(m\geq (p-1)/2\), \(X_{n+k,k}\) is p-regular if \(n\geq (2k^ 2+k-4p+3)/(4p-4k)\) and \(X_{n+(p+1)/2}\) is p-regular if \(2n+1\) is divisible by p. These results strengthen a theorem due to \textit{Y. Hemmi} [Hiroshima Math. J. 12, 399-419 (1982; Zbl 0505.55005)]. The proof is done by using the stable retract theorem of I. M. James and by showing that the fibre inclusion \(V_{n+1,1}({\mathbb{F}})\hookrightarrow V_{n+k,k}({\mathbb{F}})\) localized at p has a left homotopy inverse with a job examining \(H^ i(V_{n+k,k}({\mathbb{F}}),V_{n+1,1}({\mathbb{F}});\pi_ i(QV_{n+1,1}({\mathbb{F}}),V_{n+1,1}({\mathbb{F}}))\) where \(QX=\lim \Omega^ m\Sigma^ mX\). Further he proves, by studying the image of the J- homomorphism, that \(V_{n+2,2}\) for \(n\neq 0,2,6\), \(W_{n+2,2}\) for \(n\neq 0,2\) and \(X_{n+2,2}\) are not 2-regular.