Elements of higher homotopy groups undetectable by polyhedral approximation

Abstract: When non-trivial local structures are present in a topological space

X

, a common approach to characterizing the isomorphism type of the

n

-th homotopy group

p i_{n} (X, x_{0})

is to consider the image of

p i_{n} (X, x_{0})

in the

n

-th v{C}ech homotopy group

c h e c k {p i}_{n} (X, x_{0})

under the canonical homomorphism

P s i_{n} : p i_{n} (X, x_{0}) o c h e c k {p i}_{n} (X, x_{0})

. The subgroup

k e r (P s i_{n})

is the obstruction to this tactic as it consists of precisely those elements of

p i_{n} (X, x_{0})

, which cannot be detected by polyhedral approximations to

X

. In this paper, we use higher dimensional analogues of Spanier groups to characterize

k e r (P s i_{n})

. In particular, we prove that if

X

is paracompact, Hausdorff, and

L C^{n - 1}

, then

k e r (P s i_{n})

is equal to the

n

-th Spanier group of

X

. We also use the perspective of higher Spanier groups to generalize a theorem of Kozlowski-Segal, which gives conditions ensuring that

P s i_{n}

is an isomorphism.

Review text

The main purpose of shape theory is to study spaces that do not have a polyhedral homotopy type (spaces with nontrivial local structure). It is common to consider polyhedral expansions of such spaces (such as Čech expansions) which serve as polyhedral approximations. For a pointed space \((X,x_0)\) an inverse limit of the homotopy pro-group pro-\(\pi_n(X,x_0)\), obtained by acting on its Čech expansion with the homotopy group functor \(\pi_{k}\), is the natural algebraic invariant in shape theory called \(n\)-th Čech (or shape) homotopy group \(\pi_n(X,x_0)\). The kernel \(\ker(\Psi_n)\) of the canonical homomorphism \(\Psi_n:\pi_n(X,x_0)\to \check{\pi}_n(X,x_0)\) is an algebraic measure of the \(n\)-dimensional homotopic deviation of the pointed space \((X,x_0)\) from its polyhedral approximation, i.e. it provides information on those elements of \(\pi_n(X,x_0)\) which cannot be detected by polyhedral approximation of \(X\). \textit{E. H. Spanier} [Algebraic topology. New York etc.: McGraw-Hill Book Company (1966; Zbl 0145.43303)] characterized the semilocal simple connectivity of a topological space in terms of the vanishing of a certain subgroup of its fundamental group and these groups are named in [\textit{H. Fischer} et al., Topology Appl. 158, No. 3, 397--408 (2011; Zbl 1219.54028)] as the Spanier group. Higher dimensional analogs of Spanier groups (\(n\)-Spanier groups, \(\pi_n^{S_{p}}(X,x_0))\) were introduced, very recently, in [\textit{A. A. Bahredar} et al., Filomat 35, No. 9, 3169--3182 (2021; \url{doi:10.2298/FIL2109169B})] as subgroups of the \(n\)-th homotopy group \(\pi_n(X,x_0)\). In [\textit{J. Brazas} and \textit{P. Fabel}, Rocky Mt. J. Math. 44, No. 5, 1415--1444 (2014; Zbl 1306.57004), Theorem 6.1] it was proved that \(\pi_1^{S_{p}}(X,x_0)=\ker(\Psi_1)\) if \(X\) is paracompact, Hausdorff and locally path connected. In this paper it is proved that \(\pi_{n}^{S_{p}}(X,x_0)=\ker(\Psi_{n})\), \(n>1\), provided that \(X\) is paracompact, Hausdorff and \(LC^{n-1} \). Furthmore, applying Spanier groups, the authors provide a generalization of Kozlowski-Segal's theorem [\textit{G. Kozlowski} and \textit{J. Segal}, Fundam. Math. 99, 213--225 (1978; Zbl 0396.55008); \textit{H. Fischer} and \textit{A. Zastrow}, ibid. 197, 167--196 (2007; Zbl 1137.55006)] which gives conditions ensuring that \(\Psi_n\) is an isomorphism.

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